Wow, all they have to do is replace the turrets with fairings and stick in a few seats and they can make a Lancastrian :D

But seriously - thanks for sharing. Hope they succeed.

Thanks for that update, ricardian. I knew about the plans for the Alberta museum, but didn't know they had fallen through. My guess is the aircraft is too far gone to be restorable, but who knows. Add to that "Just Jane", which is in much better nick, and we could have four Lancasters airworthy in a few year's time. Sixteen Merlins in close formation? Heaven.

Plus cutting an apparently random number of windows, which appeared to vary from airframe to airframe on the Lancastrian.

Indeed, and the seat layouts were different from airframe to airframe on the Lancastrian too, as evidenced by some earlier pics on this thread.

I know that later BOAC Lancastrians were fitted with more seats that the earliest ones but I guess the variation in seat layouts is also partly due to the fact that BOAC absorbed some of the BSAA machines which more than likely had a different cabin fit…?
Ed

The early conversions had a single row of 9 sideways-facing seats (see photo in post #31), in fact the first ones only had windows on the starboard side.

Later Lancastrians had 13 forward-facing 2-abreast seats, separated by an aisle (see posts #40 and #61) and obviously had the windows on both sides.

Thanks Dave,
I was thinking that perhaps the cabin 'fit' was also different between the two airlines before BSAA was absorbed...but I do not know for sure.
I had wondered if perhaps potential airline customers had a kind of Henry Ford-type choice regarding fixtures and fittings (seat/bed/galley type styles, etc) to begin with and it was only when more airframe conversions were being considered (and the airlines had more experience of what worked in the cabin layout and what didn't) that the changes were introduced. Obviously, the Lancastrian was only ever intended as a stop-gap until the purpose-built airliner types were ready so I wondered if much forward planning had taken place regarding what could be achieved in such a relatively small cabin.
Ed

Your Dad's BOAC log books
 

In a previous post, you displayed a page of your father's BOAC log book. I am very interested in your father's Straticruisers flights and flights between London and Filton. Can I get in contact with you?

Umkubas
The flight was on a Constellation 049 though he does have quite a few entries for 377.
I have tried to send a PM but it won't let me. Can you send one to me?
Mike

I think pm's are blocked until a member has been in a certain time, or has a certain number of posts. It'll be in the rules somewhere.

Hello Mike 6567,
Are there any more pictures in your collection that you can share?
Regards,
Ed

Will have a look but not so many Lancastrian photos left.
Below is interesting as although it was issued as a post card there is a caption below.
http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x...pse85igpno.jpg
"Fruit runs to Paris. Lancaster Freighter about to be loaded with 5 tons of peaches"

Did anyone else titter at this line on the restoration story?....'Lancaster bombers were popular in World War II'.

Not with the Germans I guess......................

Excellent photo Mike.
I wonder which airfield it was taken at?
Thanks,
Ed

Out of interest does anyone know close the MOTAT Lancaster in NZ is to airworthiness if they were that way inclined?

I have a copy of this postcard but without the caption. Text on the back names the site as Paris Le Bourget.

The Ju-52 behind, actually an AAC.1 Toucan appears to be Air France's F-BALF which perhaps supports Le Bourget

That is indeed a great photo of Star Ward. It didn't look so elegant after they fitted the freight pannier to it!

More Lancastrians on old postcards
 

While checking out Star Ward at Le Bourget, I identified some more Lancastrians on old postcards which I thought worth sharing.
1) BSAAC G-AGWL Star Guide at Santa Maria, Azores
http://i637.photobucket.com/albums/u...psgcf11ppc.jpg
2) Unidentified BOAC at Nairobi Eastleigh Airport
http://i637.photobucket.com/albums/u...pspkzlj826.jpg
3) Flight Refuelling G-AKDP at Gander Newfoundland. The first civil Lancaster conversions were made in Canada and entered service with TCA transatlantic mail services in 1943. On displacement by Canadair DC-4M s they were sold to Flight Refuelling for use as tankers on the Berlin airlift. I guess the photographer just happened to capture this one on its delivery flight.
http://i637.photobucket.com/albums/u...psqackdmrd.jpg
4) Alitalia I-DALR - location unknown but, like on the Le bourget BSAAC, this airport was also using PSP perforated steel matting. This card was issued later by Alitalia in a fleet history set.
http://i637.photobucket.com/albums/u...psmcjavvaq.jpg

Too bad that although some of these are posted, none mention any Lancastrian flight experiences.

