Lancaster restorations in Canada

[Pat Carry]

Can anyone bring us up to date on the 2 or 3 Lancaster restorations in Canada? I seem to recall some were being brought inside and another was going to get its engines in running condition. Or is that in England?

[k5083]

There is also FM104 in Toronto, which has had to be moved around quite a bit recently. It has a facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lancaste ... 1673179822, but don't bother looking for restoration updates there. I'd also like to hear about progress, if there is any.

August

[Fleet16b]

Found more restoration pics of FM104 posted in 2010 on The Aviation Forum here http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthre ... ace-Museum

Note on their website dated Feb. 6, 2013 indicates that this airframe has been in storage for a while: http://avrolancasterfm104.com/
The Canadian Air & Space Museum was evicted from its home at Park Downsview Park in Toronto in September, 2011. Since then the museum board of directors has been searching for a new facility for its collection including the FM104 Restoration Project.

FM104 is languishing in shipping containers about 5 miles from where I sit here in Toronto
At best she was being restored to static display as she was in pretty rough shape after sitting on a pedalstal down on the waterfront for many years . The restoration was not progressing too quickly due to lack of funding
It would be great to see the City of Toronto find her a new home with a more stable Museum but she seems to be forgotten except by only a small group of people.

[peter]

Don't forget the Lancaster KB839 at Greenwood Nova Scotia that is presently under restoration to combat lancaster configuration. They are busy painting the tail section first and scratch building a front FN5 gun turret cupola. They are on the internet under Greenwood air Museum and on Facebook as well..

Lancaster FM136 at Calgary Aerospace Museum has also reached a milestone in her restoration in that she is now painted with nose art researched by Nose Art Historian Clarence Simonsen and she sports LADY Orchid pinup and bomb symbols as WL-O of 434 Squadron.

[LysanderUK]

I'm somewhat surprised to hear about the restoration of KB839 to combat configuration, she's a rare long-nose MR.10. Will she stay as an MR.10 with a bomber paintjob or will there be some serious modifications going on?

On the subject of long-nose Lancs, there's also KB882 (corrected, thanks Peter) at Edmundston,NB. All kinds of rumours have gone round the internet and news media about this one in the last few months, including a story that it was on the verge of being scrapped. Thankfully that seems to be unfounded, but it certainly looks as though it will need some very serious restoration work and some sort of long term preservation plan put in place.

Last edited by LysanderUK on Thu Aug 28, 2014 5:57 am, edited 1 time in total.

[peter]

The Greenwood Lanc has had her long nose "plug" removed which reverts her back to being a regular nose length lanc.
You mean KB882 at Edmundston? It is hoped that something is done this year but failing that then next year might see her leave for a new home?

[mrp]

Here is a few shots taken of KB839 taken last week.


Only one long nose left KB882, which is the only other surviving Victory built MKX with a wartime operational record. There are only 4 complete Lancasters in the world that have operational wartime records, KB839, KB882, W4783 G for George in Australia and R5868 S for Sugar at the RAF Museum in London.Unfortunately both 839 and 882 are still exposed to the weather and require further restoration.



Here are some shots of FM104 just before it went into the boxes.







Here are a couple of shots of FM212 in Windsor, were its restoration progresses slowly.









MRP