Avro Lancaster Window chute

[T-21]

Located on the starboard lower side of the nose in front of the bomb-bay was a rectangular box like structure for the despatch of the strips of Window-radar decoy. Can anybody help with drawings ? and dates of its introduction . Very little is published about it in Lancaster books. Thanks in advance for any help.
http://www.evansheadairpark.com.au/Portals/0/Evans%20Head/General%20Images/Historical%20Photos/Avro%20Lancaster.jpg

[forget]

I'd expect a few variations on Lancaster Window chutes. Here's what I thought was the final design, just above the letter M.

Propellor Flying (http://www.propellor1.co.uk/)

[GOLF_BRAVO_ZULU]

I've just checked my dad's A V Roe Instructional Course Handbook (JUL '45) on the Type and it gives no clues to the Window chute. It does label the protrusion shown in photograph posted by forget as a ventilation extractor vent, though. It's not as clear as in the manual but it is marked on this Flight drawing; 1943 | 2865 | Flight Archive (http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1943/1943%20-%202865.html?search=lancaster)

In The Lancaster Story by P Jacobs, he notes that the flare chute was used for Window up until early '44. The flare chute was aft of the ventral gun location and by the entrance door.

[TheChitterneFlyer]

I wouldn't have thought that the 'chaff' (Window) dispenser would have been positioned within the nose area, largely because there's the possibility that chaff could hit the propellor or other aircraft equipment whilst being dispensed.

As GBZ suggests, the flare chute was initially used for dispensing Chaff, although that later modifications might have been introduced to position it elsewhere... more than likely within a similar area, as the Chaff would then have an uninterupted exit from the aircraft.

TCF

[T-21]

If you study the photo on my posting you wll see the chute below the starboard cockpit and also on another forum I have placed the same request,which has brought a good response on this subject. The Window strips would have caused little damage to the wing root on dispensing,as they would have dropped clear of the bomb-bay and inner engine.

[forget]

I'd expect a few variations on Lancaster Window chutes. Here's what I thought was the final design, just above the letter M.

Propellor Flying

Tilt. :\ That's an exhaust vent for the cabin heating. I've got a sectioned diagram of a Lancaster which shows 'Flare Chute' below the Mid Upper Turret. However, I do know that some window chutes were fitted well forward in the nose.

[forget]

May be of some use/interest.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/cumpas/windowchute.jpg

[Lancman]

That was an air extractor in the nose and you could pee through it without wetting the sides.:ok:

[henry crun]

The first time the RAF used Window operationally was on the Gomorrah raid on Hamburg.
Instruments Of Darkness by Alfred Price has this to say."The aircraft's bomb-aimers crawled back into the rear of the fuselage where the Window bundles were waiting stacked around the flare chute".

In 1944 during the Taxable spoof in support of the D-Day invasion where they had to drop 1 bundle every 5 seconds, a 617 Sqd crewman said "Our Lancaster was packed full of Window from nose to tail. if we were forced down in the sea there would be little chance of our geting out before the the aircraft sank".

On that operation the only place to carry the majority of the those bundles would be in the rear fuselage, so it would be logical to have the chute in the rear and not in the nose.

[T-21]

Thanks for all the input . The chute in the nose appears to be fitted to some of the Lancasters and definitely used for despatch of Window bundles. Scant information in the many Lancaster books published, can someone from Avro Heritage assist further ?

[David Layne]

Perhaps the question could be raised on the Lancaster Archives forum, there are some very knowledgeable people there.

Lancaster-Archive Forum • View forum - Bomber Command Forum (http://lancaster-archive.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=4)