# Lancaster in Resolute



## salty (24 Nov 2005)

Hello, I am new to your forum and am wondering if anybody might be able to help or steer me in the right direction. I am part of a team restoring a Canadian built Avro Lancaster Bomber (FM104). Our plane has suffered a lot of corrosion damage and vandalism over the years, while it was stored on a plinth in front of the CNE. I have heard that there is a crashed Lancaster up in Resolute Bay. If anybody knows someone who gets up that way, it would be great if what is left of the wreckage could be snapped with a digicam. Certain parts are beyond repair, and it would be interesting to know the state of what lies in the North. The lack of corrosion alone would be a beautiful thing. Thanks, Bob.


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## bick (24 Nov 2005)

Salty,

Sounds like a worthwhile project.  I would imagine the Air Force would be a good bet.  As there are very few Lancs left, they would probably get involved with photos and maybe even recovery.  

The Bomber Command museum in nanton, Alberta may also be a good bet.  They have a Lanc as a memorial and may have some parts.

Jay


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## BillN (24 Nov 2005)

The only Lancaster that I'm aware of that crashed in the artic was the one that crashed at CFS Alert.   There's nothing left there but the graves of the Crew, which still lie at the end of the runway.

I do remember that 450 Sqn lifted a Lancaster from a plinth at Goderich Airport in the early 1980's, but I can't remember where we slung it to.

There was also the Lancaster that 447 Squadron slung into CFB Namao in Edmonton, that was for 408 Squadron who were going to restore it in their squadron colours.   Last I saw of that was about 1987 when it was sitting on the grass, minus wings, outside 408 squadron hanger.   Perhaps this is the one now in Nanton?

There is also one still on a Plinth at the south side of the Calgary Airport.

Unfortunately, Lancasters are now as scarce as rocking horse turds.

Cheers,
Bill


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## old medic (24 Nov 2005)

Photos of the 1950 Alert Crash:

http://groups.msn.com/MouldBayEurekaIsachsenAlert/lancastercrashatalert1950.msnw


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## mover1 (24 Nov 2005)

There is one in the parking lot at Canex here in Greenwood. The sign says its the only one in Canada with battle damage. They were in sevice up until the 1960's and parts are out there. I know you probably have already but did you try the Commonweath Air Training Museum in Brandon MB.?

http://gmam.ca/lancaster.htm


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## X Royal (24 Nov 2005)

BillN said:
			
		

> I do remember that 450 Sqn lifted a Lancaster from a plinth at Goderich Airport in the early 1980's, but I can't remember where we slung it to.
> Cheers,
> Bill



I believe that Lancaster is the only flying Lancaster in North America. It is based at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton, Ontario (one of two in the world).  If I remember correctly this is the info. i got at the museum about  5 years ago.

Pro Patria


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## geo (24 Nov 2005)

if memory serves me right, didn't they recover a Lancaster from some bog in Norway a number of years ago? Just before CF Europe was wound up... not sure what they did with the aircraft though.


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## George Wallace (24 Nov 2005)

geo said:
			
		

> if memory serves me right, didn't they recover a Lancaster from some bog in Norway a number of years ago? Just before CF Europe was wound up... not sure what they did with the aircraft though.


That was a Halifax Bomber.  It has been completely restored and was just in the Press a few weeks ago.  

http://www.forceaerienne.forces.gc.ca/news/2005/11/09_e.asp

http://users.pandora.be/airwareurope/en/bergingen/halifax_lw682_e.htm


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## karl28 (24 Nov 2005)

Yeah the one in Trenton is a Hallifax it looks great just saw it last week


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## geo (25 Nov 2005)

Ah... OK
Knew it was a heavy - forgot it was a Halifax
... then again; you never hear about em any more
(cause they're pretty much all gone)
Glad they got this "one of" woulda been a big loss


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## salty (26 Nov 2005)

Thanks for all the replies and the photos of the tragedy in Alert. Our plane is pretty rotted out from sitting on a plynth for 30 years and stored with no spark plugs. I have seen the one in Hamilton, which was also on mounted on display before it was restored. (It is from Goderich). Yes there are only two left in flyable condition. (UK and Hamilton). When I look at the complexity of the plane we are restoring (especially the  Merlin engines), it is hard to believe Canada was cranking out 1 per day by the end of the war. If anyone is interested, check out : WWW. Lancasterfm104.com.  

Bob.


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## Slim (26 Nov 2005)

I realize that this is probably a rather dopey question but, not being an 'air guy' I'm going to ask it anyway...

Is there any room in the project for fabrication of parts, rather than swapping one for another off of some as yet to be discovered Lancaster someplace?

Also, there is a very small and little known fighter museum in Markham ON and , while the owner may not (almost certainly does not) have a Lancaster Bomber he may know of one someplace. Anyway it may be worthwhile to ask him.

I tried to find a web link to it but had no success. The museum is in markham someplace and there are about 20 warplanes sitting in a field at an old air strip that someone has privately puchased.

