List of surviving Avro Lancasters
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined heavy bomber used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. There are 17 known largely complete Avro Lancasters remaining in the world, but only two are airworthy.
Australia
- On display
- Lancaster B I W4783 "G-George" was operated by No. 460 Squadron RAAF and completed 90 sorties. It was flown to Australia during the war for fundraising purposes, and was assigned the Australian serial A66-2. The aircraft was later placed on display at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, and underwent a thorough restoration between 1999 and 2003.
- Lancaster B VII NX622 served with the Aeronavale as WU-16 from 1952 until 1962, when it was donated to the RAAF Association. It is now restored and displayed at the RAAF Association Museum[1] in Bull Creek, Western Australia
Canada
Canada is home to most of the surviving Lancaster aircraft and home to one of two airworthy aircraft. One aircraft is undergoing restoration to airworthiness. All airframes are fully intact.
- Airworthy
- Lancaster B X FM213 which was retired from active duty with the RCAF on 6 November 1963, then stored at Dunnville, ON. FM213 had 4,392.3 hours on the airframe when it was handed over. It would probably have been sold for scrap metal except for the intervention of The Royal Canadian Legion in Goderich.[2]
- The aircraft was acquired by Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in 1978, underwent a 10-year restoration, and has remained airworthy since 1988. The aircraft is flown in the paint scheme of KB726 VR-A, depicting an aircraft of No. 419 Squadron RCAF, and is known as the "Mynarski Memorial Lancaster" in honour of Canadian VC recipient Andrew Mynarski.[2] This aircraft was grounded due to corrosion found in the propeller blades but after an appeal for funding it flew again in May 2009.
- On display
- Lancaster B X FM159 was built in Canada and arrived in Europe after the fighting ended and never saw combat. After returning to Canada and being placed in storage, it served from 1953 to 1955 with the No. 103 Search and Rescue Unit in Greenwood, Nova Scotia before being transferred to Comox, British Columbia to serve as a maritime and ice patrol aircraft. It was withdrawn from RCAF service in 1958 and purchased in 1960 by a trio of men from Nanton, Alberta with a view to building a war museum in their town. The aircraft is currently on display at the Nanton, Alberta, Bomber Command Museum of Canada.
- Lancaster Mk 10AR KB839 was built by Victory Aircraft and delivered to No. 419 Squadron RCAF in January 1945. The aircraft completed 26 sorties, wearing the code letters VR-D. It was twice damaged by German anti-aircraft fire. It returned to Canada after the end of the war in Europe, initially for service against Japan, but was modified after the war to Mk 10AR Arctic Reconnaissance specification. After being struck off charge in 1963, the aircraft was preserved at CFB Greenwood, Nova Scotia. It has received several restorations and is now displayed outside at the Greenwood Military Aviation Museum.[3]
- Lancaster Mk 10P KB882 was built by Victory Aircraft in 1945 and delivered to Britain, the aircraft joined No. 428 Squadron RCAF in March of that year. Flown on six operational sorties over Germany, the aircraft was returned to Canada in June 1945 and entered storage. In 1952, the aircraft was modified to Mk 10P configuration and flew with No. 408 Squadron RCAF. In 1964, the aircraft was purchased by the City of Edmundston, New Brunswick and has since been on outside display at the Municipal Airport.
- Lancaster B X KB944 was built in Canada in 1945 by Victory Aircraft. Later that year, after briefly serving overseas, it was put into stored reserve in Canada where it went on to spend most of the following years, except for a brief period in 1952 serving with 404 Maritime Patrol Squadron at Greenwood, Nova Scotia. In 1964, the RCAF refurbished this aircraft and placed it in the Armed Force's historical aircraft collection where it is now on display in the Canada Aviation Museum.
- Stored or under restoration
- Lancaster B X FM104 was donated to the city of Toronto in 1964 and placed on a pedestal on Lakeshore Drive. After sitting outside for 36 years, the aircraft was removed from the pedestal and placed on loan to the Canadian Air & Space Museum,[4] in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The aircraft is now under long-term restoration to static display condition. With spare parts from the remainder of FM118, it is planned to be complete as a museum quality piece in 2015.
- Lancaster B X FM136 manufactured in 1945 by Victory Aircraft, assigned to No. 20th and 30th Maintenance Units in England, never issued to active squadron. Returned to Canada and converted to Maritime Reconnaissance. Taken on strength by No.404 "Buffalo" (MP) Squadron (Greenwood, Nova Scotia)[5] as RX-136. Transferred to No.407 ‘Demon’ (MP) Squadron (Comox, BC)[6]. Struck off strength April 1961. Lancaster FM136 was purchased from Crown Assets Disposal Corporation by Lynn Garrison, in 1961. He created The Lancaster Memorial Fund to see the aircraft displayed, in 1962, on a pedestal at McCall Field, Calgary, as a memorial to those who trained under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. It was subsequently moved to Aerospace Museum of Calgary[7] in 1992. A new shelter was built for it in 2007.
