Lancaster of Tomorrow

[wowzz]

Watching the great pictures of the Lancaster celebrating the anniversary of the 'Dambusters Raid' got me thinking.
How likely is it that an example of a current [or very recent] military aircraft is likely to still be airworthy in 70 years time, given the complexity of today's aircraft?
And if one had to select one of to-days aircraft for a fly-past in 2083, which would you select?

[Blacksheep]

Despite what was said on the BBC this morning in reply to a question of how much is original, there isn't much of the original PA474 left. Hell, I rewired her in '66 when she was 23 years old and that was 47 years ago! I expect she'll have been rewired twice more since then. She's certainly had new wing spars and other major structural rework. Maintaining a modern aircraft by rebuilding isn't an economic proposition. I doubt if there'll be any airworthy examples around in 2083.

PA474 will probably still be flying though. :ok:

[aquadraco]

If you mean military aircraft, I'd say the Vulcan. I would have suggested the B-52, but they'll still be in front line service with the USAF in 2083 :). If you're looking for genuine, wholly British designed and built aircraft that are in service in 2013, you'd better hope the Hawk can last the distance, because it may well be the last of its kind.:{

[MReyn24050]

On the Canberra Association website "Tribute to the Engilsh Electric Canberra" THE ENGLISH ELECTRIC CANBERRA (http://www.bywat.co.uk/canframes.html) , Canberra's XH567 and XT327 built in 1955 are reported to be still flying with Air Platform Inc at Lakeport California. Not sure if they are still active today.

[DaveReidUK]

Canberra's XH567 and XT327 built in 1955 are reported to be still flying with Air Platform Inc at Lakeport California. Not sure if they are still active today. Air Platform are no longer active, but the two Canberras in question are currently registered as N30UP (WT327) and N40UP (XH567) to a company called High Altitude Mapping Missions.

Whether they are still flying, or even extant, is another question - I certainly haven't found any photos of them on the Net.

[MLH]

I'm good friends with the owner of N30UP & N40UP, they are currently unairworthy and have not been flown in many years.

[joy ride]

Cost, complexity and insurance will most likely ground any relatively modern plane far sooner than the Lancaster. Furthermore, any plane considered for extended airworthiness would need a large amount of public support far beyond aviation enthusiasts.

The Lancaster was UK's most successful WW2 bomber, but was propelled to super-stardom by the Dams Raid, and later the famous film. Its engines were also almost equally famous due to all the different planes (including some Heinkel He 111s!) which used them.

There are still a few classic British jets flying, but probably not for much longer.

Nowadays UK seems committed to just buying off-the-shelf US planes or contributing parts to multi-national ones, so sadly I would feel far less keen for them to be financially supported by the nation than a truly British plane, and I think the general public might feel the same.

[Noah Zark.]

Cost, complexity and insurance will most likely ground any relatively modern plane

What about a Grob 115? :)

[Mr Oleo Strut]

...Now that's are real challenge in view of the limited choice! If aircraft bits don't count there just ain't much. I would probably settle on a nice Super-VC10 in sparkling BOAC Speedbird livery and/or an early RAF Harrier or two, before they added ugly bits to it. However, the prospects of either craft being maintained in flying condition are slim, I fear. I continually regret that there are so few Mosquitos about - I once saw and heard one fly right over my head, and I will never forget it. As an old Handley-Pager I'm always pleased to see the Elvington Halifax and Victor - may they last forever, as well as the old Herald which I helped to build a long time ago at Woodley.

[joy ride]

A flight in a BOAC / Cunard Super VC 10 would certainly get my vote, and I think the 10s superlative engineering, speed, sophistication and amazingly long service record SHOULD earn one enough brownie points to be kept flying, but I very much doubt it will happen.

[Dan Winterland]

Some KC135s will be pushing 80 years by the time they retire.

[dixi188]

The RAF's "New" ones (RC135) will probably be nearer 100 when they are retired. They're about 50 years old already.

[joy ride]

So only foreign planes may be available to chose from for our hypothetical flypast in 2083 as asked in post 1.

In my opinion that means none of them qualify as the "Lancaster of tomorrow", therefore there will be no Lancaster of tomorrow.

Sad, but almost certainly true, and a very sad reflection of Britain's total failure to protect so much of its former industrial heritage. British politicians, bureaucrats, managers and financiers:


go and hang your heads in shame, you useless bunch of buffle-headed dandiprats and jobbernowls.

[GQ2]

As long as there is petrol, there will still be Spitfires flying....;)

[Phileas Fogg]

And if one had to select one of to-days aircraft for a fly-past in 2083, which would you select?

Britten-Norman Islander :)

[Groundloop]

If you mean military aircraft, I'd say the Vulcan.

There are having enough problems trying to keep it flying for one (or possibly two) more years - let alone 50!

[Phileas Fogg]

http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/middle/0/7/1/2084170.jpg

[joy ride]

^ Wellworthy of Lymington supplied the piston rings for that Swordfish but have since closed down apparently; and this could be a problem for future engine re-builds. Great to see it flying again, and with luck a plane like that might be kept flying for a long time. My Dad flew in them regularly while training in the Fleet Air Arm, his pilot, Laurence Olivier was "released" for being highly undisciplinable, but went on to have some success treading the boards!

Great picture, nice to see such extremes together, but perhaps not a great example of "a current [or very recent] military aircraft"! Mind you, with all the defence cuts and no planes for a decade on our 3 new aircraft carriers perhaps we SHOULD start building Stringbags again!