Lincoln survivors?

Thank you Mark, I’d begun to suspect as much.

by: Zac Yates – 28th April 2022 at 02:35 

Resurrecting a long-dead thread and tying into this current one, are there any guesses as to which Lincoln (or possibly Lancaster) fuselage Sir Peter Jackson owns as mentioned by Kermit Weeks in this video?

These are Lancaster fuselage remains of KB994/KB976 that are NOT in Kermits own Lancaster kitset or at Aeroventure, and the rear fuselage from Lincoln RF342 (on loan from Australia), all related to the Dambusters film project.

Off the top of my head, I think it’s the remains of the Southend museum one – I’m sure it’s been covered here before – and some of the ex-BAe Lancaster that was damaged at Woodford in the 1987 storm.

Resurrecting a long-dead thread and tying into this current one, are there any guesses as to which Lincoln (or possibly Lancaster) fuselage Sir Peter Jackson owns as mentioned by Kermit Weeks in this video?

MarkP,

Many thanks for that.

I nearly wrote Brown and Green camou in my post, but thought it couldn’t be.

I purchased a Merlin 68a mounted on its bearer and transport stand from Cranfield back around 1980 and no doubt at one time it had been the spare for their Lincoln. Latterly I passed it on to Guy Black who had it refurbished, and adjusted, to power his Mk IX Spitfire TE566. Alas it crashed in South Africa with fatality.

Mark

The marvels of “google”

http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=49846

27th October 2005, 13:38
ChiefofFairies
Rank 5 Registered User Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Helpston, Peterborough
Posts: 36

The Cranfield Lincoln was PW932 – the 3rd prototype. My interest is in the first prototype, PW925 which was at Halton.

I think the year of the fire was 1947, but that could be + 3 years

Allan

http://www.antikbuch24.de/buchdetails_4310646.html?partnerID=Neubuch24

regards

Mark Pilkington

What happened to this Lincoln at Cranfield c1958?

I seem to remember that it had yellow undersides and carried a proto ‘P’ on the side.

Mark

Croweater,

Relatives of the crew have contacted us and given their support for any recoveries.

However I am yet to determine if there is anything at the site that is intact and correspondingly missing in the RF342 kitset of parts.

There are two engines on site, but they are very corroded and stripped, the others have been recovered to local museums.

There is virtually nothing left of the cockpit/nose as that took the brunt of impact, the throttle pack and other momento’s have beebn previously souvenired. Undercarriage, wing centre-section and wings are all shattered, the centre rear fuselage is intact but I suspect buckled and bent, and I believe the intact reear fuselage and tail have been previously recovered by other museums.

At this stage however it is worth reviewing as a possible parts source, subject to ongoing support from the families and approval by local authorities.

regards

Mark Pilkington

Aussie Lincoln

Mk 31 wreck of A73-64 at Mt Superbus Qld.

Mark are you allowed to recover parts from this wreck for your project?

Regards Croweater

Thanks for all the info, it was requested from me by a veteran who would like to see one again

Graham

So, if all the Aussie museums pool their parts, how much would still be missing from a complete aircraft?

RF342 is largely a “complete” survivor other than main undercarriage and engines which were removed during its time in the ownership of Doug Arnold following its sale from the Southend Museum where it had flown into in 1967.

However having said that, its Cockpit/Nose was sold off seperately from Aces High with the remainder being sold to the Imperial Aviation Group, and so while the Australian Lincoln Project at the Australian National Aviation Museum is currently completely based on RF342, a former RAF, Avro built B2, it is without a cockpit/nose section as the original has remained in the UK as per comments above.

Seperately an original Australian built cockpit/nose from GAF mark 30 RAAF A73-27 is preserved in the Camden Aviation Museum, however it is unlikely that this cockpit will be fitted to RF342 and other cockpit outcomes are being explored including a replica cockpit, perhaps based on a mark 31.

Undercarriage legs etc survive in Australia and it is expected that the eventual restoration will be 90% based on RF342 but with a replica cockpit/nose section.

This will be a long term project and such issues will be resolved along the way, however there is sufficient remains of RF342 to deliver a complete static display outcome in the longer term.

regards

Mark Pilkington

So, if all the Aussie museums pool their parts, how much would still be missing from a complete aircraft?

Lincolns

When I joined as a boy entrant in 1958 I was at Cosford for 8 wks sqare bashing.On our first day we were allowed in the two big hangars next to the parade ground to look at/in the aircraft inside and there where lots!!One was a Lincoln ,what happened to it ?In 1961 while on an excersise at RAF Aldergrove I saw lots of Lincolns being cut up for scrap,no survivors there!!

Was RF398 later ferried to Cosford or was it dis-assembled and trucked there?

regards

Mark Pilkington

The article states she was trucked there. She was kept servicable at Henlow and frequently ground run and taxied until 30 Oct 63 where she was mothballed. Circa Aug 65 she had her tailwheel exchanged with PA474 then under restoration.She went into storage at Cosford in 1968 after being on static display at the RAF 50th anniversary Royal Review.

Martin

The last RAAF Lincoln flight is listed on the RAAF Museum website as

By the late 1950s the Canberra jet bomber had replaced the Lincoln B30/30As, although No 10 Squadron continued to operate Lincoln MR31s until the last flight was made by A73-65 in June 1961.

In it, it mentions RF398 flew the penultimate RAF Lincoln flight on 30 April 1963 from Watton to Henlow

Was RF398 later ferried to Cosford or was it dis-assembled and trucked there?

regards

Mark Pilkington

The Information I posted was taken from a feature flypast did last year on WW2 Forgotton Bombers with a cery good article on the history of RF398.

In it, it mentions RF398 flew the penultimate RAF Lincoln flight on 30 April 1963 from Watton to Henlow. It goes on to say the last RAF Lincoln flight was possibly carried out by RF461 on 18 or 19 June 1963 from 27 MU Shawbury to 23MU Aldergrove.

Martin

What was the last Lincoln to fly?

RF342 must be a contender Cranfield to Southend on 9th May 1967

We have from what I am told a rear turret

Cockpit and nose are definitely Lancaster from the construction plates. It was also apparent that the two had never been separated.

Bruce

The nose is now positively identified as being from Lancaster TW911, albeit that it was fitted to RF342 at some point in its career.

Bruce

Bruce, firstly sorry for my abbreviation of “nose” as I was referring to the entire cockpit/nose section remaining in the UK.

It has always been reported that the nose section was from TW911 and I was never sure if that simply meant ‘the nose” ie faired in turret position and round bomb aimers position which are clearly Lancaster, (and which is a removeable section- or if it meant the entire cockpit/nose sections?

I had originally assumed that exchange occurred in Napiers hands? as TW911 had been involved in Python Engine tests but was later replaced Lincolns RE339 and later RF403.

Yet on page 130 of “Lincoln at War” RF342 is shown flying in RAF roundels and serial captioned as flying with the RAF “Telecommunications Flying Unit” at Defford, and the photo shows RF342 with the “Lancaster” nose in place as well as its bulborous bomb-bay modification, which implies the RAF did the modification rather than Napiers.

Can you confirm if the Cockpit and nose are both TW911 or just the nose section?

regards

Mark Pilkington