Avro Lancaster NX611 (Just Jane)
31 January 2011, 06:43 PM
#1
Avro Lancaster NX611 (Just Jane)
Me and Anita went for a bit of a break at the weekend and decided to go to East Kirby, Home of the Lancaster NX611 (Just Jane)
In September 1983, NX611 was finally purchased by Fred and Harold at auction in Blackpool and four years later after completing an agreed total of ten years gate guardian at RAF Scampton, she was brought to East Kirkby, courtesy of the RAF. They have restored the Lancaster to the point where the next step is to make her air worthy, They do full throttle tail up taxi runs with her all though the summer.
They have bought 3 brand new Rolls Royce Merlin V12 engines and are having new landing gear being made in the follow up to make her fly.
Ever sine I saw the videos "2 Farmers and a Lancaster" when I was very young I have always wanted to see her and on Saturday a little boys dream came true.
I hope you guys and girls enjoy the pics me and Anita took.
In September 1983, NX611 was finally purchased by Fred and Harold at auction in Blackpool and four years later after completing an agreed total of ten years gate guardian at RAF Scampton, she was brought to East Kirkby, courtesy of the RAF. They have restored the Lancaster to the point where the next step is to make her air worthy, They do full throttle tail up taxi runs with her all though the summer.
They have bought 3 brand new Rolls Royce Merlin V12 engines and are having new landing gear being made in the follow up to make her fly.
Ever sine I saw the videos "2 Farmers and a Lancaster" when I was very young I have always wanted to see her and on Saturday a little boys dream came true.
I hope you guys and girls enjoy the pics me and Anita took.
will have a really good look at those later 
the ones I did look at look great 
31 January 2011, 08:02 PM
#6
It costs £50 to go inside but your inside for a good hour or so and there 2 members of staff with you telling you all about the Lancaster and to answer any questions you have.
31 January 2011, 08:36 PM
#7
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my dad took my daughter there to see this before he passed.I love to see this flyong with the spitfire and hurricane,amazing to see it doing the flybys at Lady Bower Dam..
Great pictures fella
Great pictures fella
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31 January 2011, 08:54 PM
#9
Up here in the highlands we have lots of these ww2 bombers crashed in the mountains - a cpl of us have a summer hobby finding then ( strange feeling when you do tho as 99 % of the crashes are fatal to the crews)- one we were at late last year in the cairngorms was only found in 2005 that crashed in 42 ( families were told they went into north sea)
live .303s everywhere
iain
live .303s everywhere
iain
01 February 2011, 10:37 PM
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Beautiful aircraft the pair of them. Would be great to see her returned to flight. Would love to see the Vulcan fly with 2 Lancs in formation, two of Avros finest breeds.
02 February 2011, 06:44 PM
#14
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Lovely old plane, my late grandad was a navigator in a 'Liberator Bomber' (an american plane but with RAF colours) and hunted U-boats and also bombed the 'Gerrys defences the day before D-day
02 February 2011, 08:21 PM
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Looks amazing, it is a stunning piece history. I am defiantly going to go and do the taxi run. My grandad flew in them during the war gathering reconnoissance. I am going to try and find out a lot more of what he did during as I am told by my family that he made a recording for the RAF museum in hendon. How true that is I will soon see 
08 February 2012, 12:19 PM
#16
My dad, who died in 2006, worked on the one in Hendon Museum, and flew in them, including the one in the museum, regularly for fault checking, although he hated flying and was usually sick.
He was attached to 83 Pathfinder Squadron at Scampton, then Whyton, 1939-46
There is an excellent book by Len Deighton, called "Bomber", and it tells the story of one raid, from the viewpoints of ALL who were involved, from the people who decided where it was to go, to the crews here who prepped the planes, to those who flew it, and from the pov of the Germans, their radar terams, fighter crews and then the people who were bombed.
Fiction, but well worth a read a detailed research was done.
I wonder why this one is called "Just Jane", as they were usualy given names derived from their markings, hence my dad knew the one in hendon as "Q- Queenie", as with 83 squadron it was marked OL-Q.
OL was the squadron marking, Q was it's call-sign.
The only things that didn't change were it's tail number, R5868, although it carries the markings of an Australian squadron while in the museum, PO-S, "S-Sugar", since it went to them when 83 squadron got a new one with better radar for pathfinding.
As I sit here, my dad's painting of "Q-Queenie", signed by the artist and surviving members of 83 Squadron, plus Air Vice Marshall Don Bennett's wife, hangs above my computer.
He was attached to 83 Pathfinder Squadron at Scampton, then Whyton, 1939-46
There is an excellent book by Len Deighton, called "Bomber", and it tells the story of one raid, from the viewpoints of ALL who were involved, from the people who decided where it was to go, to the crews here who prepped the planes, to those who flew it, and from the pov of the Germans, their radar terams, fighter crews and then the people who were bombed.
