Lancaster interior section brought to mind "The Brylcreem Boys." Would be a hair raising experience to set that situation up in the real thing. Many thanks Nev.
Well done Nev. It just shows in the last section what a dangerous and hard job it was being part of the crew of a Lanc. As you pointed out try getting out of the thing when it is tossing and turning and g forces are throwing you around possibly in a flat spin. OK there was a floor escape hatch in the forward compartment but for the mid upper gunner the R/O and the rear gunner it was save yourself (if you were not wounded). It is small wonder that so many brave young men died. Lest we forget.
The more I learn the more I am in awe of those that designed built maintained and flew in these fantastic machines. Thanks to everyone for keeping their memory alive and well.
Fabulous episode, Neville. It was a very sobering reminder of the peril those young men faced on a nightly basis, and also how few Lancaster pilots survived being shot down, often because they were trying to maintain some semblance of control whilst the rest of the crew evacuated. Lest We Forget.
Awesome job going on with you guys, I took the journey through Just Jane at Biggin Hill just after she arrived in the UK. We had friends who lived in Bromley who took my Dad and me a 10yr old onto the airfield where your aircraft was parked in a hanger I got talking to one of the flyers who flew her home and asked if I could look inside. Half a Crown got me freedom to stumble my way through so this was a reminder although less bending for a young lad although climbing over the spars was fun. My hope is to see NX611 😂when she eventually takes to her wings, as let’s face it, it’s where she should be. Keep up the good work on Stewart’s Lancaster as a friend labelled it when telling me I was full of BS until she was on the BBC as she flew out of Biggin.
You're right, Neville. I did not realize how difficult it was to move around inside a Lancaster before I watched your video. You practically narrated my thoughts, including the part about how difficult it would have been to get out of the bomber in an emergency. Fascinating stuff.
I hope Kermit has you and Keith on his Christmas Card List. It's a brilliant piece of engineering documentation that you are providing. respect Lauriep
Thanks for the update Neville. Really enjoyed it. Great work by all the guys. Your last part of the video of the inside of Jane just really brings it home how difficult and dangerous it must have been for the crew to move about in there during a long night flight with the changing weather conditions and a lot of the time under heavy enemy fire. No room at all for them. You cannot imagine how terrible it must have been for so many of them having to escape in an emergency and trying to exit the plane. There is no wonder how so many dear brave men lost their lives. God bless them all. We will never forget them. Lest we forget. Looking forward to your next update Neville. Best wishes to you and all the guys there at the centre.👍
Great video neville, as you say you can't imagine trying to bail out of a damaged lank with all the flight gear as well! It must been terrible for them. Bless them all.
I remember going to the BBMF and having a hanger tour, talking to a chap who had flown in lancs just post war. He said that if you were to imagine trying to get over the front wing spar, in full flying kit, plus parachute in a plane falling out of the sky, you can understand why so many aircrew didn’t make it. It was certainly a sobering thought
As always, very well narrated. You have allowed us to appreciate the crew who built her and flew her even more thanks to you and the restorers dedication. Such focus is mentally depleting so you guys are amazing.
Thanks for the walk/crawl/stumble through the fuselage video Neville. I knew it was tight, but I didn't realise that it was that (insert swearword here) tight. Its great that Jacob has progressed enough to work on the airworthy wing, even more learning for him.
Inside is really a very big obstacle to go through. But next time I want to see you sit smiling in that pilots seat and somebody else doing great video and photo's of that moment! You just deserve that.
Excellent update Neville thank you. Great to see each area of the restoration making progress. Very interesting to see the amount of consideration and design reference, fittings required for the Jig to take the Wing and ensuring it is straight and true whilst housed in the jig as Keith advised. Going through the Lancaster one can see the obstacle course as your referred to that the airmen had to go through, not only to get to their stations in the aircraft but, to get out of if needed too in an emergency! I'm hoping to visit East Kirkby next week so hope I can get chance to meet you. Cheers John.
Many thanks once again Nev for another cracking video,the guys are making a wonderful job on the restoration and its videos like yours that show us all that has to go into making NX 611 airworthy.You can now see why we lost so many aircrew during the war when you think these guys were wearing full flight suits, as a child i remember my dad letting me try his ones on and it didn,t take long to feel the heat as they were fur lined and very bulky.So having this in mind,the flight crew getting over that main spar must of been a nightmare and to think the aircraft could of been in a dive out of control dosen,t bear thinking about. We owe them all so much.Nev many thanks again,take care.
