I went to a model aircraft show today in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The show wasn’t up to much really, although it was at an ex-RAF base and was side-by-side with some old aircraft. But as we were leaving we were told that there would be a fly-over later by a Hurricane and a Lancaster Bomber! Well, we weren’t going to miss that. So we grabbed some lunch and made our way to a good vantage point.
Much of the airfield is now a large man-made lake. We walked towards a small hill by the side of it, and just before we reached the top over it came! WOW! What a sight. I tell you, we were expecting it but it still knocked us for dead. Seeing that monster coming over the hill, so low, so impressive even today, was quite moving in a strange way. Not sure why, but I felt quite emotional! It did three circles of the area, the attractive blue Hurricane by it’s side, dwarfed but sort of cute in comparison [;)] then left.
My girlfriend had been bored by the model show, and left to sit in the car after she’d checked out the ‘big’ planes, but she was as knocked out as me seeing that Lancaster appear suddenly over the hill.
I’ll have to build a 1/48 scale of it one day, when my skills can do it justice [;)]
Whoa! That’s very cool! I too want to build a Lancaster one of these days. Maybe even a Halifax… But first i’ll improve my airbrushing skills! [:D] Hmmm… Who makes these in 1/72?
Airfix makes the best 1/72 Lancaster - 3 versions - a regular Mk III, a Dam Buster versioin and a Grand Slam version, Airfix also makes a radial engined Halifax, old kit but still quite nice. Matchbox also made a Merlin engined Halifax but that one may be very hard to find. HTH Cheers
Tamiya makes a 48th scale Lancaster, 2 kits available expensive, not easy to find and has raised panel lines. But are nice kits and impressive when built.
They offer the B.1 and B.III Dambuster/Grand Slam variants.
Rick being in the USA afraid not much chane of seeing the city of lincoln (the lanc) . dont know where in the states you are but there is an airworthy lanc in
Canada[:)]
The Canadian Warplane Heritage in Hamilton, Ontario (just outside Toronto & half an hour from Niagara Falls) has a flying Lancaster. She comes to Ottawa every once in a while. I’ve seen her here at least half a dozen times over the past 8-10 years. She always manages to fly over my house when she’s here.
Rides in it are available, for a price. My wife bought me one a few years back. I can’t even begin to describe the feelings and sensations of what that flight was like. But I will tell you this; it sure gives you a miniscule amount of perspective of what it must have been like flying in one, operationally, over Germany.
The day we went up was sunny but very windy. The taxi and take off was quite interesting. The wind buffetting the big, slab sides of the airplane was quite a feeling. It seemed like the wind was almost pushing the airplane sideways. One of the oher passengers, a 35 sortie Lanc pilot (with certifications in Halifaxes, Stirlings, Wellingtons and Mosquitos) said that none of what we were feeling would have been evident if the Lanc was fully loaded up. We had only a minimal fuel load and that’s why we were being pushed around so much. There was quite a bit of turbulence as you might imagine.
Once we were airborne, we were allowed to stand up and walk around. For a big airplane, there sure isn’t a whole lot of room inside. I’m 6’ tall and I was bent over like Quasimodo moving around inside the airplane. Crossing the two main spars to get to the flight deck was quite a treat. The rear one wasn’t so bad but my shins lost the battle with that one. Then you had to squeeze through the main spar. That’s right. I had to wedge my 260 lb frame through a hole four foot square, in turbulence. All the radio operator and navigator’s equipment behind the pilot’s seat has been removed from the airplane. Consequently, there was alot more room than there was in an operational Lanc. It wasn’t a pretty sight.
That ride certainly opened my eyes to what men half my age were doing a lifetime ago. I was having such a hard time moving around during a ‘normal’ flight. I now understand why so few aircrew were safely able to bail out once one of these things started to go down. It certainly gave me pause to reflect.
Would I do it again? Probably not.
Am I glad I did it? More than words can express. Some of the best money I ever spent.
If anyone has the opportunity to partake in this adventure, do it! You won’t be sorry.