Hope this helps...

Cheers

Slim


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## Jonny Boy (26 Nov 2005)

George Wallace said:
			
		

> That was a Halifax Bomber.   It has been completely restored and was just in the Press a few weeks ago.



ya my dad grandpa and i ususually went to see that thing once a year as it was being built. i still cant wait to go see the finished thing. my Grandpa will be happy to see it as well. he was a flight engineer on them


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## George Wallace (26 Nov 2005)

Actually Slim, the Trenton Group had to fabricate a lot of the parts.  The guns are all fabricated.  Actually the guns down in Hamilton were all fabricated too.  Both groups, Trenton and Hamilton, had blueprints, photos, former air crew, and numerous other docs and sources to do their restorations.


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## salty (27 Nov 2005)

We will have to fabricate parts we cannot acquire eventually, but our first priority is preservation, followed by restoration. The long range goal is to have a plane with as much originality intact as possible, and that has as good a chance as any of the few that remain to be the last Lancaster on earth. I am used to automotive restoration as a hobby, so it is very interesting to rebuild something with this museum perspective. Thanks for all the tips.


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## Slim (27 Nov 2005)

Are you planning to eventually fly it?


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## 3rd Horseman (27 Nov 2005)

Was a bomber not restored in Greenland were it crashed WW2 and then attempted to be flown out in min 90s but burned during the test run? That one had many parts stripped from around the world brought to it for the in ice restoration. I may be confusing this one with the Norway one but the one I speak of did not get finished. 

  As for the engine parts here I know something, The best place to find engines is not in old bombers but in the army storage yards of Europe. When I rebuilt two WW2 priest guns for the US 1st Armoured Div we needed engines specifically air craft engines since our version had air engines in it. We found many engines around Europe in tanks and strange contraptions. I guess as the engines rolled out of air assembly lines if they had lots sometimes they got swapped into tanks and such. The best location I found for parts like that was in a war surplus store (huge factory) in Belgium. Was owned buy a foreign arms dealer who was connected to Mr Bull. They had everthing from mortars to tanks some parts still in the original boxes.


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## geo (27 Nov 2005)

Greenland restoration was  B29 if memory serves me right.
and yes - it did burn down.
If memory serves me right, didn't the Centurion get it's power from Merlin engines?


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## Jay4th (27 Nov 2005)

I think you may be thinking about the Wright radial engines in early M4 shermans


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## geo (27 Nov 2005)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Merlinfrom the Rolls Royce 

An unsupercharged version of the Merlin was also produced for use in tanks, the Rolls-Royce Meteor.


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## geo (27 Nov 2005)

Aaahhh.... here it is:
http://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=13

BASIC INFORMATION :
Designation: Centurion Olifant MK-5 MBT
Manufacturer: OMC Engineering
Country: Britain
Service Date: 1950
Type: Main Battle Tank
Crew: 4
    
PERFORMANCE STATISTICS:
Powerplant: 1 x V-12 Rolls Royce Meteor 4B Diesel Engine with an Output of 750 hp.
Max Speed: 21.5 mph
Max Range: 60 miles


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## salty (28 Nov 2005)

Our Plane will never fly due to too much structural corrosion in the main spar and many other systems. Another reason is that if you fly it, you can crash it. Our goal is something more like 500 years down the road to have a time capsule of intact surfaces, fasteners, plating types, etc. It is being put back together in "a deep sleep" with internal components coated in cosmolene or synthetic grease. WHen it was mounted on the plinth, they used a torch to cut out a big part of the main structure, and this is where the worst of the structural conrrosion started. We bought a section from another Lanc that had been on a gunnery range in Alberta (FM 118) that we are using to make patterns and recoupe componentry for our plane. We have a total of 5 Merlins for the plane. Our Merlins are missing their engine tags, therefore they can never be used on another  flight certified aircraft. The cylinders are too corroded as well due to being stored with no spark plugs.


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## Daidalous (30 Nov 2005)

Why do you not try contacting a aviation company.  Like um  Lancaster themself.   The only problem you might run into is that some parts might be controlled goods and you would have to be a approved buyer, if there are any authorized for no military use.  And how you become one, I have no idea, but the company might be any to help you out.  I know we just sold them a whole bunch of parts from the old T- Birds and Lab  helicopters, alot of Aircrafts parts are compatable with other Aircraft.   I found a Airspeed indicator once from a Avero Aero made 1954 and the computer system said it could be used on a Herc.


Hope that helps


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## DEK (11 Jan 2011)

My father was part of several aerial photo missions using Lancasters from 1950 to 1953 in the Canadian Arctic, and has a few photographs which he took in 1951 of the two Lancasters which crashed in 1950 at Resolute. You can contact me if you would like copies.


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## Michael OLeary (11 Jan 2011)

DEK, since this thread is five years old, and the original poster has not been active on the forum since then, you should try sending your message by PM; hopefully his e-mail is still a current address.


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