Saturday, November 3, 2018

Nanton Lancaster "Dambuster" 2018

I had a fantastic oppertunity this August to visit the Nanton Lancaster Museum, for their 75th anniversary of the infamous Dambuster raid. The folks here in Nanton worked really hard to convert their taxialbe Lancaster into a Dambuster. They removed the upper turret, and added on a new call sign. 

The Bomb bay doors were removed and the iconic arms, and bouncing bomb were fitted. They also got the bomb to spin, which was quite the accomplishment.

They also had an opened tour through the aircraft. And I snagged as many pictures of the interior as I could. Granted it's difficult to take pictures as it's a very cramped aircraft. I tried to take as many as I could but there was a lineup behind me so I had to move quickly.




Replica bouncing bomb, many have commented on the color of the bomb. Sources have stated that it was black or a dark green. As was explained they heard from German sources that they were a red rusty color. 



The dedication plaque to Victoria Cross recipient Ian Bazalgette, RCAF. This sits just under the pilots window.




Climbing up through the nose, this is the first thing you see


Looking to the left a short step, and the iconic yellow hand railing.




Bambardier's instrument panel. (Starboard side)




Port side Bombardier station.



Pilots seat.

When the Lancaster was on an out door display in the 70's, people would come in and destroy or steal the dials. Restoring this control panel took years to loyal dedication.



My sister surprised me by having a really fun time touring the Lancaster.



Pitch controls at the pilots side. 





Navigators position behind the pilot.





Radio Operator sits behind the Navigator, divided by a short wall. 


Top view of the perplex bubble, seen at the back of the main canopy.









Emergency hatch to escape from the top of the fuselage.




Looking out of the emergency escape hatch. Would have been a tight fit especially in a hurry.



A CF-100 Canuck in the background.












Large ammunition boxes for the top turret. 


Looking through the observation holes into the bomb bay.





Ammunition belts for the Rear turret.


This was as close as we were able to get to the Rear turret. 







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