[00:00.49]In 1963 a Lancaster bomber crashed on Wallis Island, a remote place in the South Pacific, a long way west of Samoa.
[00:13.62]The plane wasn't too badly damaged, but over the years, the crash was forgotten and the wreck remained undisturbed.
[00:22.97]Then in 1989, twenty-six years after the crash, the plane was accidentally rediscovered in an aerial survey of the island.
[00:35.71]By this time, a Lancaster bomber in reasonable condition was rare and worth rescuing.
[00:43.63]The French authorities had the plane packaged and moved in parts back to France.
[00:50.82]Now a group of enthusiasts are going to have the plane restored.
[00:56.06]It has four Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, but the group will need to have only three of them rebuilt.
[01:04.16]Imagine their surprise and delight when they broke open the packing cases and found that the fourth engine was sweet as honey -- still in perfect condition.
[01:19.13]A colony of bees had turned the engine into a hive and it was totally preserved in beeswax!