An historic plane at the Yorkshire Air Museum will be shrouded in scaffolding for a month as it gets a paint job.
The Handley Page Victor was built in 1961 as a nuclear bomber before being converted to a tanker – refuelling other aircraft mid-air.
The plane – number XL231 – is in the same hemp-grey colours it’s had since the mid-1980s, and which it wore during Operation Granby, the first Gulf War, in 1991.
These were its colours when it flew into the Yorkshire Air Museum at Elvington in 1993.
It’s now being repainted in a camouflage design for the first time in 40 years. These are the colours that Victors carried when they were used extensively during the 1982 Falklands conflict, flying from Ascension Island in the mid-Atlantic.
The four-engine jet aircraft is 117 feet wide and 114 feet long (36m and 35m) and the repainting requires it to be covered in scaffolding.
Work is due to start on 6 May and last around a month.
The scaffolding is being erected around XL231 by specialist firm Kaefer who are supporting the project free of charge.
The painting itself is being carried out by Bagnalls and will following the precise pattern of a 1980s RAF Victor K2.
Yorkshire Air Museum Communications Manager Jerry Ibbotson said: “This is such an historic project, returning XL231 to her camouflage colours after decades in the all-grey scheme.
“It’s going to look incredible when it’s done, and I think the process of painting her will be fascinating to see. We’re hugely grateful for the support of everyone involved – this is a true partnership.”