Morning Neville, just watched your video 255 where you went into the Lancaster. On July 2nd I was able to take a VIP tour of the plane. The very same thing struck me whilst climbing around the plane was the lack of space /head height/ clearance. Credit due to all those young men who flew them and made it back home again.
Neville, in the US the ‘fairings’ or ‘combs’ are called Glare Shields and they do keep light glare off the instruments during day time operations. Every airplane manufacturer seems to have their own design and shape.
Great video Neville 👍. I enjoyed the part where you went inside Just Jane and showed just how hard it was to get out of the aircraft . And that was just sitting on the ground , not falling out of the sky after being shot down . Can see why so many crew never got out of their aircraft . Thanks for that Nevelle .
Very interesting Neville, seeing how one has to move inside the Lanc answers my earlier question about a taxi run and accesserbility? There is no way I could move down in the Lanc😢 walking with a stick and having two metal hips rules me out. Such a shame as it is a life long ambition to sit in the Lanc. Take care Neville 👍 👍 👍
Yes, the fairings. Some pictures they don't exist at all. Video footage of that Lanc at Nanton, it has none. These are quite distinctive, more like on a Vulcan. Thanks so much for that Neville, was a great walk through!
You'd be surprised how nimbly a crew could move through the aircraft. Remember, these were fit, supple, young men who knew the inside like the back of their hand! My late father said he could navigate his way to his wireless operator station blindfold, just by feel, and proved it when we went on a taxi ride in 'Jane' when he was in his 80's. The real problem getting out wasn't the 'obstacle course' but gravity. If the aircraft was still under control, movement wasn't impeded and in practices, Dad could get out in under 30 seconds! However, if control was lost, g forces could make it nigh impossible and that was pretty much the case in any aircraft.
The thing is, the guys at the front would not go to the back, they would exit through the front hatch near the bomb aimer. Also, with due respect, they were 20 year old, so quite nimble.
Thanks Neville, great vid, and the inside of the lanc, is a great insight, ive never been in a Lanc, but have a shackleton, similar layout, and seemed more roomy, but a b17 flying fortress, that ive been on, seemed even smaller, if thats possible !!
When my Dad worked on Lancs during the war he told me that he often had to get the systems warmed up in the early hours of the morning or late at night can’t quite remember but he said it would be pitch black out on the dispersal and he used to almost feel that when he climbed in the back door that the atmosphere was alive with the tension and fear of the crew. He used to always bolt up through the fuselage until he got to the main fuse box up near the Radio position so that he could get the lights on. He said the atmosphere was almost electric. He said he would often clout his legs on the front main spar adding to the tension. I think it was the switch / fuse box on the right of Dave’s head here 30:10
Great inside tour and as you say just how did they get through this aircraft in the dark and under stress of war? Great crews and amazing engineering of its time. Thanks Neville. Hope your joints are ok after climbing and bending!?
The sequence from 25:00 is very revealing. Not only concerning access but also in respect of the amount of work still to be done. Will Just Jane will be fitted with dual controls like PA 474?
24:29 I visited one of the Canadian Lancasters a few years back FM212 in Winsor and it didn’t have the combing, just a rounded soft strip along the top edge of the instrument panel.
And don't you know you answered my next question around 23:00 in the video about the fairings. Cheers Neville and another great video for Saturday. I wonder if the fairings weren't needed in WWII since these were primarily night bombers and not necessarily in much sun? Just thumbing through my copy of Bruce Robertson's fantastic book and on page 59, there is a picture of a wartime B.I Lanc cockpit without the fairings. Also, if you watch Air Commodore Cozen's film of 150 Sqdn (Hemswell) in 1944, there are some great cockpit shots of Bob Chandler's NG291 B.I produced by Armstrong Whitworth. Doesn't appear to have any fairings on that AC either. And finally a great shot of the infamous main spar that you had to climb over!!!! Just a great tour of the interior echoing the narrator's comments in The Night Bombers on the difficulty of exiting an AC in distress.
