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Re: What in your opinion........

Posted by Steve Young on Sat Jul 26, 2003 08:11:31 PM

In reply top What in your opinion........ posted by peter on Sat Jul 26, 2003 04:28:54 PM

I've only ever seen three others - R5868 'S - Sugar' static at the RAF Museum Hendon, NX611 taxiable at East Kirkby, and KB889 static at Duxford. Oh, and the back end of KB976 at Skysport before it went to Aeroventure.

I've got mixed feelings - R5868 is probably the single most original preserved and historically important Lancaster in the world. But NX611 is regularly fired up for taxi runs at East Kirkby, and provides me (born 24 years after the Second World War ended) and many others with a brief taste of what an operational Lancaster looked like on an operational station.

Not just that, but the whole East Kirkby experience never fails to move people. A chapel inside one of the old station building lists the name of every 57 Sqn / 630 Sqn man who was killed in action. I'm sure very few WIX-ers will need reminding that NX611 is owned, and funded, by Fred and Harold Panton, whose brother Chris was killed in a Halifax while on the Nuremburg raid in March 1944. NX611's fuselage codes are DX-C and LE-C - a tribute from the Pantons to 57 Sqn (DX), 630 Sqn (LE) and their brother Chris (C)

Just my opinion, but the tears I had running down my face the first time I saw NX611 do a night taxi run say that, in terms of what she stands for, she's the most important Lancaster we have left. Anyone who's never been should go if they possibly can. You'll never experience anything else like an East Kirkby night taxi run.

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