In a replica Lancaster cockpit

Last summer, we spent a good part of a day at the Boscombe Down Aviation Collection near Salisbury. Among the many whole and partial aircraft they have on display is a replica of the front part of a Lancaster, including the cockpit and front turret.

Needless to say we took the opportunity to get inside! 

Getting to the cockpit, past a table with maps and radio equipment, showed that the inside of a Lancaster, no matter how big an aircraft it is, feels a bit claustrophobic. Hard to imagine how it must have felt for the crew in the 1940s, flying at night, through flak and at constant risk of being shot down ...

Space inside the actual cockpit is a bit less cramped, and centre stage are the switches and dials for the four Merlin engines. 

We were not allowed to crawl into the front turret, due to health & safety regulations .... 

There is no original Lancaster at Boscombe, but they did have a nice diorama next to the replica cockpit.

Lancaster, etc

As you may be aware, I have a long term interest in Spitfires and their history (see my Spitfire-focused blog). As such, it's hard to avoid coming across another iconic British WWII aircraft. I'm talking of course of the Lancaster. We even have a Lancaster-themed tin for tea bags in the kitchen!

Just as is the case for Spitfires, many books have been published on the Lancaster. Here are a couple of books on Lancaster history that I have ...

 

... plus a reprint of a 1943 manual, just in case I ever need to fly one 😀!

The Lancaster was designed and built by A. V. Roe and Company (aka Avro). Of course, the Lancaster wasn't the only aircraft designed and built by Avro. From the early 1900s on, they designed and produced and wide range of aircraft; think, for instance, of the Vulcan .... Two books on the history of Avro, and their aircraft, on my shelf:

For a long time, I was keen to start a collection of Lancaster models, similar to what I did for 1:72 scale Spitfires. What stopped me was simply practicality: a real Lancaster having about twice the wingspan of a real Spitfire, means I just wouldn't have anywhere to display a collection of 1:72 scale Lancaster models ... Until I found out they also come in 1:144 scale! A 1:144 Lancaster is only just a tad larger than a 1:72 Spitfire ... And a quick Google search showed there are indeed a fair few different 1:144 scale models of Lancasters and related aircraft out there.

So this is the start of a new collection, and a new blog to record my Lancaster models, as well as anything else Lancaster-related picked up along the way.

Talking of which, some time ago I stumbled across a rivet gun on eBay. Really an impulse buy; it wasn't expensive. Some research on the brand of the gun showed it was made by a company (Aircraft Materials Ltd) that was active in WWII selling equipment to the aircraft industry. 

Chances are that this rivet gun was used in the building of a Lancaster (or possibly a Spitfire). I can't ever be sure, so I'll simply hold on to that thought. 

Ok, buckle up: 1:144 scale Lancaster models coming to a blog near you soon!