BBMF Lancaster Schemes

KM-B 44 Sqdn colours, Yeovilton 1979 (that one’s from my Dads slide collection, 10 year olds weren’t let loose with expensive stuff like colour film back then! 😀 )

No sign of any shots in 617 sqdn markings, but I’ll keep digging.

SR-D 101 Sqdn colours, Yeovilton 1987

PM-M2 103 Sqdn colours, Finningley 1989

I don’t know, but I’ve always imagined that whatever scheme is chosen would have to have some form of the dreaded political correctness about it? i.e, I can’t quite see the Lanc flying about with a picture of Stalin on it’s nose?

Me, I want it painted up as S-Sugar; it would be a great looking scheme in the air, and would be good for cross-publicity between the BBMF and Hendon.

looks pretty quite here tonight, guess everyone’s still at Duxford!

A couple of recent ones to start things off

WS-J 9 Sqdn colours, photographed at the BBMF members day in 1998 (my first digital camera, so excuse the quality!)

QR-M 61 Sqdn colours, above Old Walden August 2003 (haven’t digital cameras improved in 5 years? 😀 )

will have to dig the scanner out for any earlier ones.

Apparently, it’s due for a squadron markings change in 2006. Spoke to the crew this year, but they haven’t decided on which squadron to paint it. I suggest perhaps ‘JO-U’ -“Uncle Joe Again with Stalin nose art of 463 Sqn. RAAF.

A quick list-

KM-B 44 Sqdn

AJ-G 617 Sqdn

SR-D 101 Sqdn

PM-M2 103 Sqdn

WS-J 9 Sqdn

QR-M 61 Sqdn

😉

Biggin Hill 2002….My fav pic of The Lanc I have taken

QR-M 61 Sqdn :rolleyes: Thanx Lancman

Hi Dave

Thanks for that

I look forward to having a look when I come over..

I have some pics of various color schemes of the RAF BOBF Lanc and I will scan them and send them to you

Regards
John P

Now, back to my original thread topic…

Great to hear you will still be coming over the ditch.

Motat’s Lancaster is NX665, which is an ex-French navy example (like one of yours in Australia too). It was based in Noumea and flew maritime patrol work in the Pacific. I belive while in service the French Lancs often visited NZ. When it finally retired in the mid-1960s, it was donated to the people of New Zealand by the French Government (I guess because of New Zealand’s efforts in bomber Command to free france). It was decided to display it at Motat which was the only major aircraft collection in NZ. Had it been retired a decade later it may well have gone instead to the RNZAF Museum I’d expect, but at least it did get a home and wasn’t broken up.

They flew it into Whenuapai, and then removed the wings (I think the main spar was cut then) and they trucked it down to Motat’s main facility (Motat 1)where it could be seen from the road. Later when Sir Keith Park Memorial Airfield (Motat 2) was constructed they shifted it up the road to there. I recall while at Motat 1 they used to run the engines regularly. I’m not sure if this ever occurred at Motat 2.

As funds ran low for the museum, it went through a very bad period in the 1970;s and 80’s. The Lanc, along with other planes outdoors, became neglected for a couple of decades out in the Auckland sea air and the horrid weather that city endures, and at one point looked very shabby indeed. I’m told the wings were about to drop off under their own weight. The Bomber Command Association of New Zealand got a team togheter and raised money for a building, and then its restoration. It was also converted back to a BMkIII standard, and is now extremely complete as that model, and extremely beautiful. The team did a fantastic job in restoring it on limited funds. Some work was donated to the project, including the lovely paintjob which was done by the RNZAF S&S team from Auckland.

If you are lucky and you get there when its quiet, you meet the right museum guide and you say the right things they may let you have a look inside her. I’ve been inside, it’s a wonderful experience.

There’s a much better page on its histroy on Phil Treweek’s site here
http://www.kiwiaircraftimages.com/lanc.html with lots of photos.

I have several photos I took myself but none are scanned, so I’ll pinch somone else’s. This photo came from this site http://www.chez.com/eternalflight/lancaster.html that deals with the ex-French Lancaster survivors.

As of April 2004 when I last visited, the Sunderland was being restored and readied for a new hangar extension. The C47 was almost repainted in splendid NAC colours. The Lodestar was being stripped for a repaint too, and will also go inside with the hangar extension. The Lodestar and Sundy are the only planes outdoors now, apart from the BofB Movie Hurricane replica which is on a pole and looking lovely. Also under restoration apparently in a hangar we didn’t go into was their Avenger, which has spent a lot of time off site at Dairy Flat but is apparently back at Motat.

They are much better sorted as a museum now and have Govt backing nowadays, so most planes once neglected have been restored and displayed very nicely. There is more efforts to come but they are so much better than the olden days when I used to visit as a kid/teen. Also, they have a new acquisition which is an ex-Air NZ Friendhip, which is in Christchurch and they’re working outhow to get it to Motat. This will be the last aircraft they want to acquire the curator told us.

Over the years because of the neglect a lot of their aircraft were taken out of the museum by their owners, which is a shame for the museum (ex-OMFC Corsair, TFC P39, P47 being restored in Aussie), but eventually some got flying – which Motat doesn’t do. They do have one flyer in the collection, the Ryan STM based at Ardmore.

Anyway, I hope that give you a bit of an idea.

Hi Dave I am coming over soon – how about a history of the Lanc at MOTAT I will be seeing it and I would like a little bit of info about it and what state it , the Solent, Sunderland and other larger A/C are in – is there maintaince being undertaken . I was aware years ago that things wern’t too good on the upkeep side but I believe things are better now?

Regards
John P