Man who helped restore iconic Bluebird hopes to break world water speed record with new hydroplane

ITV Granada Reports journalist Paul Crone went to meet Dave Aldred and see his latest project

The man who helped restore the iconic Bluebird watercraft is hoping to make history himself - by breaking the world water speed record.

Dave Aldred has spent years rebuilding the ill-fated high-speed craft which was lost to the bottom of Coniston Water in the Lake District after it somersaulted and crashed during a record attempt in 1967, killing pilot Donald Campbell instantly.

Alongside the mammoth project he has also been designing his own hydroplane, Longbow, with hopes it can break the current 317.59 mph record, set in Australia in 1978.

The twin-engine craft is being built in Dave's Thornton workshop in Lancashire before the record attempt in Coniston.

“We’re doing it just an hour up the road at Coniston, so it’s very real, the public can come and see it," he said.

“There aren’t many records that you can do that, that are outright records, the fastest in the world.”

He says he is aware of the risks Longbow’s pilot Lt. David-John Gibbs RN will face at such high speeds.

“You’ve no suspension, there could be things it the water, you’ve got gusts coming down off the mountains and the trick is to keep the boat skimming across the water without taking off or going in," he added.

Dave and his small team of dedicated experts are hoping to bring the world water speed record back to Britain

“Donald couldn’t even see to some extent, he was getting eyeball oscillation,” Dave said.

“Now with Longbow she’s an air trapping hull, so that’s a bit different, she skims across the water much better, but it’s something else, it’s horrendously quick.”

Longbow is likely to undergo trials in Scottish lochs and at Coniston.