Stepping out of Liverpool and heading up to Burscough in Lancashire, my latest digital preservation project took me to a rather unique location. Located right outside the Booths supermarket at the Ringtail Retail Park is a poignant and striking memorial garden. Standing watch over this space is a beautiful bronze statue of a World War II Fleet Air Arm pilot. As part of my ongoing mission to document our local history, I brought my original Creality Otter 3D scanner to capture this fantastic tribute to our aviation heritage.
Here is the incredible story behind this former naval air station and how the advanced 3D scanning technology makes preserving its monuments so effective.
The History Of The HMS Ringtail Memorial
Before it became a bustling retail park, this land was a crucial military base.
Here are the key historical facts about the site and the airman statue:
- The Airfield: This location was once HMS Ringtail, a massive Royal Naval Air Station commissioned in September 1943. It was a vital training ground for the Fleet Air Arm during the Second World War, hosting around 40 different squadrons before closing in 1946.
- The Architecture: When the retail park was developed, the local history was beautifully preserved. The Booths supermarket itself is actually designed to look exactly like a wartime aircraft hangar to honour the legacy of the site.
- The Memorial Garden: An original stone monument honoring those who served at the airbase was erected in 2004. When the retail park was built, this monument was carefully relocated in 2015 to a brand new dedicated memorial garden outside the supermarket.
- The Airman Statue: To complete the new memorial garden, the Booths family commissioned a brand new, life size bronze sculpture of a Fleet Air Arm pilot. Created by the talented North West sculptor Peter Hodgkinson, the airman affectionately known to some locals as Frank stands proudly watching over the former runways.
Scanning A Bronze Pilot With The Original Creality Otter
Digitizing a highly detailed bronze statue outdoors requires a scanner that can handle complex textures and unpredictable lighting. Between the fine details of the pilot uniform and the reflective nature of the dark metal, I needed a highly capable tool. The original Creality Otter proved to be absolutely perfect for the task.
Here is why this scanner excelled during the capture process:
- Exceptional Precision: Capturing the intricate folds of the flight suit and the subtle facial features sculpted by Peter Hodgkinson required immense accuracy. The 0.02 millimeter precision of the original Otter flawlessly mapped the textures of the bronze uniform and the flying goggles.
- Four Lens Stereo Vision: The scanner uses dual long focal lenses for capturing the smallest details and dual short focal lenses for easily mapping larger areas. This setup allowed me to capture the highly detailed equipment on the pilot as well as the smooth bronze surfaces seamlessly in one pass.
- No Sprays Needed: Applying scanning spray to a deeply respected war memorial is simply not an option. The advanced vision system managed the dark, reflective metallic surface perfectly in the natural outdoor light without any additional preparation.
- Smooth Tracking Capability: Because the statue is life size and stands on a plinth, I had to move carefully around it to capture every angle. The advanced tracking and One Shot 3D imaging technology meant I could walk steadily around the monument without ever losing my tracking data.
A Digital Archive Of Aviation Heritage
Preserving our local war memorials in 3D allows us to capture the profound gratitude and history of our region. Having a flawless digital model of the Burscough Airman ensures that the brave sacrifice of those who served at HMS Ringtail, and the incredible sculptural work of Peter Hodgkinson, can be respected and remembered by future generations across the globe.
