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I’ve finally decided to pick up the Aeroplane Heaven Lancaster Mk IB. We’re flying in “G for George” (AR-G, W4783) from the RAAF No. 460 Squadron. This Lancaster flew 90 missions over Germany (90!) and occupied Europe between 1942 and 1944 without the loss of a single crewmember. Retired in 1944, “G for George” was flown to Australia to assist in the War Bonds drive. Post war, it was left to decay in the open air at RAAF Base Fairbairn, before being moved to the AWM in the early 1950s.
I have a special thing for the Lancaster. It’s one of the few airworthy WWII planes I’ve had the chance to see fly in Gatineau in the Wings Over Gatineau airshow… and then we were allowed to hop inside and visit it and talk to the pilots.
Caution: the bomb bay is H-U-G-E!
The crew enters by the side door
The Lanc’… What a truly magnificent plane.
Fueling up. There are “simulator switches” on the flight engineer panel that call the ground power cart and the refueling truck. Notice the ground power unit on the third engine: this is the first one we have to start in the start-up sequence. Nice touch from the developer.
First, we set the battery on (panel to the left of the pilot seat).
Then, we close the bomb bay doors. There’s a nice little menu that you can use by pressing LSHIFT+1, or you can just use the bomb bay lever in the picture above.
Doors open
Doors closed
On the Electrical Panel, we also need to make sure both generator and alternator switches are ON
Then, we switch over to the Flight Engineer Panel, and then set Starboard and Port fuel tank selector wheels (in red) to the No. 2 Tank. Don’t forget to lock them into position using the middle mouse button.
Checking fuel with the Fuel Contents switch.
Then, we switch on all four Fuel Booster Pump switches (DOWN = ON).
We then hold the Oil Dilution for No. 3 engine for 4-5 seconds. We shouldn’t need it, but it won’t hurt with these old, temperamental Merlin engines.
Pitot Heat ON
The engine start sequence is: 3, 4, 2 and 1.
Interestingly, this sequence order is based on the fact that only the inner engines carry generators to power the aircraft’s internal electrical systems, while the outboard engines have alternators.
So, about that engine start:
- Setting parking brake
- Propeller pitch levers to Full Fine
- Fuel cock for engines 3 and 4 Open
- Magnetos for Engine 3 and 4 On
- Master Ignition switch On
- Radiator Shutter switch - Auto
- Cracking up engine 3 throttle to half an inch
Clear prop!
Flipping the starter cover for engine 3, pressing the switch… and I get a first failed engine start. I wait a minute, then try again. As the Merlin roars into life and engine parameters rise up, I get a strange tingly feeling in my groin area.
Sing, Merlin bird, sing!
Engine run-up goes smoothly, oil pressures and temperatures look good, coolant temperature looks good too.
Generators and Alternators OK.
Closing doors (LSHIFT+E), releasing parking brake setting Navigation lights On and taxiing to Runway 26
I may or may not have left quite an oily mess behind me
Cracking up the window for some fresh oil-scented air
Taxiing towards Runway 26. I use a mix of left/right throttle control and differential braking.
Taking position on the treshold
Prepar3d can look good too!
Aligning my compass. I rotate the bezel (compass ring) until the red N is opposite the cross of the needle. The white lubber line indicates a heading of roughly 260, which shows that we’ve aligned this properly with the runway heading.
Setting all my radiators to OPEN
Another british-ism: you actually have to turn on the Flaps Meter Indicator Power switch in order to read the position of the flaps. Setting flaps 20 for takeoff and a little nose down trim.
Ready for takeoff. Manual prescribes the following:
- Set propeller pitch levers to full fine pitch
- Open throttles eventuly and slowly, advancing the port throttles slightly to overcome any tendency to swing as you accelerate
- Push the controls forward to assist the tail off the ground as soon as possible after opening to full takeoff power
- Aircraft should be held in this position until at least 95 mph is achieved
- At around 100 mph, ease the controls back to liftoff
How hard could it be? I allow my speed to build up to 130 and the aircraft flies itself off the runway.
Positive rate, reaching 500 ft. Gear up, flaps up.
Switching off fuel booster pumps
Climbing at 170 mph, steering 245, starting the clock. 106 nm to go in that direction.
Goodbye, Phoenix!
Settings for climb (Merlin XX): 2850 RPM, + 9 boost. Since these engines are old, I’ll settle for 2650 RPM and + 4 boost (Max Continuous).
View through the navigator’s office
View through the radio operator’s office
Back in the “old days”, radio and navigation frequencies used preset frequencies. The radio operator had to manually set every red, blue and yellow knob and match letter codes.
The developer also implemented a secret panel that uses a modern radio. Here, we have our frequencies set to the KSAN ATIS and the KSAN ILS.
Flying over the desert
I still can’t get over how bloody gigantic this plane is
It’s getting hot in here. The Lanc’ is like a greenhouse. Let’s use that retractable curtain.
Aaah… much better now.
Once I reached roughly 28,000 ft, I try to figure out the autopilot. As it turns out, the “Auto Controls” aren’t too complicated. First, you set the AP control lever to SPIN, and the AP Clutch lever to IN.
Once you’ve got the AP armed, you can engage it by setting the AP Control Lever to IN (FWD). Then, you can steer the aircraft using the Steering lever and set the aircraft attitude with the Attitude selector.
View from the Bombardier panel
A better view
View from the Astrodome
Are we there yet?
View from the front turret
Doesn’t look very comfortable…
So far so good. No catastrophic failures yet.
Approaching Yuma. I was supposed to come by the North but wind drift brought me south of the town instead. At least we know where we are. Here’s the Colorado river.
Gulf of California in the distance
We can observe the Planta de Energía Geotérmica Cerro Prieto ( Cerro Prieto Geothermal Power Station) on the Mexican border.
Salton Sea
Mount Laguna
Checking the fuel in the auxiliary tanks. 400 UK gal total, same as on takeoff since I didn’t use the aux tanks.
We’re still good on fuel. We left with roughly 1500 UK gal, and we’re starting our approach with about 1300 UK gal. I may have gone overboard with the fuel reserve. After all, it was a rather short trip (270 nm).
Reaching KSAN airspace. The ATIS announces that Runway 9 is in use, so I’ll have to change my initial plan to land on Runway 27.
Approaching San Diego
For the approach, the manual says:
- At 1500 ft, set speed to 135 mph with -1 lb boost and 2400 RPM. Set flaps 25 deg. Adjust trim
- Once trimmed, increase throttle to 2650 RPM and +2 lbs boost and lower the undercarriage. Adjust trim.
- At 600 ft, you should be on final at 130 mph, +2 lbs boost (level flight).
- Reduce power to -2 to 0 lbs boost to achieve a descent rate of 400 ft per minute.
- At 150 ft, lower flaps fully, open throttle to 2850 RPM and +2 boost.
- Once over the treshold, close throttles and allow aircraft to settle on the main wheels.
- Do not apply braking until tailwheel has touched down. Hold stick back for the remaining rollout and apply braking.
Swinging by MCAS/NAS Miramar to get to KSAN’s runway 9
On final
Easy there… that Lanc’ handles quite sluggish during the approach.
Almost there
Bombardier is about to need a new set of undies
Throttling up since I’m a bit too slow but the descent rate is good
Good landing. I came in a bit too slow: I did a perfect three-pointer instead of landing on both main gears as prescribed in the manual. Phew!
Clearing the runway
More Southwest planes… these guys are everywhere!
Shutting down the engines
Wow… that was a hell of a ride!
