Anyone remember the Lancaster?

[bugged on the right]

Grew up living near the RAAF base at Laverton in Australia. In the 60s my mates and I did a lot of exploring on our bikes. There was a concrete bunker system along the Point Cook road which I think was probably an anti aircraft site. Point Cook was a wonderful place with a Lincoln on the fire dump. Many hours exploring that. Has anybody else been there? Or the RAAF rubbish tip at Laverton? Many goodies found there and a few years ago I drove past the site. Houses everywhere. I expect the cancer cases will emerge. Father got chosen to help recover the bodies of the USAF B57 crew who perished near there. Never went back. I was witness to a wheels up landing of a Sabre. Anyone else from Laverton?

[NRU74]

Can't help your query.
Never actually been to Laverton but you may remember a Fly Past celebrating the 50 years of the RAAF in 1971.
We were a Victor Tanker crew on detachment to Edinburgh Field and did a fly past at Edinburgh Field, Adelaide, Laverton and Melbourne with a Lightning in line astern.
We nearly screwed up as the schedule was in local time at Laverton and, as I recall, there was a 30 min time difference between the time zones between Adelaide and Melbourne.
You may have seen it as a lad !

[Herod]

Not Laverton, but I spent some time as a lad at Pearce, WA. I can remember the Lincolns coming back after the end of the Malay campaign, and seeing five of them fly over the school. Must have been about 1960.

[megan]

Lancaster on the fire dumpProbably a Lincoln, Oz only ever had two Lancasters, one was sold for scrap in 1948 which went to a dealer in Maffra, the other is in the War Memorial Canberra.

A Lincoln A73-13 which I'm guessing is your "Lancaster" was listed for disposal 10/58 and went to the fire dump at Point Cook.

[bugged on the right]

Thanks megan, that's probably the one. Many happy hours. Another one I visited, for a very short while was the radioactive job at Amberley. An arranged visit and very quick. Mid to late sixties. My poor father was detailed in his early career to hack wing spars on brand new Mustangs, maybe Tocumwal?

[bugged on the right]

Aaarggh before I get accused of false advertising, I tried to change the title of the thread which it has done but not in the index.

[Jhieminga]

:p You can only retroactively change the post title, not the topic title, you need a moderator for that!

There is a photo of a Lincoln on a dump here: https://aeropedia.com.au/content/avro-lincoln/ Was the one at Point Cook in a similar state?

[bugged on the right]

Jhieminga, the training for the RAAF fire fighters was carried out at PCK and I am certain the aircraft wasn't in as good nick as the one in your picture. I am recalling childhood memories and one leads to another but I suspect some are not accurate. Nevertheless, happy days. We were an Air Force family and I recall once returning to our married quarter at Ballarat in the Vanguard and we normally crossed a runway to get home. When Dad got the green light from the tower he turned left and he let the Vanguard go. Prearranged with the controller and what a thrill for 3 young boys. Thanks for the thread title advice.

[DHfan]

Aaarggh before I get accused of false advertising, I tried to change the title of the thread which it has done but not in the index.

It happened to me at my first airshow too when my dad told me a Lincoln was a Lancaster.

I didn't know any better, I was only six. Dad however, should have known.

[Herod]

bugged and DHfan. I see you both live in UK. There is a Lincoln at the RAF Museum, Midlands (aka Cosford). I volunteer there, so if you're ever likely to visit, pm me. DHfan; from that user name I presume you've been to the DH museum at Salisbury Hall? I can recommend it.

[DHfan]

Cosford I've been to three or four times, but the "melted B&Q" building annoys me intensely, considering the far more practical and considerably cheaper hangar they actually wanted to build.

I first went to what was then the Mosquito Museum so long ago W4050 was the the only aeroplane there and people, I believe generally but certainly me, were allowed into the cockpit. Salisbury Hall was open to visitors and it was the first, and possibly still only, stately joint I haven't been bored rigid with. Early 60s is as near as I can get as I've got no way to narrow it down.