- Lancaster Mk 10P FM212 was withdrawn from RCAF service in 1962 and placed in storage. The city of Windsor, Ontario purchased the aircraft for use as a memorial and mounted it on a pedestal in Jackson Park in 1965. It was damaged by weather and poor maintenance and replaced by Spitfire and Hurricane replicas on 26 May 2005. Currently being restored by the Canadian Historical Aircraft Association, this Lancaster has been renamed "Bad Penny" to commemorate the first RAF Avro Lancaster into Holland during Operation Manna to save the Dutch from starvation in the closing days of World War II, 29 April 1945.[8] On 29 April 2007 (to coincide with the 62nd anniversary of Operation Manna), FM212 was removed from storage in Jackson Park and towed to the Sears parking lot of Devonshire Mall where it was on display and open for tours through the aircraft. On 13 May 2007, FM212 was towed from Devonshire Mall to Windsor Airport where it is on display and undergoing extensive restoration to return the aircraft back to a flight worthy status over the next few years.[9]
- Substantial wrecks
- Lancaster B X FM221 Crashed on take off at Resolute Bay, North West Territories, in 1950. Wreckage remains in situ but has severely deteriorated due to a combination of extreme weather, souvenir hunters and buldozing of the wreckage after the crash.
- Lancaster B X KB999 Ditched in a glacial lake near Nunavut in the North West Territories following an engine fire in 1952. Wreck remains in situ but has been broken up by ice action.
France
- Stored or under restoration
- Lancaster B VII NX664 served with the Aeronavale as WU-21 from 1952 until it suffered a heavy landing at Wallis Island. It was recovered in 1984 to Le Bourget and has been under restoration since.
Germany
- On display
- Lancaster B III JA914 Served with 57 Squadron as DX-O. Shot down over Berlin in September 1943 and crashed into a lake opposite Zahrensdorf. Wreckage from this aircraft was recovered and is now on display at the Deutsche Technikmuseum, Berlin.
- Substantial wrecks
- Lancaster B I DV202 Served with 44 Squadron as KM-Z. Lost in August 1943 on a raid against Peenmunde Crashing in a small lake in the target area. The wreckage remains undisturbed and visible just short of the threshold of Peenmunde Airport.
New Zealand
- On display
- Lancaster B VII NX665 is equipped with H2S radar and preserved at the Museum of Transport and Technology (aka MOTAT) in Auckland. This aircraft served with the Aeronavale as WU-13 from 1952 until the 1960s, when it was presented to the museum. The airframe originally lacked the mid-upper turret, having been built with the mountings for a Martin 250CE. An earlier FN50 was retrofitted in the late 1980s which required modifications to the aircraft's structure, as the turret mounts had to be moved rearwards.
Sweden
- Substantial wrecks
- Lancaster B III NF920 "Easy Elsie". Served with 617 Squadron. Damaged by flak attacking the German battleship Tirpitz in October 1944 and forced to make an emergency landing near Porjus, Northern Sweden. The crew unsuccessfully attempted to burn the aircraft and the wreckage still lies in situ today.
United Kingdom
- Airworthy
- On display
- Lancaster B I R5868 "S-Sugar" is the oldest surviving Lancaster and flew 137 operations, originally as "Q-Queenie" with No. 83 Squadron RAF from RAF Scampton and then as "S-Sugar" with No. 463 and No. 467 RAAF Squadrons from RAF Waddington. This aircraft was the first RAF heavy bomber to complete 100 operations (going on to fly 137 sorties[12]). It is now on display at the RAF Museum, Hendon in 467 Sqn markings.[13]
- Lancaster B III DV732 (Forward fuselage only.) On display in IWM, Lambeth.
- Lancaster B X KB889 is Canadian built and was delivered to Britain in March 1945 and returned to Canada that June without seeing any service, this aircraft was later converted for Maritime Reconnaissance use. Struck off charge by the RCAF in 1965, the aircraft was displayed in Ontario before being sold to prolific warbird collector Doug Arnold in the UK in 1984. The aircraft was put on the UK register as G-LANC, but was never flown. Sold in 1986 to the Imperial War Museum Duxford, the aircraft was restored over eight years to static condition, and has been on display since 1994 as NA-I.[14]
- Lancaster B VII NX611 "Just Jane" was one of the last wartime aircraft to come out of the Austin Aero factory at Cofton Hackett and stored by the RAF 1945-1952. Served with the Aeronavale as WU-15 from June 1952 until the 1960s, when it was flown back to Britain. At one stage the aircraft was kept at Blackpool, and following the removal of R5868, served as gate guardian at RAF Scampton. NX611 now resides at the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre at the former RAF East Kirkby.[15] This Lancaster currently does not have a flight safety certificate, but undertakes regular taxi runs at high speed along a length of the wartime runway. A 2008 newspaper report indicated the 12-14 month project to return the aircraft to airworthiness was being investigated[16] and, on 18 February 2010, it was announced that NX611 will be restored to flight. Although no date has been set, the museum has acquired two additional, airworthy Merlin engines and is currently acquiring other spares needed.
