Competition – see Lancaster NX611 Just Jane’s restoration
The Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre (LAHC) at East Kirkby has announced plans for work costing £250,000 on Lancaster NX611, ‘Just Jane’, during the 2016-17 winter period, which will be a massive step in its bid to return the aircraft to the skies. LAHC’s Andrew Panton says, “This is the biggest news for Lancaster NX611’s restoration in the last 20 years. The goal of ‘Just Jane’ becoming only the third airworthy Lancaster in the world feels closer than ever before”.
Not only does the work represent a significant step forward in the programme to return NX611 to the air, but it also creates an opportunity for the general public to see the aircraft in its stripped down condition. The Centre at East Kirkby is offering tours of the overhaul area for people to get a close look at the work being carried out, and to gain an understanding of the restoration effort.
Win ‘Just Jane’ hangar tour tickets
We have a bonus competition for you to enter this month as the LAHC has kindly provided us with five pairs of tickets to see the work in progress on Avro Lancaster B.VII NX611 ‘Just Jane’. This is on top of the RAF Memorial Flight Club’s usual monthly ballot prize.
Answer the following question and complete the entry form below before 30 November 2016 to be in with a chance of winning two places on a tour of the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre hangar at East Kirkby this winter.
This competition is open to everybody, so please do feel free to share it with your friends and family. The first five correct answers drawn will win the prizes.
Lancaster NX611 was built at the Longbridge works by Austin Motors in April 1945 as a B.VII, destined to join the RAF’s TIGER FORCE for operations in the Far East against the Japanese. What is the wingspan of an Avro Lancaster B.VII?
A. 90 feet 1 inch (27.46 m)
B. 102 feet 0 inches (31.09 m)
C. 104 feet 2 inches (31.75 m)
D. 120 feet 0 inches (36.58 m)
The work over the winter will see NX611 completely stripped of paint, down to the aircraft’s aluminium skin, it will be rigged in a flying attitude on trestles and jacks and many parts will be removed, including the gun turrets, bomb bay doors, control surfaces, the wing tips and the engine nacelles. Once the components and paint are removed it will permit a full assessment of the condition of the airframe, rectifying any problems discovered along the way. The aircraft will then be repainted in time for its normal engine-run and taxying activities next year. The aim is to provide a base point to determine the extent of work required for future winter overhaul periods and, hopefully, to complete all of the external airframe work required.
Further information on the restoration plans, progress and the tours of the hangar whilst the refurbishment work is being done this winter can be found here.