love Keith, please pass on my regards great to hear he will be getting some help from Jacob, its so important to be able to pass such skills over to the next young fella, it was something i wanted to do myself, sadly the museum i was with had such bad working practices, no working aircraft (thankfully), only static which was ok, but some of the engineers/enthusiasts had developed really bad habits and not all were their own doing, lack of experience or most likely LOSS of experience, engineers (loosely termed) had lost that power of speech, when you don't know, ask, if no one knows, refer to manual, and if no manual, ask an idiot i, the enthusiast, would do as much research as i could, consult manuals, and engineers, and mostly worked alone, even getting ejection seats back into the aircraft, where i dreamt up a plan to use gravity, build up a small scaffold tower, get the seat loaded onto first platform, build half the next level and move the seat up, complete second level and continue until high enough to slide the seat over and lower into the cockpit but i began to battle with engineers who had done crazy things that just baffled me, jacking aircraft up on mud, using small pieces of soft wood, remove a wheel and the strut slips off the jack, even jacking an aircraft under a wing, nowhere near a main spar or jacking point (unmarked), but under the plug where you test fuel, the jack went through the wing, old guys working up ladders with no safety, the list grew and grew so its real refreshing to see a bunch of guys who still have the power of thought, can work it all out and still do the job properly
Hold the phone! one pilot? No other yoke just incas the pilot was injured or killed. One door to get in and out. Is there an access hatch to the bomb bay incase they needed to bailout? What other exits are there besides the door u came in?
Re. Instrument Panel Combings. Perhaps the War years aircraft are different because they flew predominantly at night and would be unlikely to require shielding from the sun. Speculation only on my part.
Hi Neville, thaks for another update on the progress in making NX611 airworthy. At the end, when making your way to the cockpit.......I had an idea, of how difficult it would be, to move around, and for crew members to get to their place in the airplane. But now I have seen Dave and you crawling over each spar, I think it would be even more difficult to get to your place. Further, I have a question, but perhaps others could answer this: The apparatus in the left @25:42: this is for the H2S? Thanks in advance.
@@pitsrah19660522 Oddly, the Wireless Operator's table is fitted with a Fishpond Indicator, which is part of H2S and totally incompatible with H2X! If NX611 is to be restored as an RAF wartime aircraft, personally I believe the H2X equipment should be removed (and displayed in the hangar as part of the history of NX611) and H2S fitted, which I accept is easier said than done.
Hi neville great video I been wondering for a while about the markings on the side of just jane , what do the letters stand for and why are both sides different ? From tommyboy
The two letters are the squadron code, and the single letter is the aircraft within the the squadron. DX is for 57 and LE is for 630 squadron. Each unit had a certain amount of a/c, on a board, and help id machines status, undergoing maintenance or ready.If yu look at any wartime photo of an aircraft, you can google search the code and it will tell you what squadron it belonged to.
One thing is obvious Neville if your aircraft was crashing how the hell would you get out. I lost my relative in one in December 16 th 1943 over Berlin. 9 squadron.
Lancaster interior section brought to mind "The Brylcreem Boys." Would be a hair raising experience to set that situation up in the real thing. Many thanks Nev.
Thankyou Neville . You illustrated how impossible it was to escape from a burning , out of control Lancaster. Merci beaucoup Monsieur !
Well done Nev. It just shows in the last section what a dangerous and hard job it was being part of the crew of a Lanc. As you pointed out try getting out of the thing when it is tossing and turning and g forces are throwing you around possibly in a flat spin. OK there was a floor escape hatch in the forward compartment but for the mid upper gunner the R/O and the rear gunner it was save yourself (if you were not wounded). It is small wonder that so many brave young men died. Lest we forget.
The more I learn the more I am in awe of those that designed built maintained and flew in these fantastic machines. Thanks to everyone for keeping their memory alive and well.
Thanks Neville. Your videos are on my Saturday must do list! Cheers.
the greatest watch of the week
And they were only teenagers and early twenties, amazing young and brave men who fought and died for their country, we will never forget them Neville.
Fabulous episode, Neville. It was a very sobering reminder of the peril those young men faced on a nightly basis, and also how few Lancaster pilots survived being shot down, often because they were trying to maintain some semblance of control whilst the rest of the crew evacuated. Lest We Forget.
Thanks Neville... that was a real eye opener.... I'd heard many times how cramped these aircraft were but this really brought it home.