Air-Britain are about to publish a book entitled 'From Lancaster to York' which covers, inter alia, the Lancastrian.

Edit:I believe the forthcoming book is about the post-war development of the Lancaster, Lancastrian and York...not sure of the civil/ military split

Once again not so good quality - I think it is a copy of an official photo early 1946.
Star Light G-AGWG.
http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x...psi59gi9ti.jpg

Excellent photos again - thanks for sharing.
That BOAC one at Nairobi is glorious!
Who is the author of the forthcoming Air Britain book?
Ed

A Derek A King, apparently

Warbird Information Exchange ? View topic - Book Project "From Lancaster to York"

I love this thread - it just keeps on going!

The last photo of G-AGWG shows it climbing from 28R at Heathrow with the old Heathrow School on the Bath Rd visible .
The forthcoming book doesn't appear on Air Britain publicity yet and should not be confused with a book by Martin Derry on RAF Lancasters, Lincolns and Yorks.

Good place to X-post this from the Key forum...a new STENDEC theory
An explanation of STENDEC .....
.....(EDIT )this suggests the phrase read as STENDEC was transmitted as SCTI AR (SCTI being the new code for Santiago)

A30yoyo,


That link gives food for thought on the last message from Star Dust,


But,


The CW prosign A_R (._._.) is the morse code equivalent of the voice proword Out (end of my message, I do not expect a reply).


The CW prosign K (_._) is the morse code equivalent of the voice proword over (end of my message, I expect a reply).


As Star Dust's Radio Op was in a protracted exchange with Santiago; the ground station requesting a repeat twice (not understanding the last word "STENDEC"). Star Dust's Radio Op would be unlikely to end his message on 3 separate occasions with Out.


TW

Thanks for linking to this. I was excited when I first received the email about this theory as I've seen so many theories about the "STENDEC" message over the years and at least 90% of them have bordered on the ridiculous! When I first read the email from Martin Colwell I thought "that's it" and was amazed at how simple it seems.

Ian

Am surprised the link to this book doesn't (acc to Google) appear to have been posted on this thread yet - Fly With The Stars - A History of BSAA

Anyone read it?

It's sort of OK, but a bit lightweight.

I think Ian in post#149 might have read it :-)

I did mention "Fly with the Stars" in post#40.
I think it excellent and a must for anyone interested in BSAA. It also has detailed information on all the aircraft operated by them.
Mike

Lancastrian GAJWN expp741 used by BEA for Alitalia crew training
4/6/47 transfered to Alitalia 11/4/48
I flew on a BSAA aircraft on a local flight from Heathrow in48
We sat sideways all 9 seats on the Port side

Many, many times .... :-)

Thanks Mike!

Thanks for the author info Phoenix - I look forward to seeing it published.
I enjoyed reading Fly With the Stars too.

While looking at these very nostalgic photos, a thought just occurred to me.

Did the nose and tail fairings, and lack of a mid-upper turret, significantly improve the Lancastrian's performance, compared to the Lancaster?

Seemingly so. The fast freighters run by BOAC in the late 1940s from London to Johannesburg and Sydney with just a handful of stops (tables 30 and 31 here), albeit lengthy overnight stops (probably the same crew throughout) were done with legs of around 2,000 nm, which I guess is well beyond a standard Lanc.

http://www.timetableimages.com/ttima...49/ba49-09.jpg