Picture of the day

As a kid I was lucky enough to crawl through the Lancaster bomber before it was mounted on the concrete pylon in front of the old terminal at McCall Field in Calgary. We'd ride our bikes out to the airport to look at the airplanes and luck was with us as we saw the Lancaster getting prepped in one of the old WW2 hangers. Nobody really minded having kids wander the tarmac back then if you were respectful and kept your hands to yourself. You'd be shot on sight now probably. The airforce guys were very tolerant of curious lads.
I also remember the main spar and the obstacle it presented. How did affect the civilian Lancastrian attempt in the post war years?
 
HuskyDude said:
Isn't there a schedule engine start up on June 29 this year for the Mosquito? I was thinking of going.

Edit

Last time I went back East to visit. I had the opportunity to crawl around the inners of AVR in Hamilton. One thing I didn't know was to get forward from aft..one must climb over the wing spar.
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If you're ever in Nanton Alberta, stop in and see their Lanc. They allow you to crawl through that one too.

Just imagine being in one, in the dark, with a night fighter trying to kill you.

Utmost respect for those aircrews.
 
Big Uke said:
As a kid I was lucky enough to crawl through the Lancaster bomber before it was mounted on the concrete pylon in front of the old terminal at McCall Field in Calgary. We'd ride our bikes out to the airport to look at the airplanes and luck was with us as we saw the Lancaster getting prepped in one of the old WW2 hangers. Nobody really minded having kids wander the tarmac back then if you were respectful and kept your hands to yourself. You'd be shot on sight now probably. The airforce guys were very tolerant of curious lads.
I also remember the main spar and the obstacle it presented. How did affect the civilian Lancastrian attempt in the post war years?
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Funny, I did the same. Roll the turret around and you were in. There was a Canso on the runway as well , we explored that too. :)

Grizz
 
Big Uke said:
As a kid I was lucky enough to crawl through the Lancaster bomber before it was mounted on the concrete pylon in front of the old terminal at McCall Field in Calgary. We'd ride our bikes out to the airport to look at the airplanes and luck was with us as we saw the Lancaster getting prepped in one of the old WW2 hangers. Nobody really minded having kids wander the tarmac back then if you were respectful and kept your hands to yourself. You'd be shot on sight now probably. The airforce guys were very tolerant of curious lads.
I also remember the main spar and the obstacle it presented. How did affect the civilian Lancastrian attempt in the post war years?
Click to expand...
There was a Lancaster in a farmers field in southern Saskatchewan in the late 50’s and my dad took me out there and I got to crawl through it. I was smitten with airplanes then and although I can’t remember specifically, I’m pretty sure I was making engine noises as I was sitting in the pilot seat. That was the turning point as I joined Air Cadets that fall and have been involved with airplanes ever since.
 
I don't know if their opinion has changed, but a member of the Mosquito group in Windsor told me that they had made a conscious decision not to restore it to flying condition. He said that if you have a flyable plane, people expect you to fly it. Much more expensive, not to mention dangerous. Static display is much more practical.

I remember touring the Hamilton museum while the Lanc was under restoration. A dozen or more volunteers swarming over it and miles of wiring hanging out. I've restored a few antique cars, but I could never have conceived of attempting something like that. On the way out, I stood for a long time staring at a Tiger Moth. I remember thinking "This I could handle." But sanity prevailed, and I never got into an aircraft project.
 
uglydukwling said:
I don't know if their opinion has changed, but a member of the Mosquito group in Windsor told me that they had made a conscious decision not to restore it to flying condition. He said that if you have a flyable plane, people expect you to fly it. Much more expensive, not to mention dangerous. Static display is much more practical.

I remember touring the Hamilton museum while the Lanc was under restoration. A dozen or more volunteers swarming over it and miles of wiring hanging out. I've restored a few antique cars, but I could never have conceived of attempting something like that. On the way out, I stood for a long time staring at a Tiger Moth. I remember thinking "This I could handle." But sanity prevailed, and I never got into an aircraft project.
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Always amazing to me the time required, they always talk in Years, for an aircraft built in days in some cases.:confused:

Grizz
 
Not built, assembled. Thousands of vendors using thousands of man power to build individual parts prior to that assembly.

Now you have to recreate those parts. All those parallel lines of manufacture are now in series done by primarily volunteers. The fact it’s getting done at all is astonishing.

Grizzly Adams said:
Always amazing to me the time required, they always talk in Years, for an aircraft built in days in some cases.:confused:

Grizz
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Couple of days late, May 5th.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberation_Day_(Netherlands)

KpdWh7Z.jpg


hrc4Hla.jpg
 
We were in Holland on the 5th a few years ago. To this day, "Liberation day" is a National holiday. It was a rare sunny day in Haarlem, so the entire city was out in force, boating up and down the canals, going for walks, enjoying break in the perpetual gloom of Dutch weather.

We celebrated by going for lunch at a patio restaurant, at a place with a Canadian theme.

By and large, a surprising number of the Dutch remember Canada's contribution to their liberation. I'd hazard to say, that the average Dutch is more likely to know about it than the average Canadian.

View attachment 271381
 
By then, I have to think everyone was glad to be done with the whole mess. Here's guys from the 6th Fallschirmjager Div. marching out in good form after surrendering.

d8ac1bc49e0f6578b0290cc0a5305c69.jpg


Note the tank destruction badge on the officer leading. Not amateurs, this bunch. I imagine most of them would be glad to have survived, glad to be done, and hopeful the Canadians would protect them from reprisals en route to home.
 
Dark Alley Dan said:
By then, I have to think everyone was glad to be done with the whole mess. Here's guys from the 6th Fallschirmjager Div. marching out in good form after surrendering.

d8ac1bc49e0f6578b0290cc0a5305c69.jpg


Note the tank destruction badge on the officer leading. Not amateurs, this bunch. I imagine most of them would be glad to have survived, glad to be done, and hopeful the Canadians would protect them from reprisals en route to home.
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Do you know where that photo was taken? details. I have a German 'jump smock' my father 'liberated' and I have been trying to figure out where/unit it might have come from as he was in Sicily, Italy (including Ortona) then went through to Holland via Marseilles. Some details printed inside lining obviously -- the Nazi eagle has been ripped or cut off which I have been told was normal.
 
XRCD011 said:
French grey or a dark green(ish) grey to be exact. I have only seen one original 3rd Div patch and to be truthful it just looked dirty grey.
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To be sure. I've seen a bunch (and currently have three 3rd Div. battledress in the collection) and haven't seen two alike.
 
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