Another terrific video,Neville...educational as ever, many thanks to you and all the team 😊❗️
Cheers Neville. Loved the little tour at the end, really puts things into perspective. :-)
Another top class video Neville thanks very much :-) made even better with the sight of Keith LAUGHING! Cheers 😀
Always interesting Neville - thanks. (Most impressed with Rosie the Rivetter!).
Loving the longer content nev 😊 please keep them coming 😊
Awesome job going on with you guys, I took the journey through Just Jane at Biggin Hill just after she arrived in the UK. We had friends who lived in Bromley who took my Dad and me a 10yr old onto the airfield where your aircraft was parked in a hanger I got talking to one of the flyers who flew her home and asked if I could look inside.
Half a Crown got me freedom to stumble my way through so this was a reminder although less bending for a young lad although climbing over the spars was fun.
My hope is to see NX611 😂when she eventually takes to her wings, as let’s face it, it’s where she should be.
Keep up the good work on Stewart’s Lancaster as a friend labelled it when telling me I was full of BS until she was on the BBC as she flew out of Biggin.
You're right, Neville. I did not realize how difficult it was to move around inside a Lancaster before I watched your video. You practically narrated my thoughts, including the part about how difficult it would have been to get out of the bomber in an emergency.
Fascinating stuff.
I hope Kermit has you and Keith on his Christmas Card List. It's a brilliant piece of engineering documentation that you are providing.
respect Lauriep
Thanks for the update Neville. Really enjoyed it. Great work by all the guys. Your last part of the video of the inside of Jane just really brings it home how difficult and dangerous it must have been for the crew to move about in there during a long night flight with the changing weather conditions and a lot of the time under heavy enemy fire. No room at all for them. You cannot imagine how terrible it must have been for so many of them having to escape in an emergency and trying to exit the plane. There is no wonder how so many dear brave men lost their lives. God bless them all. We will never forget them. Lest we forget. Looking forward to your next update Neville. Best wishes to you and all the guys there at the centre.👍
Great video neville, as you say you can't imagine trying to bail out of a damaged lank with all the flight gear as well! It must been terrible for them. Bless them all.
I remember going to the BBMF and having a hanger tour, talking to a chap who had flown in lancs just post war. He said that if you were to imagine trying to get over the front wing spar, in full flying kit, plus parachute in a plane falling out of the sky, you can understand why so many aircrew didn’t make it. It was certainly a sobering thought
Thank you Neville and crew!
Just got around to watching this video. Really interesting seeing the inside!!
Thank you for the update Neville
As always, very well narrated.
You have allowed us to appreciate the crew who built her and flew her even more thanks to you and the restorers dedication.
Such focus is mentally depleting so you guys are amazing.
About time they gave you a ground run, all the work you have documented!
Very enjoyable, fantastic stories & video. Thank you Neville. Very much appreciated. Cheers.
Thanks for the walk/crawl/stumble through the fuselage video Neville. I knew it was tight, but I didn't realise that it was that (insert swearword here) tight.
Its great that Jacob has progressed enough to work on the airworthy wing, even more learning for him.
Inside is really a very big obstacle to go through.
But next time I want to see you sit smiling in that pilots seat and somebody else doing great video and photo's of that moment! You just deserve that.
Nice job Neville, looking forward every week for your well down updates on the Lancaster. Greetings from the Netherlands.
Excellent update Neville thank you. Great to see each area of the restoration making progress. Very interesting to see the amount of consideration and design reference, fittings required for the Jig to take the Wing and ensuring it is straight and true whilst housed in the jig as Keith advised. Going through the Lancaster one can see the obstacle course as your referred to that the airmen had to go through, not only to get to their stations in the aircraft but, to get out of if needed too in an emergency! I'm hoping to visit East Kirkby next week so hope I can get chance to meet you. Cheers John.
Cracking Nev , it's slow progress but understandable, she will be brand new when finished.
Many thanks once again Nev for another cracking video,the guys are making a wonderful job on the restoration and its videos like yours that show us all that has to go into making NX 611 airworthy.You can now see why we lost so many aircrew during the war when you think these guys were wearing full flight suits, as a child i remember my dad letting me try his ones on and it didn,t take long to feel the heat as they were fur lined and very bulky.So having this in mind,the flight crew getting over that main spar must of been a nightmare and to think the aircraft could of been in a dive out of control dosen,t bear thinking about. We owe them all so much.Nev many thanks again,take care.
