Had a great time up at the Windsor Ontario Airport yesterday to meet my good friend Jeremy Hall who was over from the UK and meet the Lanc 212 crew. We were given a great tour of the hangar and the Lancaster project. I was involved with FM212 back in the 1990’s when she was outside on the post in the park. It was certainly an experience working 20 some odd feet up on the wing inhibiting merlin engines back then!
They crew are really making steady progress with alot of the anti corrosion repairs to the one wingtip compelte with initial inspections of the other wingtip underway. The thankless job of paint stripping is still ongoing on the fuselage and work is being done to remove the fuel tank access panels on the inboard tanks to inspect and repair these areas as necessary. The icing on the cake was being allowed access to the T33 cockpit having never sat in one of these jet trainers before, I was shocked at how small the cockpit really is!
It was great to see progress on the Dehavilland Mosquito as the last time we were at the hangar around 2002, the wing was a set of spars wrapped in bubble wrap. Now the wing is being fitted out and looks amazing!
Pictures of the T33…
By: Peter - 1st August 2011 at 18:35
Hi guys,
from what I understand the mossie will be a ground runner but like I mentioned, there was noone from the mossie group there at the time to ask.
The lancaster will eventually be taken apart to her component parts cockpit, c section rear fuselage, tail etc and go in the hangar.
Currently there is a company in Ontario that is restoring the tailplanes and have done a fantastic job and it is hoped that grant money will allow the same company to do the centre section repairs as well…
By: AdlerTag - 1st August 2011 at 16:48
Thanks for these Peter, very interesting to see the progress on the Mossie!
What’s the current situation with the Lanc’s centre-section repairs? If I remember right, there was talk of repairing the current centre-section spar in situ rather than having to replace it.
By: markstringer - 1st August 2011 at 16:42
whats the plan with that mossie peter? Is it gonna be a ground runner?
By: Peter - 1st August 2011 at 15:54
Now for some Mossie pics!
We were told that the engine rear nacelles are on loan for use as patterns. It was interesting to see one nacelle in Spartan colors and the other one in what appeared to be PRU blue! Only on had a complete landing gear unit inside.
The two merlins we couldnt find out if they had been overhauled but they are in very good condition and dehydrant plugs were visible..
By: Peter - 1st August 2011 at 15:53
Now for pics of Lancaster FM212..
Before anyone asks, the second picture is of the fuel dump tube and no she isnt having a piddle on the floor :0)
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August 1, 2011 at 3:51 pm