Hair Bear Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 Can they get it flying before the Vulcan is grounded? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juddy Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 3 years before it flys I have read.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 I believe there are plans to extend what remains of the existing runway with a grass strip. For further reading, check here - http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=115243 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pzkpfw-e Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 I'd be great to see it happen, but I believe they'd need to respar it, the BBMF's had there's done a few years ago. Now, if someone can give Kermit Weeks a prod, he's got a Lanc in storage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferrettkitt Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 I'd be great to see it happen, but I believe they'd need to respar it, the BBMF's had there's done a few years ago.Now, if someone can give Kermit Weeks a prod, he's got a Lanc in storage. Wasn't that Charles Churches Lancaster at one point? It was due to fly before the Canadian Lanc did but for an unfortunate hangar accident (all from memory). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pzkpfw-e Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 Yup!. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike65 Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 Wasn't that Charles Churches Lancaster at one point? It was due to fly before the Canadian Lanc did but for an unfortunate hangar accident (all from memory). Which also made it the rx-Strathallen flyer. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geordie8888 Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 I'd be great to see it happen, but I believe they'd need to respar it, the BBMF's had there's done a few years ago.Now, if someone can give Kermit Weeks a prod, he's got a Lanc in storage. I asked Kermit about his Lanc project a few weeks ago and he classed it as a 'long-term project' so don't see much happening in the near-term. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoranWC51 Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 Kermit Weeks must have long term projects to last him several lifetimes.... He also has an airworthy Mosquito, at least it flew a number of years ago. And a B24, and a Zero, and a....... Goran N Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Graves Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 hi, i believe the farmers lancaster was ex french weather research air craft which ended up in australia and flew the 12000 miles back to england and landed at biggin hill, it was there for many months and i remember it being painted white and on one visit we climbed in the rear exit and four greased 50 calibre machine guns were laying on the floor on the left, i think there was a problem with an engine, after that we were told that the lanc ended up at squires gate near blackpool, the lanc that was at scampton on the gates ended up at hendon and the farmers lanc was going to replace it. i had a complete dorsel turret for a lanc and this was donated for the project but i did not hear any more, it was long ago, all the best tony g. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willyslancs Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 hi, i believe the farmers lancaster was ex french weather research air craft which ended up in australia and flew the 12000 miles back to england and landed at biggin hill, it was there for many months and i remember it being painted white and on one visit we climbed in the rear exit and four greased 50 calibre machine guns were laying on the floor on the left, i think there was a problem with an engine, after that we were told that the lanc ended up at squires gate near blackpool, the lanc that was at scampton on the gates ended up at hendon and the farmers lanc was going to replace it. i had a complete dorsel turret for a lanc and this was donated for the project but i did not hear any more, it was long ago, all the best tony g. went in it as a kid , dad was at the sale http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?16041-Lancaster-bomber-£9-500(plus-spares) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pzkpfw-e Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Those prices, where's my time machine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juddy Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Lancaster technical question Did any ever have a ball turret? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 In the 1970's, Revell did a 1/72 scale Dambuster Lanc that had a small flush mounted remotly operated turret in the belly of the Lanc. They obviously got the information from somewhere to create it, but I haven't seen any drawings about it. It could well have been a blueprint idea for the 'Specials' conversion that never made it into the production run. I've got quite an in depth Lanc book upstairs in the study I'll have to have a look through. To the best of my knowledge, there was never any manned ball turret similar to the Sperry turret fitted in the B-17 and B-24's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RattlesnakeBob Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 (edited) Lancaster technical question Did any ever have a ball turret? As I recall??? ....as originally designed the Lancaster had a underbelly 'ventral' gun position but not as such a ball turret?. ..I think it was some arrangement where guns were aimed by a periscope set up but it was found to be more or less un-usable so the idea was quickly dropped ??? think that's right anyways... Various re-arming ideas were tried over the years including at one time twin .50 cals in the rear turret instead of quad .30s ..also a number of different turrets were tried over the various Mks ....in fact at one point of the war a serious idea was put forward to completely dis arm the Lancaster as the weight saving and thus higher speed /ceiling was appreciable and worth considering .. ..also ... ......on a more macabre note some suggested that with at least 2 less crew (only the rear and mid upper crew members were 'permanent' gunners as usually the Bomb Aimer took on the job of front turret gunner...??) we wouldn't loose 7 men with every one that went down.....I think the idea was dropped as it was rightly guessed the crews would take a dim view of flying into enemy territory completely defenceless..... PS: As I also seem to recall only 617 Squadron flew with a permanent front turret gunner??..I guess their 'surplus' mid upper gunner took on this role??.but I don't know if this was then a permanent arrangement for the rest of the war or just for the Dams Raid???? Edited January 7, 2013 by RattlesnakeBob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pzkpfw-e Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Yes, a ventral turret was designed. It wasn't fitted in service & ultimately the hole was used to fir the H2S system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferrettkitt Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 The FN9 turret was designed to be fitted to the Wellington, Manchester and Halifax. I've seen pictures of the turrets fitted to Wellingtons and Manchesters but as has been memtioned they were removed as being almost useless. Flypast had an article on an FN9 turret being restored from a crash site it looked absolutely brilliant when it was finished. According to the Flypast article the FN9 turret was redesigned to hold a Leigh Light on Wellingtons http://www.uboat.net/allies/technical/leigh_light.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Lancaster belly turrets. My Lanc book has a selection of drawings showing the changes from the Manchester through to the Lincoln. Three have the turret shown. 2nd Prototype, DG595 - Provision for FN64 ventral turret, 1 x .30 cal MG Radial engined B Mk II Prototype, DT810 - FN64 ventral turret fitted Dambuster Lanc - FN64 ventral turret retained Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RattlesnakeBob Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 .... out of general interest along with this thread:-D and...I'm sure I've said this before on a HMVF thread somewhere but anyways.:-) ....for many years when I was very young there was a turret off a Lancaster or Halifax on the roof of a petrol station just outside of Gloucester on the RHS of the road as you went towards Stroud .... I couldn't say whether the guns sticking out of it were real or not but I recall it being there up til I was 15 or so...but...by the time I'd passed my test and was driving myself around in 1977 it'd gone ........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juddy Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 The Americans had the belly turret on the B17, Liberator and many others, thats why I wondered why the RAF did not use it. So the Dambuster one had a belly turret? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pzkpfw-e Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 The heavies were, by and large, designed with a belly turret - a retractable "dustbin"- going back to the likes of the Handley Page Heyford The Whitley had one too. Even if installed, they were often removed, because they were heavy & when extended, caused a lot of drag, thus degrading performance. The crews' choice was to fly higher & faster, especially during the early war at night, when no effective Luftwaffe nightfighter force existed. It was only once this force was developed and especially when the Schräge Musik was in service, when the lack of a belly gun was looked upon as being an issue. Some crews fixed up a hand-held, downwards-firing .5 to cover this blind spot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 Having spoken to Andrew (Panton) a while back, he told me that the possibility of using the old existing runway was under negotiation with the current owner. Also, while the Lanc was being rebuilt to flying condition, they would obviously lose their main exhibit so they were looking at buying the Dakota 'Drag em' oot' which is based there at East Kirkby. This would give them an exhibit and also something to do taxi-rides in. It's not a Lanc, but it's still an interesting aircraft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Locolines Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 I do hope it flys again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flandersflyer Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 its a shame theres no stirlings left really isn`t it..... they were giants as well....: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Locolines Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 its a shame theres no stirlings left really isn`t it.....they were giants as well....: Yes it is, I wonder how they would have performed if the RAF hadn't of clipped its wing down . Useless bomb bay design though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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