Well, now that we’re on the topic of the Lancaster, here’s a story i would like to share…
Sometime in August 1944, my grandfather, a flight engineer with 9 sqn RAF, was heading home from a sortie over france (bombing submarine docks, i think. will have to check flight log.) he was flying over the rhine when his Lan got bounced by a single FW-190. the pilot managed to keep the bomber in the air, bu most of the crew were either badly hit or dead
By the time they reached the channel, engines 1 and 3 were dead, and number 4 was pouring smoke. realizing that they could’nt stay in the air for much longer, the pilot decided to make an emergency landing in the drink. Remebering his training, my grandfather got to the highest point in the aircraft, in thios case the mid-upper gunner’s station. moving over his dead comrade, he held on to the machine guns for dear life. when the lanc hit the water, the guns spun around so quickly that they broke his nose.
an hour later, the survivors were picked up by a Sunderland amphibious plane, which was informed by another aircraft of the co-ordinates of the crash site. only 4 crew members survived this ordeal, and my grandfather was unable to smell or taste anything for a year.
several years later, my grandfather was given the oppourtunity to sit in the cockpit during a flight in the hamilton memorial museum’s Lancaster. It is not an understatement to say that it brought back alot of memories to him, which i was fortunate enough to share with him…
Lancaster Lover, great story, thanks for sharing.
Missile068, it would be just great to be able to see a flying Lanc in the
U.S. The fact that in the U.S. to be able to even get a chance to see a Lancaster much less fly would be priceless. I do not know if there is any in
Canada, I’m there is someone on this site who may know.
We here in Canada are so lucky to have a flying lanc in the first place let alone still have it.It was parked in the hanger in Hamilton that burned several years ago.Fortunately,the fire started in the other side of the hanger and the fire wall held.The lanc escaped unhurt but several other birds were not so lucky.Several were totaly destroyed,one of which was a hurricane.I’m not sure what all else was lost or how many.
The lanc is restored asKB726 in honour of PO Andrew Mynarski.The AC is actually FM213 that served with the RCAF 107 rescue unit until it was sold surplus and flown to Goderich Ont in June of 64 where in was made into a memorial.
It was acquired by the museum in 77.The ac was stripped of as much weight as possible and then slung under a Canadian forces chinook helo for the trip to Hamilton in Nov of 79.During the flight from Goderich to Hamilton,the lanc started to swing uncontrollably.There was some thought that they may have to cut it free.Fortunately,the crew regained control and delivered thier cargo to it’s new home.
Very little work was done on the lanc until 1983,when the museum recieved enough money to start the project.The packard merlin 224’s were in sad shape after sitting for so long.Some were not rebuildable.Several replacements were found in various locations.Some came from a lanc that sat at the Oshawa airport,some from the Canadian forces and even one from a Centurion tank.Several of the replacement engines were sent to J.R.S Company in Minneapolis for rebuild.The engines were installed and run for the first time in Aug of 88.
The ac took to the air a short time later in 89 to take it’s place in Canadian history.
I have seen the lanc in flight several times but one never gets used to seeing such a magnificent sight and ohhh the sounds,it’s like nothing else.I have several photos of the first public flight with the chase planes if anyone likes.
We all know how much work it is to mask and paint a model,but to give you an Idea what’s involved in painting a real lanc.It took some 80 gallons of paint and primer,2,286 metres of paper,48 rolls of 2" tape,48 rolls of 3/4" tape and 43hrs to mask and paint some 5,600 square feet of plane.Suddenly my 1/72 B-36 doesn’t seem like such a big job.
I know this in a bit more than most want to know but if anyone is interested in the history of this plane,there it is.
I consider myself to be very lucky to live in a place where I can see 1 of only 2 currently flying lancs in the world within a 2hr drive,and the only technically correct Halifax (NA337) in the world is about 20min from my house being restored to static display by a team of very hard working volunteers.
Yep,very lucky indeed.
I’m in Western Canada, we have two out in this neck of the woods, one in Calgary which is under a slow restoration with pretty small funds (plus it’s still outside), it’ll never be airworth though because of holes that were drilled into the spares to mount it on a piller outside Calgary international in the midsixties or earlier (it was at least there by 65) until the brought it down in, I think 89. Actually, one of my profs told me about when he worked with a crew taking the merlins out of this one which are now, or were at some point powering the Warplane Heritage museum’s Lanc, I guess they were low time engines when they mounted up that stand (oh to have some funds and a time machine, I found an add in an old magazine, a spitfire for, I think it was, ten grand)) There’s another in Nanton, a couple hours south of Calgary, which is also under restoration though I can’t imagine it’ll ever fly again (besides it’s not even at an airfield) Both are Canadian built.