Lower, lower

Or you could build a 1/48 Lancaster model, make a 1/48 replica of yourself, and get a tape measure and a calculator.

I’ll get me coat…

:rolleyes:

Love it!

:diablo:

Thanks Creaking Door, my faith has been restored. I have just recruited my wife to measure eye to finger tip, it is 25″ and, after consideration, I have altered my estimate of finger tip span to 9″.

Which would make the new calculation:

Height of Lancaster (in feet above your eye) = Height of Fingertips Above Eye (in inches) Multiplied by 11.33

Giving you an answer almost exactly the same as with your first estimates.

It didn’t occur to me until this morning that this method of ratios is exactly the same principal by which some fighter gunsights work; when the wingtips (known wingspan) of the enemy fighter match the reticle marks the fighter is a known distance away (where the fighter’s guns are synchronised to converge)!

Or you could build a 1/48 Lancaster model, make a 1/48 replica of yourself, and get a tape measure and a calculator.

I’ll get me coat…

or make a replica of the distance device used in the Lancs of 617 Sqdn – that’ll do it 😀

Roger Smith.

Thanks Smirky, I’ll buy one of your measuring thingy’s when you get round to it!

Thanks Creaking Door, my faith has been restored. I have just recruited my wife to measure eye to finger tip, it is 25″ and, after consideration, I have altered my estimate of finger tip span to 9″.

It’s just a ratio, 30″:10″ = 300‘:100′ so you have measured the slant range to be 300’. For the range to be 500′, your fingers would have needed to have been 6″ apart.

You would probably need to close one eye to get it right …One of these days I will make a proper measuring thingy for doing this.:)

…but I’m not hopeful of anyone on here knowing of a calculation to get a height.

You can work it out using ratios.

Since you know the wingspan of a Lancaster (102’ or 1224”) and you have the distance between your fingertips (10”) all you really need is a accurate measurement from your eye to a point midway between your fingertips and then you can calculate the height of the aircraft above your eye, and hence the ground.

I’m struggling to accept that you can get your fingertips 28” above your eye when looking directly up but if you can then the Lancaster was indeed about 291’ above ground level.

The really critical measurement (apart from the 10” between your fingertips) is the height your fingertips were above your eye and since you can replicate that you should be able to get a fairly accurate height. You can then use the equation:

Height of Lancaster (in feet above your eye) = Height of Fingertips Above Eye (in inches) Multiplied by 10.2

Then add the height of your eye above ground to get the height of the Lancaster above ground.

Clive, you must get yourself up to East Kirkby in Lincolnshire to witness the sound of four Merlins at close quarters!

Hi Denis, I must be going soft in my old age as whenever I see historic aircraft these days I get quite emotional, especially on such a poignant day. Crazy really, as we all know the Lanc. wasn’t even in production in 1940, it must be the sound of those magnificent Merlins’, Pure magic!:D

I was on the A10 by Cheshunt when the Lancaster appeared to be circling. I estimated about 500 feet then. My wife actually heard it from inside of her workplace at Waltham Cross and knew instantly what it was..bless her! A little earlier the Dakota passed by Harlow steering wide of a rainsquall, and he appeared quite low to me.

You know, when I emailed my pilot friend in Brisbane yesterday I said it was between 300-400ft but have been doubting my judgement ever since and have ended up with 500! You could well be right, St.Paul’s Cathedral is 365ft high and I’m sure it wasn’t that much higher than that.

So your arms were straight above you? If so, the distance from your eyes to the ends of your arms is about 2 feet 4 inches. That makes the angle between your 2 arms about 20º. Using my O level maths (grade A, mind you!), that makes the Lanc about 282 feet away…

(Or I could be talking complete cobblers of course – my brain’s not what it used to be).:o

I think he was probably at about 500, too high and he would be in direct conflict with Stansted approach traffic which turns over here from a NE direction for a landing on runway 05.

The Lancaster I understand normally transits at about 800 feet, in order to allow it to be seen from the ground and also keep below the majority of other VFR traffic.

The BBMF’s single-engined aircraft normally fly higher, 1,200-1,500 feet, to allow more ‘glide clear’ capability should they suffer an engine issue.

Legally he should not be below 500ft.

OK, I’ll try a different approach. With outstretched arms I pointed my left index finger at the port wingtip and my right index finger at the starboard wingtip of the Lancaster as it was overhead, at that point my index fingertips were 10″ apart, with my height being 6ft my fingertips were 8ft 4″ above the ground.

I think this paints a clearer picture but I’m not hopeful of anyone on here knowing of a calculation to get a height.

I held both my index fingers out at arms length

I’m still trying to picture this :confused:

Moggy 🙂

Hi all

(8ft 4″ from ground),

C

On the tall side?

🙂