Fiction, but well worth a read a detailed research was done.
I wonder why this one is called "Just Jane", as they were usualy given names derived from their markings, hence my dad knew the one in hendon as "Q- Queenie", as with 83 squadron it was marked OL-Q.
OL was the squadron marking, Q was it's call-sign.
The only things that didn't change were it's tail number, R5868, although it carries the markings of an Australian squadron while in the museum, PO-S, "S-Sugar", since it went to them when 83 squadron got a new one with better radar for pathfinding.
As I sit here, my dad's painting of "Q-Queenie", signed by the artist and surviving members of 83 Squadron, plus Air Vice Marshall Don Bennett's wife, hangs above my computer.
08 February 2012, 12:34 PM
#17
Very nice mate.
Just jane was a wartime cartoon heroine "Jane" appeared regularly in The Daily Mirror and boosted morale during the Blitz and thereafter by taking her clothes off during periods of bad news. It was said that the first British armored vehicle ashore on D-Day carried a large representation of a naked Jane. She'd finally lost the last vestiges of her modesty during the Normandy campaign in 1944, inspiring soldiers to say that "Jane had given her all." Prime Minister Winston jokingly dubbed Jane "Britain's secret weapon" in homage to her role in raising and maintaining morale.
Just jane was a wartime cartoon heroine "Jane" appeared regularly in The Daily Mirror and boosted morale during the Blitz and thereafter by taking her clothes off during periods of bad news. It was said that the first British armored vehicle ashore on D-Day carried a large representation of a naked Jane. She'd finally lost the last vestiges of her modesty during the Normandy campaign in 1944, inspiring soldiers to say that "Jane had given her all." Prime Minister Winston jokingly dubbed Jane "Britain's secret weapon" in homage to her role in raising and maintaining morale.
08 February 2012, 02:21 PM
#20
You lucky bugger rsturbo17. My ex was going to treat me to a taxi ride for my birthday too but as we are no longer together and I now live back up in Cumbria I doubt Ill ever see NX611 again let alone go for a taxi ride in her.
If you go Martin take plenty of pics and video.
If you go Martin take plenty of pics and video.
08 February 2012, 02:36 PM
#23
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I was lucky, my girlfriend treated me to it as a birthday present, I sat in the front gun turret on the ride and had lunch with the pilot, his name was Rick, a great guy who took time out to explain loads of stuff about the Lanc to you.
Last edited by rsturbo17; 08 February 2012 at 03:07 PM.
08 February 2012, 02:54 PM
#25
When I went on the Tour of NX611 it was about 2 hours long. had 4 tour guides, 1 told you about the rear turret and exsplained stuff about the rear of the aircraft, the 2nd guide told you about the centre gun/radar and whireless controls, 3rd was where you sat in the pilots seat and got told about the controls etc and the 4th was the front turret and bomb aimer. For £50 it was a bargin. Well worth it.
08 February 2012, 06:08 PM
#27
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Thats a great day out!! I was lucky enough to go for a taxi ride in her back in 2005. The sound of four of those engines is one thing, imagine what it must have been like if 40 of those Lancasters flew over your house!!
I went over not long back but it was in the hanger having some repairs.
I heard that it's pretty much air worthy, but if it got the certificate to fly then the attraction for the museum would drop dramatically if it was never there. I could be wrong!!
I went over not long back but it was in the hanger having some repairs.
I heard that it's pretty much air worthy, but if it got the certificate to fly then the attraction for the museum would drop dramatically if it was never there. I could be wrong!!
09 February 2012, 11:54 AM
#28
I went there a couple of years ago. As an aviation enthusiast it was like being a 5 year old in a toy shop!
I was lucky that the Lanc was to do a taxi run and standing just a few yards away as the four Merlins were started was one of those occasions that you have to experience before you die! As much as I like the sound of the Scoob flat four, it pales into insignificance by comparison.
The museum there was also good with a number of engines removed fron crashed aircraft. It was mind boggling to imagine the forces involved when an aircraft 'went in' when you saw crankshafts bent through crazy angles with bent con-rods and squashed pistons still attached!
JohnD
I was lucky that the Lanc was to do a taxi run and standing just a few yards away as the four Merlins were started was one of those occasions that you have to experience before you die! As much as I like the sound of the Scoob flat four, it pales into insignificance by comparison.
The museum there was also good with a number of engines removed fron crashed aircraft. It was mind boggling to imagine the forces involved when an aircraft 'went in' when you saw crankshafts bent through crazy angles with bent con-rods and squashed pistons still attached!
JohnD
Last edited by JohnD; 09 February 2012 at 11:56 AM.
