Giants Reunited: The Last Two Flying Lancasters Grace a British Airfield, Captivating History Enthusiasts
It is a sight to bring a lump to the throat of even the most battle-hardened veteran.
The world’s only two airworthy Lancaster bombers are united on a windswept airfield for what will probably be the last time.
For Vera – an Avro Lancaster Mk X bomber with the registration VR-A – it is part of an epic 3,700-mile journey from her base in Canada to RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.
She joined the other aircraft, operated by the RAF’s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, to go on a tour of air shows across the UK.
The Mail on Sunday launched a competition last week for a once- in-a-lifetime flight in the Canadian plane, and has been inundated with more than 11,700 entries.
Readers have until midnight tonight for their chance to win this remarkable prize.
Unlike aircraft enthusiast Matthew Munson, from Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, who bid £43,000 on eBay for the privilege of flying in the bomber, our reader will be able to do it for free.
The Avro Lancaster Bomber, owned by the Canadian Warplane Heritage, landed solo at RAF Coningsby after a fierce thunder and lightning storm grounded the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
See the panel below for details and how to enter.
Leon Evans, chief pilot for the Canadian Lancaster’s historic trip, said: ‘We haven’t had two Lancasters fly together in a display before and it’s pretty unlikely it’ll happen again because these airplanes might run out of airtime.
‘Vera’s getting older and already has about 4,500 hours on her.
‘It’s a thrill and an honour to be doing this. I’m sure it’ll be very emotional for everyone.’
Vera’s journey from Canada took four days, involving stops in Newfoundland, Greenland and Iceland before she arrived in Lincolnshire on Friday.
Bomber Command veterans turned out to watch the last two airworthy Lancaster bombers fly over Lincolnshire in what could have been their last mission – but foul weather grounded one of the historic planes.
The Canadian Mk 10 Lancaster, affectionately known as Vera, was also delayed arriving at the base, where it was greeted by flag-waving crowds and veterans
Vera had been due to perform a flypast over Lincoln Cathedral with her counterpart from RAF Coningsby before the pair touched down to waiting veterans and members of the public at the Lincolnshire air base.
It would have been the first time two Lancasters had flown together since the 1960s.
But the Canadian bomber was forced to land solo at RAF Coningsby after the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) grounded their Lancaster due to the rain and poor visibility.
The weather also caused problems for the Canadian aircraft, whose arrival to the area was delayed due to the poor conditions.
After touching down at RAF Coningsby, the aircraft’s brakes overheated causing it to come to a halt on the runway rather than taxiing towards the flag-waving crowds and veterans who had been invited to the base.
The sight of the plane descending onto the base brought back poignant memories for many veterans invited to the event, who broke out into a round of applause
The Canadian Mk 10 Lancaster, affectionately called Vera, from Canadian Warplane Heritage, will be joining the BBMF at air shows across the country over the next six weeks.
Veteran Ken Thomas, from Coventry, said it was disappointing not to see the two aircraft together in the air but that it brought back memories watching the Lancaster cut through the dark clouds.
The 93-year-old, who was a flight lieutenant with 622 Squadron and based at RAF Mildenhall, Norfolk, said: ‘It’s nice to the see the two aircraft but disappointing we didn’t get to see them in the sky together.’
The veteran, who holds the Distinguished Flying Medal, continued: ‘Seeing the aircraft come through the clouds brought back a lot of memories for me. It was lovely to see it in the air.’
The last surviving British Dambuster Johnny Johnson, 92, was also at the event.
The flypast brought back poignant memories for many veterans invited to the event, including former flight engineer Harry Parkins, from Lincoln, who flew 30 missions in Lancaster bombers.
The 89-year-old, who served with the 630 Squadron based in East Kirkby, said: ‘I seem to remember it (the war) more at events like this which bring it all back.
‘You never thought about the danger. You never thought about not coming back home but I lost very many good friends.’
A spokesman for the BBMF said: ‘Due to the weather conditions we had to take the decision not to fly our Lancaster.’
More than 7,377 Lancasters, 430 of which were built in Canada, were built during the Second World War but many that survived were scrapped.
Last month, IT businessman Matthew Munson, from Henley-on-Thames, paid £43,000 for a flight across the Atlantic in the Avro Lancaster Bomber.
The entrepreneur won the bidding war on eBay for the honour put up for grabs by the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton, Ontario, that is helping finance the month-long commemorative tour.
Mr Munson, 34, is part of an eight-strong crew manning the plane on part of its tour, starting with the flight from its base in Ontario to RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.
The journey will also be filmed as part of a documentary.
The Avro Lancaster is one of the Second World War’s most-recognisable British aircraft.
It is most famous for its involvement in the Dambuster raids, which saw 19 Lancasters attack German dams with Sir Barnes Wallis’s ‘bouncing bombs’ in 1943.
The plane was acquired by Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum – which features the aircraft used by Canada from World War II until today – in 1978, when it underwent a 10-year restoration.
It has remained airworthy since 1988.
Everyone who worked on the Canadian Lancaster to get her ready for the journey to the UK did so for free, working flat out for six months.
Hollywood director Peter Jackson, famous for the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, has also been on board the bomber in preparation for a new film about the Dambusters.
The Canadian Lancaster was built in Toronto in 1945 and served as a search-and-rescue aircraft. It is dedicated to the memory of Royal Canadian Air Force Pilot Officer Andrew Mynarski, and is known as the Mynarski Memorial Lancaster.
It is painted in the colours of his wartime Lancaster KB726 VR-A, which flew with 419 (Moose) Squadron.
Mynarski was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross after his aircraft was shot down over France in 1944.
As the blazing aircraft fell out of the sky, he attempted to free the trapped tail-gunner.
Mynarski survived the crash but later died from severe burns. Miraculously, the gunner lived to tell his story.
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