Rare Inside Look ~ for Rob and Neil by bmac62
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Description
...this is a rare, rare, rare view.
...for those of you not into aviation I hope you'll appreciate what thousands of young British airman had to work with over occupied Europe between Feb/March 1942 and the end of WWII in May 1945.
...this shows the inside of the nose section of the famous British WWII bomber, Avro Lancaster.
...I had the opportunity to photograph this today at the Flying Heritage Collection at Paine Field, Washington. Thank goodness for a tripod...about the only way to get sharp images in dimly lit places.
...The pilot's seat is on the left, the entrance to the bombadier's (Bomb Aimer's) compartment shows upper right and the radio (wireless) operator's station shows lower right.
...each Avro Lancaster had a crew of seven. There were 7,377 Lancs built, 3,249 were lost in action and another 487 were destroyed on the ground. Over 20,000 British airmen were killed/wounded and/or captured flying and fighting from Lancasters.
Today there are only 17 identifiable Lancaster airframes left in the world and only two of these are airworthy (one in England, the other in Canada).
This nose section came from a Lanc that was retired to Southend Aircraft Museum, England in 1968. After closure of the museum the aircraft was sold and the nose section was acquired by the Flying Heritage Collection here in Washington in 2001.
I will post outside views of this nose section next.
Bill:)
"Good to the Last..."
Comments (28)
bazza
Great capture Bill this looks great, Its wonderful that you were able to get into the plane to take those shots.. Excellent!!
helanker
Must admit you got some really excellent shots in there. Yea tripod. I have just placed my tripod in the patio, now that the roes are coming to eat the rest of our veggies in the garden. They are not worth eating for us anymore, so Per removed the fence. :-)
jayfar
Wonderful capture Bill, you must be really chuffed with this.
blinkings
Cool Bill. I know it's a different plane, but I was amazed seeing 'The Memphis Bell' how cramped it was inside. And then
durleybeachbum
Amazing to see this! It gives me goosebumps to imagine how it must have been for the occupants. I had many older colleagues who flew in WWII and one of them said flying in the Lancaster was like being in a freezing biscuit tin with folk throwing stones at it.
DAVER2112
Fantastic collage!! So much detail. :)
bimm3d
wonderful!!
flavia49
fabulous collage!!
cfulton
Wow! This is a fantastic view of 'the office'! Very well done and detailed, Clive
debbielove
Now imagine.... You are hit, on fire.. The pilot (there is only the one, calls bail out.. And you have got to rush through the aircraft, full of smoke, flames, with your parachute on, to an escape hatch.. The pilots often stayed at the controls trying to keep the mortally wounded aircraft flying a few moments more.. 55,000 Commonwealth aircrew were lost during WW2 flying with Bomber Command.. More than any other armed force, And yet, there is no memorial to them.. Sad..... Excellent Bill.. And thanks.. Rob
Faemike55
Very wonderful and informative capture, Bill. Very interesting responses so far as well Excellent
auntietk
Very interesting! Maybe I should go up there next time ... I had no idea what I was missing!
Meisiekind
Fascinating... but I get freaked out just looking at the cramped space!!! Very, very fine images Bill!!! Well done!
jendellas
I agree with Meisiekind, there is not a lot of room. Great image Bill, the colours are lovely!!!!
neiwil
Rare as hens teeth, thanks Bill, we've got a few Lancs over here but none you can go inside.With the gear down it's a bit difficult to get a shot through the canopy.Never have liked the idea of crawling down there, into the bombadiers station in the nose.With Rob's description, it must have been a nightmare getting out in a hurry.Certainly an underappreciated group of men, huge respect to them and to you for these excellent shots.....thank you my friend.
sandra46
OUTSTANDING CAPTURE WELL SONE!
MrsRatbag
Yes, it does look cramped; wonderful shots and collage!
MagikUnicorn
Thanks for the peak
npauling
Excellent captures of the insides of this plane. Goodness knows how they knew which dials to look at or levers to pull.
goodoleboy
The use of a tripod really brought out the sharp clarity of the instrument panels and controls in this highly cramped environment, Bill.
jocko500
wow this is something to see
hipps13
WOW me eyes say awesome colors warm hugs, Linda
danapommet
Fantastic collage of this old work horse. Wonderful narrative also. Dana
Rainastorm
Most excellent, I like seeing the insides of these.
beachzz
You always get such wonderful light in your fotos--this one just glows!!
T.Rex
Great photos giving a good idea of how cramped these were inside. In addition to Bob and Neil's comments, there was a massive spar running through the fuselage from wing to wing, which the crew had to crawl over or under to get to the hatch in the rear where one entered/exited the plane. This made for difficulties getting out with the plane on fire or in a spiraling dive. But it made for a strong construction - many limped home with more than one engine knocked out. The design also made for a huge carrying capacity. An American B-17 crew inspecting a Lancaster called the plane "one huge flying bomb bay". It was this that made the plane the choice for the dam busting mission in the Ruhr, and for sinking the Tirpitz - huge carrying capacity and the ability to absorb a LOT of punishment before going down. You lucky fellow - able to go inside. But that's what's the most educational - feeling what it was like to be inside!
lyron
Very cool images!!
RodS
Fascinating look into this aircraft! You are the master of getting awesome shots in museums, Bill! These photos are so clear, and you made excellent use of the lighting in the museum. Yep - a tripod is definitely a must-have for this type of photography!