Lancaster Questions
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Lancaster Questions
Trying to find out the following for research purposes :-
- When did the Canadian crop-sprayer Avro Lancaster fly into Glasgow? Does anyone know the exact date please? I know only that it was in the mid to late 1970s.
- What happened to that particular aircraft please? I was told verbally that it went on to Woodford as a restoration project but was damaged during a fire in the hangar and when the roof fell in on top of it. Can anyone confirm please?
- How many flying Lancasters are there now?
The Lancaster owned by the Canadian Warplane Heritage flies by my front window monthly during the summer, supporting various veterans' functions.
This link contains more info, including the CWH flying schedule for 2008:
http://www.warplane.com/pages/aircraft_lancaster.html
I should also mention the Toronto Aerospace Museum, located at the former RCAF Downsview in north Toronto, which is restoring to display condition FM1104, the Lancaster which was mounted on a pedestal for thirty years at the foot of Strachan Street, exposed to the elements (of which we have a few) on the Toronto waterfront.
This link contains more info, including the CWH flying schedule for 2008:
http://www.warplane.com/pages/aircraft_lancaster.html
I should also mention the Toronto Aerospace Museum, located at the former RCAF Downsview in north Toronto, which is restoring to display condition FM1104, the Lancaster which was mounted on a pedestal for thirty years at the foot of Strachan Street, exposed to the elements (of which we have a few) on the Toronto waterfront.
Last edited by twochai; 18th Jun 2008 at 00:58.
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Full details to 2002 are here:
http://groups.msn.com/AvroBomberPres...&ID_Message=17
Can't find anything since and the current Kermit Weeks Collection page doesn't list it but it is widely believed that the collection has it in store awaiting restoration.
http://groups.msn.com/AvroBomberPres...&ID_Message=17
Can't find anything since and the current Kermit Weeks Collection page doesn't list it but it is widely believed that the collection has it in store awaiting restoration.
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KB976/G-BCOH arrived at Strathallan 11/6/75.
Don't know about a fire, but the roof collapse at Woodford was on 12/8/87 when it was owned by the late Charles Church.
Some parts were stored outside Doug Arnold's hangar at Biggin Hill along with sundry parts from other Canadian Lancs for a bit in the early 90s. I think these eventually found their way back across the Atlantic to Kermit Week's collection at Polk City, FL.
Two fliers, PA474 with BBMF plus C-GVRA as twochai's post.
G-ASXX at East Kirby is active and does taxi runs at East Kirby from time to time, but I believe it's unlikely to fly again. Shame as it flew home all the way from Bankstown in May '65.
G-LANC at Duxford was another Doug Arnold potential flier, but since his death it has been restored for the IWM as a static exhibit.
Don't know about a fire, but the roof collapse at Woodford was on 12/8/87 when it was owned by the late Charles Church.
Some parts were stored outside Doug Arnold's hangar at Biggin Hill along with sundry parts from other Canadian Lancs for a bit in the early 90s. I think these eventually found their way back across the Atlantic to Kermit Week's collection at Polk City, FL.
Two fliers, PA474 with BBMF plus C-GVRA as twochai's post.
G-ASXX at East Kirby is active and does taxi runs at East Kirby from time to time, but I believe it's unlikely to fly again. Shame as it flew home all the way from Bankstown in May '65.
G-LANC at Duxford was another Doug Arnold potential flier, but since his death it has been restored for the IWM as a static exhibit.
There is a project in Australia to rebuild a Lincoln bomber for static display, this was the former RAF serial RF342. This team has also aquired the remains of KB976 & KB994.
Lincoln Pics
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Lincoln Pics
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I'm flabberghasted at these replies. It beggers belief that a Lancaster could fly acoss Canada, then over the North Atlantic in the old wartime stages, to land at Glasgow then Strathallen, and then end up as bit parts for someone else's restoration project. 
This aircraft flew, complete in its own right.
This aircraft flew, complete in its own right.
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One of those sad things following the demise of the Strathallan Collection. If anyone could have got it flying again it was Charles Church, but the collapse at Woodford, followed by Chuch's death in his Spitfire V ultimately did for the project.
I remember the pile of Lancaster bits outside at Biggin - various fuselage and wing sections, couldn't possibly say whether they constituted enough for an entire aircraft!
I remember the pile of Lancaster bits outside at Biggin - various fuselage and wing sections, couldn't possibly say whether they constituted enough for an entire aircraft!
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G-ASXX at East Kirby is active and does taxi runs at East Kirby from time to time, but I believe it's unlikely to fly again.
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If my memory serves me PA474, the BBMF Lancaster, used to be the gate guard at Waddington, when G-ASXX was flown back from Australia for restoration they where going to use PA474 as a spares source, when they started inspections on both airframes they found that 474 was in better condition than SXX so based the resoration on this frame instead.
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If my memory serves me PA474, the BBMF Lancaster, used to be the gate guard at Waddington,
Good stuff on Just Jane here -
http://www.warbirdregistry.org/lancr...anc-nx611.html
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thanks you too!
Quote:
KB976/G-BCOH arrived at Strathallan 11/6/75.
Thank-you sir - this is important information for me.
You obviously missed that info in the link I posted.
I thank you too and I thank you two!
KB976/G-BCOH arrived at Strathallan 11/6/75.
Thank-you sir - this is important information for me.
You obviously missed that info in the link I posted.
I thank you too and I thank you two!
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A pleasure Mr Expert!
Can you imagine the spectacle at an airshow if things had been different...?
"And now ladies and gentlemen, running in from the left, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Lancaster, Spitfire(s) and Hurricane(s)...
"...followed by Charles Church's Lancaster, Spitfire(s) and Hurricane...
"...and last but by no means least, Doug Arnold's Lancaster, Spitfire(s) and Hurricane..."
The airframes all existed... and still do, but rather more scattered.
Can you imagine the spectacle at an airshow if things had been different...?
"And now ladies and gentlemen, running in from the left, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Lancaster, Spitfire(s) and Hurricane(s)...
"...followed by Charles Church's Lancaster, Spitfire(s) and Hurricane...
"...and last but by no means least, Doug Arnold's Lancaster, Spitfire(s) and Hurricane..."
The airframes all existed... and still do, but rather more scattered.
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Charles Church was instrumental in the "rebuilding" of a number of Spitfires - rumour says some were more new builds than rebuilds - and at the time he died the number of Spitfires flying around the world was higher than at any time in the preceeding 20 years.
A tragedy that he died in one of his own Spitfires - and that he died after the impact, fully aware of what was happening.
A tragedy that he died in one of his own Spitfires - and that he died after the impact, fully aware of what was happening.
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I was watching Church performing aerobatics in the Spit in the vicinity of a friend's house near Finchampstead a few minutes before the crash - driving home a little later I met ambulances and fire engines heading down the A30 towards Blackbushe - only the next morning I found out what had happened.
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re post 11 from forget; the Lancaster on the gate at Scampton was originally R5868, now in the RAF Museum at Hendon. That was replaced on the gate at Scampton by NX611 after it was bought by Lord Lilford from the Reflectaire auction at Blackpool. This aeroplane was subsequently acquired by the Panton brothers and now lives a cherished life at East Kirkby. Others have described the fate and whereabouts of KB976 so I won't repeat it.