KB976. Testing

Aren’t Imperial Aviation Group the people that were going to buy a WW2 airfield and turn it into a timewarp?
Collapsed a while later with allegations of impropriety (allegedly).

Using simple mathematics Steve – KB976 is a complete aircraft –
KB994 didn’t have a wing centre section when it came from Canada – Strangely enough the Fairchild was broken up at the same time – I wonder if that centre section could have been loaded thinking it was a Lanc part !

museum project my ****

Imperial Aviation Group my foot!

If aeroventure got hold of that lanc cockpit and fuselage section i think we’d have a good chance of seeing them restored, at sandtoft they WILL just sit there and rot.

David, what did you mean by centre section of a Fairchild C119? When i was there last i saw the Lincoln centre section and what looked very mcuh like a lanc centre section. Are the centre scetions very similar and easy to confuse?

Also lets not forgot the B25!

I will check – the main damage that occured to KB976 was in the rear fuselage area. Certainly the cockpit at Sandtoft appears to have been very derelict for a long time which ties up with KB994.

cockpit

David are you sre that his cockpit is from 994 as there appears to be damage to the top left side frame work that would coincide with a hanger collapse??

They have a museum project there but nothing has come of it so
far so the aircraft sit and corrode.

lanc cockpit

David why dont the offer it for sale or trade??????

Peter – all those parts are still there. The Lancaster cockpit as such is of KB994 although its largely stripped. The Lincoln consists
of rear fuselage ,wings,wing centre section and propellors.

sandtoft

There was a complete rear section of the lincoln there, a gutted skinless cockpit of a lancaster with damaged rear upper framework and a centre section of a Lincoln. What happened to all of this then also if I remember from pics, there was a set of lanc elevators dumped inside the cockpit section.

Here is the rear section of KB976 before the start of restoration.

Steve – The Lanc at Sandtoft consists of a Fairchild C-119 wing centre section – the fuselage section from trailing edge backwards to the part that Aeroventure has and the extremely
well stripped cockpit of KB994 so don’t hold out much hope !

The Lanc and Linc at Sandtoft? Does anyone know whats going on with these. They were meant to be restored there were they not? Do they have the manpower and facilities there to restore such aircraft?

Im glad they are restoring the lanc section at aeroventure to an authentic condition. Interactive usually means strip out the aircraft so kids can walk through and hence take the feel of it been a real aircraft away anyway.

-sceptical steve

The rear fuse also ‘starred’ in BBC’s Night Flight while she was owned by Skysport Engineering. Skysport wanted to restore it as an interactive exhibit, but H&S regulations stopped various museums from taking it on unfortunately. I understand Aeroventure intend to restore the piece as a faithful example of Tail End Charlie’s position, which I’d be delighted to see. Having clambered through the section as it was sitting motionless on the ground in balmy sunlight on a summer’s evening, I can’t even begin to imagine how terrifying it must have been for a rear gunner to try and get out of his turret. The aircraft burning and falling, the gunner fighting to get to his parachute stowed ten feet away, not knowing whether he’d reach it… and then if he did he’d have to clip it on, find the exit, and get out… All this in pitch darkness. And then he’s got to hope the parachute still works, and then if he lands safely, he’s got to evade capture for as long as he can… God how these men suffered. 🙁

For what it’s worth, I agree with Peter. KB976 was able to fly across the pond when she came over from Canada, probably making her the last Lancaster ever to make a transatlantic flight. Hopefully Kermit will have a composite KB976 flying eventually, or at the very least return her to static display condition.

For those of you who havent followed this long saga, parts of KB976 still are at Sandtoft aswell as the rear fuselage at Doncaster

regards, steve

Another Der Fleming shot

Another Der Fleming shot

Really makes you weep , she was potentially flyable until approx 12 years ago , now shes lying scattered to the four winds. Der has some good photos of the Strathallan Collection , it really was way ahead of it’s time , shame it’s all gone now.

Not wanting to sound stupid but where is she now?

Thanks for that Ageorge. I’m ham fisted with this new fangled computer technology. Must be my stubby old fingers and failing eyesight.

Another view of KB976 by Der Fleming around 1980 (when Der was only 42 yrs old)