- Substantial Wrecks
- Lancaster B III PD259 Served with 463 Squadron as JO-G. Crashed into a mountain near Kingussie, Scotland in August 1944. Wreckage remained in situ in the Grampian Mountains until 2009 when damage by vandals and souvenir hunters promted a recovery. Wreckage currently in storage at RAF Waddington.
United States
- Lancaster B I TW911 (Forward fuselage only) Used as a testbed aircraft from 1946 until was broken up in 1954, TW911's forward fuselage was retained and fitted to the rear fuselage and wings of Avro Lincoln RF342. This hybrid remained airworthy and in experimental use up until 1962. It was later housed at Bornemouth Historic Aircraft Museum for another 25 years before being dismantled and placed in storage. The Lancaster parts of the hybrid were then purchased by the Flying Heritage Collection of Everett, Washington. The remaining fuselage section was fully restored and is on display there today.
- Stored or under restoration
- Lancaster B X KB976 is Canadian built and was delivered to Britain in May 1945 but saw no action. Returned to Canada in June 1945, the aircraft was converted to Mk.10 (AR) specification, being struck off charge in 1964. Lancaster KB976 made the last official flight as an RCAF aircraft on 4 July 1964[17] at the Calgary International Air Show with F/L Lynn Garrison, as captain, and F/L Ralph Langemann as co-pilot. It is worth noting that neither F/L Lynn Garrison or F/L Ralph Langemann had ever flown a Lancaster and Garrison had broken his ankle the night before this flight.. Their historic flight was authorized personally by the then Minister of National Defence, Paul Hellyer, who flew to Calgary for the celebration. Garrison will be remembered for his oft-repeated comment, "If it has fuel and noise, I can fly it." Lynn Garrison then purchased KB976 from Crown Assets Disposal Corporation as an addition to his historic collection. He created the Air Museum of Canada in April 1964. Sold in 1974 to the Strathallan Collection in Scotland, KB976 was flown across the Atlantic and then statically displayed until 1987. Bought by collector Charles Church, the aircraft was moved to Woodford for restoration to airworthy condition, where the airframe was damaged in a hangar collapse. Another Canadian Lancaster, KB994, that had survived only as a fuselage, was sourced to replace the irreparably damaged center fuselage of KB976. Sadly, Charles Church died in a flying accident soon after and the rebuild was abandoned. The aircraft was later sold to Doug Arnold before finally being bought by Kermit Weeks in 1992. The aircraft has since been stored at his Fantasy of Flight museum in Florida awaiting restoration. The very tip of the nose and reargunner's position were salvaged from the wrecked original fuselage and respectively now reside in the collections of Jeremy Hall and the AeroVenture Museum in Doncaster, Yorkshire, UK. The residue of parts from KB994 were stored in the UK before being sold to the Australian National Aviation Museum to assist in the restoration of Avro Lincoln RF342.
References
Notes
Bibliography
- Benedetto, Fernando. Avro Lancaster, Lancastrian & Lincoln – Serie Fuerza Aerea Nº 17. Argentina: Fuerzas Aeronavales, 2010. ISBN 978-987-1682-00-3.
- Ellis, Ken (2008). Wrecks and Relics. Manchester, UK: Crecy Publishing. ISBN 9 780859 791342.
- Goulding, Brian, Mike Garbett and Sqn/Ldr. John Partridge. Story of a Lanc (NX611). Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre, 1974 (reprinted at least two times till 1991).
- Page, Bette. Mynarski's Lanc: The Story of Two Famous Canadian Lancaster Bombers KB726 & FM213. Erin, Ontario, Canada: Boston Mills Press, 1989. ISBN 1-55046-006-4.
- Walton, Jenny. Just Jane: Two Farmers & a Lancaster. Leeds, UK: Propagator Press, 2004. ISBN 1-86029-800-1.
- Winchester, Jim. "Avro Lancaster". Aircraft of World War II: The Aviation Factfile. Kent, UK: Grange Books plc, 2004. ISBN 1-84013-639-1.
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