Merry Christmas & Lancaster Teaser

[IceFire]

Buster... you've made my day! The hope of one day flying the Lancaster would be spectacular!

I've taken quite a few pictures of Vera (CWH's Mynarski Memorial Lancaster) as it lives quite close by.

Canadian Warplane Heritage's Lancaster bomber

IMG_5611e

IMG_1560 (edited)
Never been able to get inside but if I can get a close up shot from the outside that might help... let me know!

[Buster_Dee]

Thanks for the offer. Looks like a MK VII or X. Ours is a Mk I.

[ElAurens]

Yes, the Canadian bird is a very late model that was intended for the Pacific, but never had to go there. It was armed with M2 Brownings in .50 BMG, instead of the original .303 guns.

[IceFire]

Yep. It's a Mark X which as I understand is a Mark III with some US made equipment and electronics.

Here's the brief from the website:

The Museum's Lancaster Mk. X was built at Victory Aircraft, Malton in July 1945 and was later converted to a RCAF 10MR configuration. In 1952, it suffered a serious accident and received a replacement wing centre section from a Lancaster that had flown in combat over Germany. It served as a maritime patrol aircraft, with No. 405 Squadron, Greenwood, NS and No. 107 Rescue Unit, Torbay, Newfoundland for many years and was retired from the RCAF in late 1963. With help from the Sulley Foundation in 1977, it was acquired from the Royal Canadian Legion in Goderich, Ontario, where it had been on outside display. Eleven years passed before it was completely restored and flew again on September 24, 1988. The Lancaster is dedicated to the memory of P/O Andrew Mynarski and is referred to as the “Mynarski Memorial Lancaster”. It is painted in the colours of his aircraft KB726 – VR-A, which flew with RCAF No. 419 (Moose) Squadron. Andrew Mynarski won the Victoria Cross, the Commonwealth’s highest award for gallantry, on June 13, 1944, when his Lancaster was shot down in flames, by a German night fighter. As the bomber fell, he attempted to free the tail gunner trapped in the rear turret of the blazing and out of control aircraft. The tail gunner miraculously survived the crash and lived to tell the story, but sadly Andrew Mynarski died from his severe burns.

http://www.warplane.com/vintage-airc...x?aircraftId=4

[Buster_Dee]

The Martin turret in the B24D is a close match except for computing sight and input box. Radios, autopilot, Flight Engineer panel layout, etc. fritter that savings away in a hurry. I'm using F for Freddie and S for Sugar as the basis for what internal gear to model. Those airframes suggest to me that the early equipment could soldier on if needed, so it would not be a stretch to have this Mk I cover the whole war. You'll hear less me this and me that in the future. I just happen to be the one who was free enough to start.

[shelby]

For Martin Turret

The Lancaster Mk VII was a variant produced by Austin, at their Longbridge factory. The main difference between the Mk VII and late production Mk I/IIIs was the use of a Martin turret in place of the FN50 mid-upper turret. The Martin turret carried two .5in Browning Mk II machine guns, giving much more punch than the .303s of the older turret. The turret was also moved forward, from its position behind the bomb bay to one above it.

The Martin turret arrived too late for inclusion on the first fifty of these aircraft, which retained the FN50. These aircraft were officially still Mk Is, but were often know as Mk VII (Interim). These aircraft saw some service in Europe before the surrender of Germany.

Another 180 aircraft were built as true Mk VIIs. These had the Martin mid-upper turret, and also used the FN82 rear turret, which also carried the .5in machine gun. Both the true and interim Mk VIIs were powered by the Merlin 24 engine.

The true Mk VIIs arrived too late for the war in Europe. They were then modified to the B. Mk VII (FE) standard, for use in the Far East. Although the proposed invasion of Japan was not needed, most of these aircraft did serve overseas.

http://www.historyofwar.org/subject_air_lancaster.html

By the way i hope to see and the Mkiii someday

[Sita]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8R5NI-IrUU0

[Buster_Dee]

Why the III? Dambusters?

[IceFire]

Originally Posted by Buster_Dee

The Martin turret in the B24D is a close match except for computing sight and input box. Radios, autopilot, Flight Engineer panel layout, etc. fritter that savings away in a hurry. I'm using F for Freddie and S for Sugar as the basis for what internal gear to model. Those airframes suggest to me that the early equipment could soldier on if needed, so it would not be a stretch to have this Mk I cover the whole war. You'll hear less me this and me that in the future. I just happen to be the one who was free enough to start.

Mark I makes a lot of sense in the same way that the B-24D is definitely the most useful type to have in being able to cover significant parts of the war.