Heads Up. BBC News today. Pantons announce Lancaster to fly

Interestingly on the insurance, where the Vulcan under none commercial operation says yes, the Lanc is undeclared, though the taxi rides probably accounts for that.

which is half of what the Vulcan requires… 😮

http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?catid=60&pagetype=65&appid=1&mode=insurance&fullregmark=VLCN

I wouldn’t like to pick up the insurance

At £143 million cover required, neither would I

Moggy

These links!! Apologies , I thought I had posted the full article, just having read it….:o

The full Sunday Telegraph article is here (and the Halifax gets a rightful mention!)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-two/9782389/Lancaster-bomber-to-fly-again-as-tribute-to-a-lost-brother.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-two/9782556/Brothers-restore-a-WW2-Lancaster-bomber-as-a-memorial.html

Holy dog poo, seen this?

http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?catid=60&pagetype=65&appid=1&mode=detailnosummary&fullregmark=ASXX

CAA PERMIT ISSUE Received Date 05/01/2011 Expected Date of Processing 03/07/2013

I wouldn’t like to pick up the insurance

I think the Panton brothers have worked miracles to get NX611 to her current state. She spent many years sitting outside as a gate guarduian which can’t have been the best environment for preservation. In view of the years she spent outside I am surprised to hear that her spars are said to be in good condition which must be an important factor in being able to consider a return to flight
I really hope they are able to get her flying again and if they are ever in a position to offer passenger rides I hope I am able to raise the money to be aboard one day.

Re: DC-3 flights – I think that if they reduced the passengers by two or three they would not have had to carry out any alterations.

I was fortunate to get one of the last flights on G-AMPY to celebrate my 50th anniversary of my first ever flight in a DC-3….

NX611 Return to flight page has moved!! New position-

http://www.lincsaviation.co.uk/news/lancaster-nx611-return-to-flight/

…they fiddled a bit.

5 crew and 9 passengers……..

(photo: www.airpowerworld.info)

The Mailey Le Camp raid losses shows that a lot of the Lancs had 9 crew. Not sure where they all sat?

Just watched the report all I will say is good luck to the Panton brothers!

…they fiddled a bit.

5 crew and 9 passengers……..

(photo: www.airpowerworld.info)

That’s true. The Lancaster wasn’t built for carrying passengers, only crew.

No big deal if they don’t allow flights in NX611.. to do so would see drastic changes inside.. original parts removed , seats added etc etc.. why when you can come to canada and take a flight in the CWH Lancaster….. an experience never to be forgotten.

Yes, that’s about it. I recall it was actually that they either couldn’t, or didn’t want to fit hijack-proof doors to the cockpit.

Moggy

I remember seeing something issued by the CAA saying that the UK CAA was still able to issue exemptions against laws such as the fitting of hijack-proof doors, cockpit voice recorders etc, but that no UK operator (talking about the DC3 here) ever applied for such an exemption.

Yes, that’s about it. I recall it was actually that they either couldn’t, or didn’t want to fit hijack-proof doors to the cockpit.

Moggy

Other DC-3 operators in Europe seem to have managed to carry on giving passenger flights under the same EASA rules, so I suspect the real reason is the latter of your two options Moggy. I’ve yet to see a DC-3 fitted with escape slides, so I’m sure that a lot of smoke and mirrors (see the “B-17 now classed the same as a 737 for insurance purposes” misinformation promulgated a few years back for another example) was used. It is also noteworthy that the operator in question no longer operates any “A to B” flights (they used to offer trips to airshows in the Rapides), so I suspect that this was a decision taken in line with the operator deciding to downscale passenger flying operations in general.

TonyT, as Dakotas in the UK had to stop giving passenger trips how likely is it that with the ever tightening of European/CAA regulations that a Lancaster can give passenger rides in the UK?

There was nothing preventing them carrying on but as “airliners” with a C of A they suddenly had to comply with the regulations, one such as mentioned being a anti hijack cockpit door, I believe another was the door sill height was something stupid like being over an inch or so over the maximum height permissible meaning a escape slide system would of had to be designed and fitted to the aircraft, I seem to remember floor lighting showing the direction of the exits etc being mentioned, to embody these things in an ageing aircraft would have probably cost more than the aircraft was worth and would probably never be recouped through doing pleasure flights…

Now these might prevent a Lanc doing passenger flights, but it may help legalise passenger flights in the likes of a Spitfire as trial flights.

I don’t think that it was ever the case that Dakotas had to stop giving passenger flights, more that Classic Flight (or whatever they called themselves on that particular week) chose to surrender their “A to B” AOC in the face of tightening legislation.

Yes, that’s about it. I recall it was actually that they either couldn’t, or didn’t want to fit hijack-proof doors to the cockpit.

Moggy

It’s a even bigger shame it’s sat in a shipping container for 20 years.