Winston Churchill's Aircraft

[PLovett]

I have a question that some of you chaps and chapesses may be able to help with.

I have just finished reading Lord Moran's book about his time as Churchill's personal physician during the war years and then during the 1950s. He recounts the various travels with Churchill by air but does not mention the type of aircraft. These include flying to Washington, Cairo, Marakeech (sp?), Teheran, Yalta and Potsdam.

The only reference is to a "Skymaster", which I think was a C54, a "flying boat" and to a "bomber".

Does anyone know what type of aircraft Churchill used for his travels?

An interesting aside was that Churchill was not a good air traveller which I find strange given that he once tried learning to fly. Although, perhaps the reason he didn't like flyiing was because of that experience.

[henry crun]

I am not sure but I think in 1939 when he flew to and from France several times he used a Flamingo.

Later in the war he made a number of trips in a York that was fitted out for his use, and after that was the C54.

He also used a Boeing 314 on a number of transatlantic flights.
I can recall reading of trips taking about 17 hours in that aircraft.

[Kolibear]

One of Churchill's aircraft was an Avro York, a transport aircraft derived from the Lancaster, which could account for the 'bomber'

[shack]

When I left Halton in 1950 my first posting was to Lyneham which was a mass of Hastings except for one York which if I remember correctly was MW100 (24 Sqdn?). Twas said that it was the York that had been used by Churchill.

[Conan the Librarian]

He also used a Liberator - but with a single fin. I forget its name now, (Possibly Commando?) but he used it to go to the Casablanca summit in 43 taking off from Stanton Harcourt near Brize, which has since been worked extensively for aggregates.

He also later used the York, which had a pressurised compartment installed for him in the back, which apparently he didn't like much.

Another interesting Winston fact was that until the pressure "Egg" was fitted into his aircraft, he had oxygen (This sounds both daft - and suspect - to me, but I have read it more than once) delivered by a modified mask that fitted just over his nose, so that he could still smoke his trademark cigar. Apocryphal? Possibly. Anybody know more?


Conan

[treadigraph]

Single finned Liberator was the Privateer, also as used until the recent tragic accident as fire bomber is the US.

[henry crun]

Conan: Re your last paragraph.
I have not heard that story before and find it hard to believe that even WSC would have been allowed to smoke while using oxygen.

The danger is too great to contemplate.

[Windy Militant]

It's true the mask was made for a flight to Moscow in August 1942 by messrs Winfield, Blunt, Parkinson, Pask and Gilson of the Institute of Aviation Medicine at Farnborough As described on Page 80 of

"Into Thin Air" A history of Aviation Medicine ISBN 0 7090 1290 X

Apparently they were more concerned about incuring the wrath of the great man because the cigars burnt down too quickly due to the oxygen rich atmosphere, than the risk of fire.
Stranger than fiction eh!

[PLovett]

Thank you all for the response.

Regarding the use of oxygen there is reference in Moran's book to WSC using oxygen. It appears that he was very susceptible to pneumonia and was fearful of flying at altitude as that may bring it on. The book recounts him sleeping with the mask on even though the altitude was not great. I think it was while flying the Atlantic.

I think the reference to the cigar was that he couldn't keep it alight at altitude but I can't remember anything about him smoking one while using oxygen.

[Conan the Librarian]

Henry C - Exactly!

Conan

[treadigraph]

Mate tells me that Winston's single-finned Liberator was indeed a modified Liberator. One lives and learns...

[wet wet wet]

Towards the end of the war Armstrong Whitworth at Coventry undertook the refurbishment of a DC-4 Skymaster (EW999) that had been presented by President Roosevelt for the personal use of Winston Churchill. This aircraft was fitted by AWA with a conference table to seat twelve people along with sleeping acomodation for six. There was also a stateroom for the Prime Minister that was equipped with a divan, wardrobe, easy chairs and desk. The completed aircraft departed to Northolt on the 6th of November 1944. The aircraft was returned to the USA shortly afterwards, following the Socialist victory in the post war general election.

[PLovett]

wet wet wet

That makes sense because the reference in the book to the skymaster was during the trip to Yalta.

[henry crun]

A few more snippets on this subject.

Re the trip to Yalta.
The Skymaster landed at Malta at 0200 hrs for a brief stopover and refuel.
The crowd of big wigs and chiefs of staff waited in the chill of the early morning as the aircraft taxied in and then stopped.

The door opened and an aide told them WSC was fast asleep and did not intend to wake until morning.
He had said that he didn't want anyone to meet the aircraft, "Weren't you told ?" the aide asked. :)

John Mitchell, WSC's navigator, relates a landing in the York at Gibraltar on their way back from Tunis.
The owner wanted to watch the landing from the right hand seat.

They landed long on that short runway because the captain could not get the yoke far enough back to get the tail down.
WSC's stomach was in the way.

Apparently the lavatory seat in the York got very cold on long trips so the engineers came up with an electrically heated one.

WSC complained that it was too hot so it was disconnected.

[wet wet wet]

A bit of Googling produced this artlcle (http://www.24sqnassociation.royalairforce.net/issue10.htm) from the 24 Squadron Association about Churchill's personal Skymaster with its heated toilet seat. Well worth a read.

[henry crun]

Thanks for the correction.

In the book I quoted from, the part about the lavatory seat followed on from the the other story so I presumed he was still talking about the York.

[PaperTiger]

Liberator II AL504 was the personal transport of Winston Churchill.

All armament was removed, and the fuselage was modified to accommodate plush seats, berths, and an electric flight kitchen. It carried the name "Commando". In 1944, Commando was fitted with a single-fin and rudder.

Commando was lost over the Atlantic on Mar 27, 1945 while on a flight to Canada. There was no direct equivalent to the Liberator II in the USAAF inventory so no B-24 designation is really applicable, the closest being B-24A but with a modified nose.

[JDK]

A bit more

The Flamingos Winston used in 1940 were (probably) from the King's Flight.

There is a photo on the web of Winston in the lh seat of the Boeing 314, and a number of the aircraft he flew in.

Aeroplane Monthly ran an article on the 'iron lung' style presure pod that was built for Churchill. It's a classic boffin effort - does the job, but the occupant was locked into a small metal pod - total claustrophobia! Unremarkably, Churchill rejected it. Interesting article.

Cheers

[Speedbird48]

To answer some of the questions regarding the Liberator that Churchill used it was serial # AL504. One of a group of 139 Liberator II's manufactured in 1941.

The aircraft was named "Commando". It was modified with a single fin at Consolidated Vultee, San Diego early in 1944 and a fuselage extension added at the same time. It was modified almost to US Navy RY-3 standards but with the original engines.

It disappeared at sea near the Azores soon after the end of the war.

It was not modified to "Privateer" standards. That was a much larger aircraft having a 7ft fuselage extension forward of the wing.

[JDK]

...and according to Martin Bowman in his Crowood book on the Lib, Churchill only flew on it when it had the twin fin arrangement - all surviving pics I can recall are of it as a single fin job!

[Fantome]

. . . . . on offer to anyone who is a serious WSC appreciater.

This fine oil in a classic gilt frame - 70 cms by 85 cms - was painted by the late Henry Hanke. Hanke won the prestigious Archibald Prize for portraiture in 1934. (Google search reveals the reputation of this talented artist and his standing among art historians.)

Please send me a PM with your email address if you wish further details and a photo of the portrait.

Fantome. 25th August 2005.

[imabell]

winston did a lot of nautical miles in this aircraft, especially to ships at sea for those early meetings with the yanks.

http://www.bluetonguehelicopters.com.au/pprune/wc.jpg