Another very interesting update Neville, thank you very much.
Morning Neville, just watched your video 255 where you went into the Lancaster.
On July 2nd I was able to take a VIP tour of the plane. The very same thing struck me whilst climbing around the plane was the lack of space /head height/ clearance. Credit due to all those young men who flew them and made it back home again.
Neville, in the US the ‘fairings’ or ‘combs’ are called Glare Shields and they do keep light glare off the instruments during day time operations. Every airplane manufacturer seems to have their own design and shape.
Thanks, Nev.
Great to see Kieth laugh, he is a master tradesman in his field.
Great video Neville 👍. I enjoyed the part where you went inside Just Jane and showed just how hard it was to get out of the aircraft . And that was just sitting on the ground , not falling out of the sky after being shot down . Can see why so many crew never got out of their aircraft . Thanks for that Nevelle .
Another great update bro it keeps getting interesting. Safe travels. Ken.
Helps to be a short crew member, what an obstacle course that is.🇨🇦
Very interesting Neville, seeing how one has to move inside the Lanc answers my earlier question about a taxi run and accesserbility? There is no way I could move down in the Lanc😢 walking with a stick and having two metal hips rules me out. Such a shame as it is a life long ambition to sit in the Lanc. Take care Neville 👍 👍 👍
Yes, the fairings. Some pictures they don't exist at all. Video footage of that Lanc at Nanton, it has none. These are quite distinctive, more like on a Vulcan. Thanks so much for that Neville, was a great walk through!
At 11:15-16, the chap duly exercised his inspection authorisation... Cheers, Neville and gang.
Just checking whether the rivets are flush… or not, as the case may be. 🙂
The coaming over the instrument panel is definitely either a late or post-war mod.
@@ronhudson3730 I was referring to the gent who's attention was diverted to the young lady touring past his work table... 👀
@@davef.2329 So was I 😁
You'd be surprised how nimbly a crew could move through the aircraft. Remember, these were fit, supple, young men who knew the inside like the back of their hand! My late father said he could navigate his way to his wireless operator station blindfold, just by feel, and proved it when we went on a taxi ride in 'Jane' when he was in his 80's. The real problem getting out wasn't the 'obstacle course' but gravity. If the aircraft was still under control, movement wasn't impeded and in practices, Dad could get out in under 30 seconds! However, if control was lost, g forces could make it nigh impossible and that was pretty much the case in any aircraft.
The thing is, the guys at the front would not go to the back, they would exit through the front hatch near the bomb aimer. Also, with due respect, they were 20 year old, so quite nimble.
Thanks Neville, great vid, and the inside of the lanc, is a great insight, ive never been in a Lanc, but have a shackleton, similar layout, and seemed more roomy, but a b17 flying fortress, that ive been on, seemed even smaller, if thats possible !!
12:19 This poor chap looks really fed up
When my Dad worked on Lancs during the war he told me that he often had to get the systems warmed up in the early hours of the morning or late at night can’t quite remember but he said it would be pitch black out on the dispersal and he used to almost feel that when he climbed in the back door that the atmosphere was alive with the tension and fear of the crew. He used to always bolt up through the fuselage until he got to the main fuse box up near the Radio position so that he could get the lights on. He said the atmosphere was almost electric.
He said he would often clout his legs on the front main spar adding to the tension.
I think it was the switch / fuse box on the right of Dave’s head here 30:10
Imagine the combined years of skill in these old coots. Who's going to replace them when they're gone on? Are young people training in these arts?
Coamings. A top edge, often around an opening, such as a hatch or cockpit.
Great inside tour and as you say just how did they get through this aircraft in the dark and under stress of war? Great crews and amazing engineering of its time. Thanks Neville. Hope your joints are ok after climbing and bending!?
The sequence from 25:00 is very revealing. Not only concerning access but also in respect of the amount of work still to be done. Will Just Jane will be fitted with dual controls like PA 474?
24:29 I visited one of the Canadian Lancasters a few years back FM212 in Winsor and it didn’t have the combing, just a rounded soft strip along the top edge of the instrument panel.
