Another of my bizarre questions… The BBMF Lancaster is well known as the last Lanc flying in Britain. But can anyone say anything about the second to last still flying?
Was there ever another Lancaster on the British airshow circuit or still flying for the RAF at the same time as PA474 back in the olden days? I know the French flew them till the 1960’s, did they ever fly to British airshows?
Did all the Lancs in RAF squadron service get grounded at the very same time when they were phased out, leaving just PA474 as the only flyer? Or were a few kept in various units to carry on for a bit longer?
Were any of the Lancasters now on public display in places like Hendon, Duxford, etc ever on the airshow circuit?
And when was the last time that two or more Lancasters appeared together in the air at an airshow – and are there any photos?
Dave
By: Arabella-Cox - 15th March 2004 at 16:54
We discussed some of the history of NX611 quite recently.
See it herehttp://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=21216
By: Arabella-Cox - 15th March 2004 at 13:31
Originally posted by Dave Homewood
It states that Doug Arnold had also purchased a Lancaster from Canada and intended to fly it when it was restored.
That’ll be KB889, now static inside Hangar 1 at Duxford. Civil reg was G-LANC I believe, but she never flew under that identity.
By: DazDaMan - 15th March 2004 at 11:23
I have a photo of KB976 which was posted up on here not so long ago in a thread about the Strathallan collection.
By: Hatton - 15th March 2004 at 11:18
Dave
– the wallis island lanc is not under restoration in France for the Le Bourget Museum. A group called Ailes Anciennes are retsoring it.
-Just Jane is the one at East Kirkby, yes.
– The one brought to Strathallan is KB976, it is now in the US with Kermit Weeks, in the long term it may be restored to flying condition. It was under restoration in the uk years ago when a hanger roof collapsed on it (woodford?) and damaged the rear fuselage quite badly.
– The two flying lancasters are the BBMF Lancaster, pa474 at raf coningsby in lincolnshire and the canadian warplane heritage lancaster fm213, in Hamilton, Ontario.
best regards steve
By: Dave Homewood - 15th March 2004 at 10:35
Following my original posting I have looked out an old magazine I bought second-hand years ago. It is called Air Progress Warbirds International, and dated Fall 1982 (it is American).
It has a photo on the cover of a derelict Lanc in some jungle scrub. The article mentions that this ex-Aeronavale Lancaster had just been discovered on Wallis Island, 400 nautical miles NE of Fiji. It was abandoned there in 1962. Has this been recovered and restored at all?
In the article it mentions there were then two capable of flying Lancasters in Britain, not stating which they were but one was obviously PA474. It states that Doug Arnold had also purchased a Lancaster from Canada and intended to fly it when it was restored. There is also a photo of a Canadian Lanc flown to Scotland by Sir William Roberts (is he the Strathallan guy?)
So that’s four potential flyers – where are they all now? And where is the Wallis Island Lanc too?
Oh, and… is Just Jane the one at East Kirkby?
By: Steve Bond - 15th March 2004 at 10:11
NX611 flew at a very few displays only, and I am aware of one instance when both it and PA474 were in the air at the same time, but unfortunately not in the same piece of air space.
The last serving RAF Lancasters were withdrawn from Coastal Command in 1954. Thereafter, the only military Lancasaters to grace our shores were RCAF examples that came over for static show at Battle of Britain At Home days until the early 1960s. No French Navy example ever visiteda UK air display to the best of my knowledge.
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March 15, 2004 at 9:49 am