Lancaster flight on Remembrance Day

[Scooby]

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I was lucky to get this for free in the late 80s. We had them as a guest on our base and a squadron mate and I charged their aircraft batteries. He actually slipped and fell and banged his head carrying one of the batteries into the shop. They felt bad for him so gave us a flight in the Lancaster. His pain was my gain.

 

It was 419s 50th anniversary flypast and we were in formation with Bruce the Moose (CF-5). There is a well known photograph of the actual flypast with the CF-5 tucked in the wing. I can’t find it at the moment but my eyeballs are looking out during it.

[AX 365]

The Boss got me one as an anniversary present about 15 years ago.  It was an amazing experience.  One of the other 'passengers' was a Polish, 33 operational sortie Wellington, Halifax and Lancaster pilot.  Don Schofield, who was the pilot for our flight, knew and flew with the father of the woman who introduced me to my wife.  We had a nice chat.  When the veteran pilot spoke, everyone listened.  One person is given the privilege of sitting on the flight deck for take off and landing.  For the other passengers, it was a no brainer.

 

The day we were up was very windy and a bit turbulent.  We had some difficulty walking around inside the aircraft.  As I was doing so, things really hit home for me.  I was having so much trouble on a 'mild' day.  I then imagined what it would have been like in a 'corkscrew' or trying to get out of a flaming, spiraling, twisting Lancaster while trying to put on a parachute all the while being shot at by night fighters and dealing with flak.  And then I tried to imaging the sounds and smells.  It was very emotional.  I wouldn't have traded it for anything in the world.

[82Whitey51]

22 hours ago, AX 365 said:

 

 

The day we were up was very windy and a bit turbulent.  We had some difficulty walking around inside the aircraft.  As I was doing so, things really hit home for me.  I was having so much trouble on a 'mild' day.  I then imagined what it would have been like in a 'corkscrew' or trying to get out of a flaming, spiraling, twisting Lancaster while trying to put on a parachute all the while being shot at by night fighters and dealing with flak.  And then I tried to imaging the sounds and smells.  It was very emotional.  I wouldn't have traded it for anything in the world.

Add to that, that the CWH Lanc is configured to carry passengers and is very "open" inside, not to mention wearing all that flying gear!

I had a flight in a B-17 a few years back, and during the fun and enjoyment of it, the thought hit me that guys likely dreaded were I was sitting some 75 odd years ago on their way across the North Sea or the Channel. It really put things in perspective for me and whenever one of my fellow P-3 crewmen would whine about a 10 or 12 hour flight, I'd remind them that "hey, at least no one will be shooting at us..."