One Nov 11 I had an unforgettable flight on a Lancaster
Discussion
First of all, apologies for the old video; I made it long before iPhones and the like and had no experience of video.
The year was 1999. A friend called me and mentioned that for a contribution (substantial at the time) to the air museum outside Toronto we could fly in the Lancaster and also a B25 Mitchell on November 11.
As is very well known, there are only two Lancasters still flying. The opportunity was far too good to miss, so on a dry, dull November 11 we arrived at the airport. There, standing on the apron was the Lancaster, smaller in reality than I had in my mind.
We boarded.
The first impression was how fragile it seemed. The outer skin of the aircraft seemed to be all there was, no layers of insulation. However it was possible to walk around (a bit cramped) but the glass cockpit provided a glorious view of the wings and engines.
I wondered what it had been like for those kids taking off in big formations, knowing that some of them would likely not return. The current pilot mentioned that sometimes the tail gunner preferred to have no canopy at night but fly in the open air as the reflections in the glass were confusing. I can’t imagine sitting there with the wind howling ……
So, checklists completed, we rolled down the runway and took off in a very gradual climb. Once we were airborne we were free to wander, the the sight from the cockpit of the four engines was superb. We had been warned that the noise would be extreme. (I had previously bought industrial ear protectors as I had been to a numerous for F1 races seated at the starting grid and in those days the cars were so loud that you got hit with a wave in the chest when they took off it was so loud)
Flying over Toronto and past the CN Tower in the very old aircraft was quite surreal, the very low speed and huge engines bearing no resemblance to a modern passenger aircraft. I would say we are up for about 45 minutes, and then returned to the airport.
The Mitchell was already on the tarmac. You basically climb a ladder from the belly of the plan to board and visibility is more restricted in the smaller aircraft. Still the engines looked huge as they seemed lower to the aircraft.
Takeoff was at a higher rate of climb and we cruised around in the Mitchell, less dramatic than the Lanc as we had no real room to move around, but it was still a memorable experience.
On the ground later I saw the Lancaster come by low on another flight. What a wonderful sight that was. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I will never forget. Somewhere in storage I have a load of slides, but will probable never retrieve them. The memory is enough.
So, here is the old vid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu_MC7EyZ2o
The year was 1999. A friend called me and mentioned that for a contribution (substantial at the time) to the air museum outside Toronto we could fly in the Lancaster and also a B25 Mitchell on November 11.
As is very well known, there are only two Lancasters still flying. The opportunity was far too good to miss, so on a dry, dull November 11 we arrived at the airport. There, standing on the apron was the Lancaster, smaller in reality than I had in my mind.
We boarded.
The first impression was how fragile it seemed. The outer skin of the aircraft seemed to be all there was, no layers of insulation. However it was possible to walk around (a bit cramped) but the glass cockpit provided a glorious view of the wings and engines.
I wondered what it had been like for those kids taking off in big formations, knowing that some of them would likely not return. The current pilot mentioned that sometimes the tail gunner preferred to have no canopy at night but fly in the open air as the reflections in the glass were confusing. I can’t imagine sitting there with the wind howling ……
So, checklists completed, we rolled down the runway and took off in a very gradual climb. Once we were airborne we were free to wander, the the sight from the cockpit of the four engines was superb. We had been warned that the noise would be extreme. (I had previously bought industrial ear protectors as I had been to a numerous for F1 races seated at the starting grid and in those days the cars were so loud that you got hit with a wave in the chest when they took off it was so loud)
Flying over Toronto and past the CN Tower in the very old aircraft was quite surreal, the very low speed and huge engines bearing no resemblance to a modern passenger aircraft. I would say we are up for about 45 minutes, and then returned to the airport.
The Mitchell was already on the tarmac. You basically climb a ladder from the belly of the plan to board and visibility is more restricted in the smaller aircraft. Still the engines looked huge as they seemed lower to the aircraft.
Takeoff was at a higher rate of climb and we cruised around in the Mitchell, less dramatic than the Lanc as we had no real room to move around, but it was still a memorable experience.
On the ground later I saw the Lancaster come by low on another flight. What a wonderful sight that was. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I will never forget. Somewhere in storage I have a load of slides, but will probable never retrieve them. The memory is enough.
So, here is the old vid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu_MC7EyZ2o
That's awesome - and you can still fly in it, for a fee!
https://www.warplane.com/aircraft/flights/buy.aspx
We visited East Kirkby last summer and were lucky enough to see "Just Jane" and the Mosquito doing taxi runs - and that was incredible to hear and watch.
In the news recently, too: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz6negg0837o
https://www.warplane.com/aircraft/flights/buy.aspx
We visited East Kirkby last summer and were lucky enough to see "Just Jane" and the Mosquito doing taxi runs - and that was incredible to hear and watch.
In the news recently, too: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz6negg0837o
silentbrown said:
That's awesome - and you can still fly in it, for a fee!
So I gather. Not cheap though. As I recall five of us flew and the donation was $1500 each, quite a lot in 1999. Obviously these aircraft requite a lot of maintenance and expertise to keep them flying; however it was an extraordinary experience for me.RDMcG said:
So, checklists completed, we rolled down the runway and took off in a very gradual climb. Once we were airborne we were free to wander, the the sight from the cockpit of the four engines was superb. We had been warned that the noise would be extreme. (I had previously bought industrial ear protectors as I had been to a numerous for F1 races seated at the starting grid and in those days the cars were so loud that you got hit with a wave in the chest when they took off it was so loud)
Lancastrians, Yorks etc. were tremendously noisy too, lack of insulation was part of it but also the inner engine exhaust stubs are facing the fuselage so the noise comes straight at you compared to most radial installations which at least had collector manifolds. Some merlin-powered aircraft eventually received sound suppressing exhausts which did make a difference for passenger comfort.RDMcG said:
The current pilot mentioned that sometimes the tail gunner preferred to have no canopy at night but fly in the open air as the reflections in the glass were confusing. I can t imagine sitting there with the wind howling
Unprotected from a 200mph gale at 20,000 feet and well below zero? Never heard that one before.outnumbered said:
(ex)PHer Maff flew on the ferry flight of that Lancaster when it came to the UK a few years ago. I vaguely remember some YT coverage of that ? Or he wrote about it on here somewhere.
That was quite a journey; as I recall the flights of the two Lancs together were quite well covered; a vanishingly rare sight to see two of them in flight.Simpo Two said:
RDMcG said:
The current pilot mentioned that sometimes the tail gunner preferred to have no canopy at night but fly in the open air as the reflections in the glass were confusing. I can t imagine sitting there with the wind howling
Unprotected from a 200mph gale at 20,000 feet and well below zero? Never heard that one before.Found an example here:
https://internationalbcc.co.uk/about-ibcc/news/ser...
RicksAlfas said:
I've certainly read about the rear gunners removing or cutting out the centre pane of Perspex.
Found an example here:
https://internationalbcc.co.uk/about-ibcc/news/ser...
...which reminds me, the International Bomber Command centre just outside Lincoln is well worth a visit. Incredibly knowldgeable tour guides.Found an example here:
https://internationalbcc.co.uk/about-ibcc/news/ser...
RicksAlfas said:
I've certainly read about the rear gunners removing or cutting out the centre pane of Perspex.
Found an example here:
https://internationalbcc.co.uk/about-ibcc/news/ser...
This may be more accurate than what I was told.Found an example here:
https://internationalbcc.co.uk/about-ibcc/news/ser...
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