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Re: Lancaster recovery....... See what u can do?

Posted by MM on Fri Oct 12, 2001 05:57:23 AM

In reply top Lancaster recovery....... See what u can do? posted by Indiana Tony on Thu Oct 11, 2001 08:06:58 PM

It'll be good to see a Lanc in something other that RAF markings...beautiful bit of work, I hope they have a building for it when it's finished?

Apparently the original pilots seat is still doing good service as the dentist's chair back on Wallis Island!

This all reminds me of the letter in Flypast many moons ago, when some pillock said
"because the French had invented chauvinism, they obviously intend to keep it up".....

And this was because they wanted to take their own Lanc back to France, instead of allowing it to come back to blighty!
They had already given THREE Lancs away to museums, for which we are all eternally grateful for....where's the chauvinism in that kind , generous gesture...it's a hell of a lot more than the British gov ever did for us in the way of saving a few Lancs ??????????

It would probably amaze those who don't know, but NOT ONE Lancaster (or the majority of Spits and Hurris)was ever set aside for PERMANENT UNDER-COVER PRESERVATION in GB by the GB Gov......although R5868 was put on charge of the RAF Historical Aircraft Collection as late as 1956, it went to Scampton to be a gate guard, and PA474 was originally earmarked to go into the RAFM when it opened, but luckily the authories saw sense at last after the RAF wouldn't give back PA474 and "offered" R5868 to the RAFM instead while PA474 continued flying for our pleasure!

Incredible when you think about it, that they would allow the most historical Lanc extant to languish in the open for all those years, and yet never actually have any intention of putting it under cover eventually...and just as incredible is the "Lincolnshire aircraft enthusiasts", whoever they were, who were "dismayed" to see it leave the gate and finally go inside somewhere!!!!!!????
And this also reminds me about the French "enthusiast" who complained in Flypast once, about all the Spitfires and the last Hurri finally being taken off the gates....because he wouldn't be able to motor around Britain any longer in his open-top sports car, Spotting Spitfires on the gates of RAF bases!!!!???

I wonder where R5868 would be now if PA474 had gone into the RAFM instead ,as originally intended.....
Would it have remained on the Scampton gate for as long as the Spitfires did, until it needed a total, expensive and historically intrusive restoration?
The mind boggles....and it's no wonder they never kept a Halifax or Stirling or many other types, if they couldn't even look after the most famous British Bomber.....

The Avro Lancaster????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!

What say you folks?

PS:- Time to get that Lanc out of that Austrian lake Tony?
I've always fancied Bombing Round Britain in a Lancaster....not literally mind!!!!


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