And don't you know you answered my next question around 23:00 in the video about the fairings. Cheers Neville and another great video for Saturday. I wonder if the fairings weren't needed in WWII since these were primarily night bombers and not necessarily in much sun? Just thumbing through my copy of Bruce Robertson's fantastic book and on page 59, there is a picture of a wartime B.I Lanc cockpit without the fairings. Also, if you watch Air Commodore Cozen's film of 150 Sqdn (Hemswell) in 1944, there are some great cockpit shots of Bob Chandler's NG291 B.I produced by Armstrong Whitworth. Doesn't appear to have any fairings on that AC either. And finally a great shot of the infamous main spar that you had to climb over!!!! Just a great tour of the interior echoing the narrator's comments in The Night Bombers on the difficulty of exiting an AC in distress.
Looking at pictures of Vera's cockpit, FM213 doesn't seem to have the fairings either.
👌
good luck to escape this death trap in an emergency...
I think the word is coaming.
Mostly heard in boatbuilding.
Its a raised border to keep out water on a boat.
love Keith, please pass on my regards
great to hear he will be getting some help from Jacob, its so important to be able to pass such skills over to the next young fella, it was something i wanted to do myself, sadly the museum i was with had such bad working practices, no working aircraft (thankfully), only static which was ok, but some of the engineers/enthusiasts had developed really bad habits and not all were their own doing, lack of experience or most likely LOSS of experience, engineers (loosely termed) had lost that power of speech, when you don't know, ask, if no one knows, refer to manual, and if no manual, ask an idiot
i, the enthusiast, would do as much research as i could, consult manuals, and engineers, and mostly worked alone, even getting ejection seats back into the aircraft, where i dreamt up a plan to use gravity, build up a small scaffold tower, get the seat loaded onto first platform, build half the next level and move the seat up, complete second level and continue until high enough to slide the seat over and lower into the cockpit
but i began to battle with engineers who had done crazy things that just baffled me, jacking aircraft up on mud, using small pieces of soft wood, remove a wheel and the strut slips off the jack, even jacking an aircraft under a wing, nowhere near a main spar or jacking point (unmarked), but under the plug where you test fuel, the jack went through the wing, old guys working up ladders with no safety, the list grew and grew
so its real refreshing to see a bunch of guys who still have the power of thought, can work it all out and still do the job properly
Recommend visiting The Royal Air Force Bomber Command Memorial in Green Park, London, on the south side of Piccadilly,
Hold the phone! one pilot? No other yoke just incas the pilot was injured or killed. One door to get in and out. Is there an access hatch to the bomb bay incase they needed to bailout? What other exits are there besides the door u came in?
Re. Instrument Panel Combings.
Perhaps the War years aircraft are different because they flew predominantly at night and would be unlikely to require shielding from the sun. Speculation only on my part.
Hi Neville, thaks for another update on the progress in making NX611 airworthy. At the end, when making your way to the cockpit.......I had an idea, of how difficult it would be, to move around, and for crew members to get to their place in the airplane. But now I have seen Dave and you crawling over each spar, I think it would be even more difficult to get to your place. Further, I have a question, but perhaps others could answer this: The apparatus in the left @25:42: this is for the H2S? Thanks in advance.
This is part of the American H2X radar, not the British H2S. H2X was fitted post-war when NX611 was in French Maritime service.
@@andyyoung4030 Thank you for your answer. Really helpful.
@@pitsrah19660522 Oddly, the Wireless Operator's table is fitted with a Fishpond Indicator, which is part of H2S and totally incompatible with H2X! If NX611 is to be restored as an RAF wartime aircraft, personally I believe the H2X equipment should be removed (and displayed in the hangar as part of the history of NX611) and H2S fitted, which I accept is easier said than done.
Hi neville great video I been wondering for a while about the markings on the side of just jane , what do the letters stand for and why are both sides different ? From tommyboy
The two letters are the squadron code, and the single letter is the aircraft within the the squadron. DX is for 57 and LE is for 630 squadron. Each unit had a certain amount of a/c, on a board, and help id machines status, undergoing maintenance or ready.If yu look at any wartime photo of an aircraft, you can google search the code and it will tell you what squadron it belonged to.
@davidmartyn504 thanks appreciate that
One thing is obvious Neville if your aircraft was crashing how the hell would you get out. I lost my relative in one in December 16 th 1943 over Berlin. 9 squadron.
@10:08 Gotta 5 skin it or it goes in the bin ha ha
11:51 - oy vey!