BBMF To Host Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum Lancaster

[Vulcanone]

Yep the Mosquito 2 Spitfires and 2 Hurricanes and VeRA together in flight was last year..

There is footage on You Tube somewhere.

[Gary]

The Canadian Lancaster is going to miss East Kirkby

While work on replacing the Lancaster engine is progressing at a steady pace, regrettably, we are not going to be safely ready in time to attend the 3 Lancaster event at East Kirkby on Tuesday.

We are completing the final fittings on the new engine today, along with the team from Retro. Additional parts from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight are arriving from Coningsby today, then the engine will be hung. If all is good, an engine test run will be performed. After successfully testing the engine, a test flight will be conducted and then onto Coningsby.

https://www.facebook.com/CanadianWarpla ... um?fref=ts

[Steven]

That is a real shame - very gutting. However FM213 and her crew are irreplaceable and safety must come first. I have tickets for Tuesday 2nd September event and I'm now wondering what to do!

Steven.

[seven]

Apparently PA474 now isnt attending either, oh dear!

7

[Thor]

Update from the Lincs Echo - http://www.lincolnshireecho.co.uk/Canad ... story.html

I spoke to EK by phone just after the news broke, they are apparently putting out comms to everyone with tickets regarding what's happening.

EDIT: EK statement now saying that tickets will be valid tomorrow and the wording seems to suggest also for a rescheduled event if they can arrange one.
http://www.lincsaviation.co.uk/news/lat ... celled.htm

[Vulcanone]

Well Steven, there is a certain fighter airfield near East Kirkby......

Tim S

[Runner]

Gutted.
This is the third time I've planned to see th
em and things have gone pete tong.

[POL]

Gutted.
This is the third time I've planned to see th
em and things have gone pete tong.

Please don't go to Southport.

[Blue Diamond]

And my mates thought I was daft booking both days.
They're now hoping they can get leave for any rearranged date.

[Headancer]

Maybe its just me but does anybody else think we could we have had more of a nod to The Lancaster in NWest England ?

OK we have Southport and Holmfirth BUT we seem to be a Lancaster free zone !

My goodness what about ;

Avro , Chadderton Main design

Woodford Cheshire, additional design plus 4000 produced

Metro Vic Trafford Park 1000 produced

Even one of thee most famous turning points of WW2 The Dambusters and links to a flypast at LadyBower 20 mins from Manchester has not been possible.

OK they not exist anymore, they may be empty buildings BUT there is still avst heritage in the NWest and Gtr Manchester in particular

Manchester evolving into Lancaster is a clue !

I do think its right to visit various memorials bases across Lincolnshire but Manchester is less than an hours flying time away, I'm sure somebody could have thought about the evolution, design and production as well and fitted a wee bit more in !

[beefsteak]

Pretty sure if you scroll back you'll find I and several others having a moan on this self same subject!!

[Runner]

Gutted.
This is the third time I've planned to see th
em and things have gone pete tong.

Please don't go to Southport.

I have managed to see them a couple of times - not a complete jinx!

[David Thompson]

The engineers finished at 7pm tonight to go and have a pint in The Oak Tree Inn at Middleton St George which was a regular wartime haunt for the Canadians based at Goosepool . So just an eleven hour day today , just !
The new merlin has been attached to the bulkhead but a lot of the plumbing still needs to be complete before the propeller is fitted and the engine test
run . If all goes well with the harness work tomorrow it is hoped to be able to ground run the Lanc late afternoon tomorrow with departure planned for Wednesday . The pilots came up today as did some more spare parts both of which were air-ferried in from Coningsby .

[Vulcanone]

Well and truly deserved I reckon...

Tim S

[noelb1-b]

Wow so many good people working together to get this incredible lady back in the air. I'm proud to be British.

[David Thompson]

Wow so many good people working together to get this incredible lady back in the air. I'm proud to be British.

To be fair it's the five Canadian engineers who have carried the day on this one plus the two British Retro engineers who have travelled up from their base in Gloucestershire to help with fitting the new merlin . Of the five Canadians Jim and Rick are full time engineers with the CWHM and Craig , Mike and Randy are all volunteer flight engineers on the Lanc and are classed as 'aircrew' . Nice work if you can get it ! I don't know the names of the Retro lads but will find out .

Special mention should also be given to Sycamore Aviation an aircraft recycling company who lease the hangar from the airport authority and who have supplied any kit and resource required to swap the merlins , the local police air support unit for the use of their facilities and members of The Friends of Durham Tees Valley Airport who have fetched and carried , swept and polished as required with a special mention for their chairman Colin Granton who on Saturday went home to bring his tool kit in as the Canadians had no imperial size spanners in their tool kits . Mind you , I don't think an engine change was ever on their agenda !

[David Thompson]

Tuesday update and back to a 12 hour day today but at the end of it , not the result everyone wanted when No 4 engine turned but sadly failed to burn .

The propeller was hung this morning and all of the harness work completed by mid-afternoon and then the engineers started work on refilling the engine coolant and oil before priming by hand and putting the prop boss cover on . The engine was then turned several times using the aircraft battery but to prevent the battery draining away it was decided to tow VeRA outside and ground run the engine so at 19:30 she was pushed from the hangar and out onto the apron opposite Hangar 1 .

I'm pretty sure the engine starting order was No 2 first as it has a generator attached , then No 3 and then No 4 which turned but did not fire into life even after several attempts from Don Schofield and Leon Evans in the cockpit and a fair few anglo saxon words of encouragement from those around the Lanc. ! A quick look at the magneto by Rick found nothing amiss but he noticed the lack of fuel in the exhaust ports which suggested that the fuel lines were not fully primed yet and after another couple of attempts to turn her over stumps were drawn at 20:00 and VeRA was towed back into the hangar .

I understand that the engineers believe that the starter motor solenoid contacts may have welded together when the engine was cranked over as it did not disengage when they tried to start her and that secondly with it being a new 'off the shelf' engine the fuel lines may need some more priming to get the fuel through ? The plan for Wednesday morning is to crack on and resolve these problems and get VeRA down to Coningsby as the Canadian team are desperate to make up ground and meet their commitments especially with a busy weekend coming up . Thanks as ever to the Canadian engineers and to the two Retro engineers Chris and David who are staying on to see the job done , hopefully tomorrow ?

[Steven]

David - Many thanks for your continued updates - they are greatly appreciated.

Steven.

[David Thompson]

I just hope the reasons I've given sound plausible ? They did to me but then it wouldn't take much !

The engineers seem to think the problems should be easy to fix and not take too long to repair so with luck she should be back at Coningsby by lunchtime ? Hopefully !

[David Thompson]

The Lanc is back ouside of the hangar with a ground run due around 11:30 .