15 - 20 years later I was a member for some years - I'm south Hertfordshire born and bred - and went to what, by guesstimation, I've worked out must have been W4050's 40th birthday "do". Still in the original Robin hangar, I sat just to the rear of W4050's port wingtip.
Now I live considerably further away, I've only been two or three times in the last 40 years.

Sorry for increasing the thread drift...

[bugged on the right]

Thanks Herod, I'll keep that in mind. Cosford is on my list of must sees.

[Cornish Jack]

Re Lincolns, we had one for a very short period at Khormaksar post Lancs and pre Shacks - memory says that they were more 'sharp-edged' than the Lancs and, somehow, didn't 'look right'. additional thread drift ..., with CFS(H) at Tern Hill, we were tasked with a pick-up from a S Wales farm to deliver a Mossie main wheel to Salisbury Hall. Didn't get a chance to look around. :sad:

[WHBM]

I recall once returning to our married quarter at Ballarat in the Vanguard and we normally crossed a runway to get home. When Dad got the green light from the tower he turned left and he let the Vanguard go..
Presumably Standard, not Vickers ...

[bugged on the right]

WHBM, no it was definitely the Standard.

[DHfan]

...memory says that they were more 'sharp-edged' than the Lancs and, somehow, didn't 'look right'.

I agree. Rather than the smooth contours of the Lancaster nose, the Lincoln has what I would describe as an angular bay window.
I'm sure it's far better optically but it does nothing for the looks.

[Asturias56]

How strange - they designed an aircraft to be more effective - hat s what 6 years of total war does to the artists in the design shop...............

[bugged on the right]

I never liked the look of the long nose version of the Lincoln. I thought it looked like a flying greenhouse. Neptunes great looking, I would love to have had a ride in the nose seat. Glad to see some still flying, at least I hope they are.

[DHfan]

How strange - they designed an aircraft to be more effective - hat s what 6 years of total war does to the artists in the design shop...............
Isn't that what i was suggesting?

[Asturias56]

sorry I wasn't getting at anyone - it just struck me that worrying about looks wasn't likely to be on the designers radar

There's good looks (the Mosquito) and utilitarian (the Lancaster) - same in the Jet era - the RA-5c Vigilante and the Phantom

Even now - look at the F-35...... horrible

[DHfan]

The Mosquito generally yes, but not the TT.39. It's an absolute gargoyle.

[Cornish Jack]

How strange - they designed an aircraft to be more effective - hat s what 6 years of total war does to the artists in the design shop...............
I suspect that that level of sarcasm would not be favoured by 'Roger Bacon' and the many, many 'Reggie Spotters' who see Spitfires, Hunters, Comets etc. and sigh ...

[Asturias56]

The Mosquito generally yes, but not the TT.39. It's an absolute gargoyle.


agreed - but once you get up to the 39th versions you're running out of changes you can make I guess

[Union Jack]

Grew up living near the RAAF base at Laverton in Australia. In the 60s my mates and I did a lot of exploring on our bikes. There was a concrete bunker system along the Point Cook road which I think was probably an anti aircraft site. Point Cook was a wonderful place with a Lincoln on the fire dump. Many hours exploring that. Has anybody else been there? Or the RAAF rubbish tip at Laverton? Many goodies found there and a few years ago I drove past the site. Houses everywhere. I expect the cancer cases will emerge. Father got chosen to help recover the bodies of the USAF B57 crew who perished near there. Never went back. I was witness to a wheels up landing of a Sabre. Anyone else from Laverton?

Centaurus would almost certainly have remembered the Lincoln at Point Cook, since I seem to recall that he had something like 3000 hours on Lincolns.

Jack

[bugged on the right]

Jack, so many people you wished you had spoken with. I lived in the next road to Milt and went to the same school as his daughter. His air show Canberra demo was superb. Got a good look around a U2 as well. Arranged by father. This was the early 60s. Off it went in the mornings as I went to school and returned late afternoon. The climb angle something to behold. Unfortunately I spent too much time looking out the school window at the Winjeels and not enough at the blackboard.