Living Lancasters: Keeping the Legend Alive

The Avro Lancaster is one of the most famous bomber aircraft of all time. At museums and airshows today, the Lancaster commands a huge audience and is always the 'star turn'. There are only two surviving airworthy Lancasters left in the world, however, and just one more in a taxable condition. Jarrod Cotter looks at four of the world's surviving Lancasters which 'come to life' in a variety of different ways. In words and pictures he describes how the RAF's last remaining Lancaster, PA474, is maintained, flown and displayed by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight; how the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum's FM213 is flown in civilian hands today in North America; how the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre's NX611 is taxable at East Kirkby in Lincolnshire and regularly attracts huge crowds; and how the Australian War Memorial's 'G for George' forms the centerpiece of a stunning audio-visual display called 'Striking by Night', that takes onlookers on a virtual bomber 'op' over Berlin in 1943. There is also a section devoted to all the other Lancaster survivors around the world, using photographs taken during rare and privileged access.