Windsor's Lancaster Bomber looking for new home

[Margaret's boy]

Where will Windsor’s Lancaster Bomber land? | CTV News

[Richard]

I can make room for it in my back yard and airBNB it.

Fantasy of Flight is a private museum in Florida,it is owned by a private individual who has been collecting and restoring warbirds for decades has a runway and everything,the owner was one of the pilots in the movie Dunkirk .

So he built and opened up a museum on property,fancy and not worried about budget,he ended up shutting the museum part down because of lack of interest in high tourism Florida.

Has tons of videos on YouTube with warplanes purchased and going through the restoration process,they just completed a A-6 that was started on after hurricane Andrew damaged it in 1992 Miami ,some of these birds take decades to restore.

I have noticed warbird air shows seem to have a dwindling attendance as the baby boomers and those with knowledge pass away,most of the younger generation could care less

They could contact Kermit Weeks for realistic guidance but my guess it has been a pretty smart and savoy crew working with it all along and they are looking for public support.

17 left but only 2 in flight,they should take those vandals and strap them to the props and crank em over.

Despite the movies,those warbirds only had 2 minutes worth of ammunition to fight off enemy fighters,they went up mission after mission knowing that 2 minutes was the difference between living and dying,but they still did it while knowing the odds of returning back to base were never in their favor,these guys were 17 - 18 -19 years old and willing to die to protect the freedoms we have to today.

The warbirds are momentos paying homage to those who gave that ultimate sacrifice they represent the over 55,000 pilots and crewmen that never was able to return home.

[Rocket]

Fantasy of Flight is a private museum in Florida,it is owned by a private individual who has been collecting and restoring warbirds for decades has a runway and everything,the owner was one of the pilots in the movie Dunkirk .

Kermit already has a Lancaster though. [old pic] https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/60d3..._edited-4.jpeg

It arrived in shipping containers, and there are vids of it's unpacking. Parts of it were already restored, and Kermit has plans to fully restore it to flying condition.

His collection includes;

[Two] P-51 Mustangs
P-63 king Cobra
[Two] Spitfires
DeHaviland Mosquito
Hawker Fury
[2] of the 3 Hawker Tempests in existence, both being restored
FM-2 Wildcat
F6F Hellcat
F7F Tigercat
P-38 Lightning
[Four] P-40's [one being the only 2-seat trainer in existence]
P-47 Thunderbolt
F4U Corsair
Mitsubishi Zero
A-20 Havoc
[Two] B-17 Flying Fortress
[Two] B-24 Liberators
B-25 Mitchell
B-26 Marauder [only flyable example in existence]
[Two] B-26 Invaders, [1 flying]
Lockheed Constellation,
PBY Catalina
SBD Dauntless
Douglas DC-3
Douglas DC-6
Short Sunderland [only flying one in existence]
[Two] Ford Trimotors
Ju-52

and about 105 others.

But 4-engine bombers that are fully assembled and in flying condition take a lot of hangar space to store. Then again, he has two B-17's and two B-24's, so why not right?

[Lowell]

The Lancaster in Jackson Park twenty years ago.

[401don]

There's a place along I-4 near Tampa that offers flights on WW2 planes. Always thought I would like to try it but never wanted to take the time to drive there once I got to the vacation condo.

[401don]

Where will Windsor’s Lancaster Bomber land? | CTV News

I've looked at it in the park a few times. Time flies. I had no idea it's been gone 18 years. Why not put it on the riverfront? There's room, more people would see it and it's less likely to attract vandals in a more visible location.

[Honky Tonk]

There's a place along I-4 near Tampa that offers flights on WW2 planes. Always thought I would like to try it but never wanted to take the time to drive there once I got to the vacation condo.

If you're local to the Detroit area, check out the Yankee Air Museum. They host air shows and events, including flights in vintage planes. Here's a link:

https://yankeeairmuseum.org/

[Richard]

There's a place along I-4 near Tampa that offers flights on WW2 planes. Always thought I would like to try it but never wanted to take the time to drive there once I got to the vacation condo.

Same person Rocket and myself referred to,cannot take rides anymore but very impressive collection,he moved to Lakeland after Andrew in Miami damaged a lot of his collection.

People that got into computers in the beginning made a lot of money fast,that like the ultimate boys with toys situation,tough to ask for anymore then that.

It’s impressive when you are driving down the freeway and a bomber crosses over your head the landing strip requires crossing the freeway.

[DavidGeorge]

I've looked at it in the park a few times. Time flies. I had no idea it's been gone 18 years. Why not put it on the riverfront? There's room, more people would see it and it's less likely to attract vandals in a more visible location.

I don't think you understand what the Canadian Aviation Museum does with a plane when they restore it. They are restoring the plane to flight worthy condition. They've already sank $625K of their own money for parts plus 85,000 volunteer hours in restoring it. It's in far better shape now than it was when it was put up on a post in Jackson Park decades ago. Putting it on the riverfront would be a complete waste of all that money and effort for such a very rare plane. Ideally, the President of Museum is asking the city to provide a hangar at the Windsor airport that would store it assembled and offer a taxi service so a visitor could buy a ticket and fly around the city as a passenger to get a true WW2 experience of what a veteran experienced like they do with their smaller WW1 and WW2 planes. They have 6 vintage warplanes already that visitors can rent as passengers.

The city chips in only $50K a year. The money invested here is money far better spent than on an unnecessary $35m Esplanade revitalization or the millions they've approved for the Sandpoint beach revitalization, which still makes no sense to me because there's nothing wrong with the beach we have now. A bomber taxi is something that would make Windsor a very unique and exciting tourist destination as the plane is very rare as only 17 complete Lancasters still exist in the world from which only 2 are air worthy from the 7377 that were built.

I did a video recently of an open house at the Canadian Aviation Museum and you could see the bomber with the wings removed because there isn't enough space in the hangar. The remaining space is for the planes that offer flight tours of the city from Windsor airport.

Skip to 31:44 for a video presentation of bomber and you can see the Lancaster bomber to the right with the wings removed.

30:01 is a video of a smaller WW2 plane taking off from the airport next to the museum that you can rent as a passenger.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouvap0NwigQ
[/QUOTE]

[401don]

I don't think you understand what the Canadian Aviation Museum does with a plane when they restore it. They are restoring the plane to flight worthy condition. They've already sank $625K of their own money for parts plus 85,000 volunteer hours in restoring it. It's in far better shape now than it was when it was put up on a post in Jackson Park decades ago. Putting it on the riverfront would be a complete waste of all that money and effort for such a very rare plane. Ideally, the President of Museum is asking the city to provide a hangar at the Windsor airport that would store it assembled and offer a taxi service so a visitor could buy a ticket and fly around the city as a passenger to get a true WW2 experience of what a veteran experienced like they do with their smaller WW1 and WW2 planes. They have 6 vintage warplanes already that visitors can rent as passengers.

You're right. I had no idea. In that case taking a survey to decide where to locate it seems really dumb. I guess it's just so they can say they got public input.

[Richard]

Direct link to the survey

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Lanca...berFM212Survey

What about the one in Hamilton or are they the same bird?

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamil...help-1.1351144

That was back in 2013

Were the Merlin’s built in Detroit at Packard ?

[Rocket]

I don't think you understand what the Canadian Aviation Museum does with a plane when they restore it. They are restoring the plane to flight worthy condition....

....and offer a taxi service so a visitor could buy a ticket and fly around the city as a passenger

According to the article, it wasn't going to be restored to flight-worthy status, "but may be able to taxi". