Retired electronics engineer Leon Ellison, from Binfield, spent decades building an exact replica of the flight deck in his garden shed.

Inspired by the 1955 film The Dambusters when he was a child, Mr Ellison dedicated 20 years to research and a further 20 years to building the model, which was stored in a homemade hangar at his home until his death in June 2024, aged 77.

His son, Adrian Ellison, said: “Dad was obsessed with The Dambusters ever since he watched the film as a child in 1955.

“He devoted his life to learning everything he could about the Lancasters.

“He visited every single one still in existence.

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“We thought he was mad when he started building the cockpit from scratch but he was actually a genius.”

Mr Ellison had dreamed of turning the cockpit into a working simulator but passed away before this could be realised.

The only parts of the cockpit that were not built by hand were the struts around the top, which were laser-cut by a company.

The family has now donated the cockpit to the RAF Metheringham Airfield visitor centre in Lincolnshire.

The centre plans to transform it into a fully operational simulator, allowing visitors to experience the famous Dam Busters raids over Germany in 1943.

Adrian Ellison, who watched the cockpit being winched from its hangar alongside his sister Belle, described the moment as bittersweet but said it was a fitting tribute to their father’s dedication.

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He said: “Watching the cockpit fly for the first time when it was winched up by the crane was bittersweet but we are very proud.

“He wanted to build this cockpit to teach others about the Lancasters and the simulator was his dream.

“It feels right that it will be displayed at the RAF visitor centre which was home to the Lancasters.”

Mr Ellison’s lifelong passion for aviation shone through every detail of the project, from the faithfully recreated gauges and controls to the sound of the four Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, which he simulated using a frequency device.

Ian Brett from the Metheringham Airfield Visitor Centre described the replica as an “absolutely fantastic piece of engineering”.

The centre was home to the 106 Squadron’s fleet of Lancaster bombers.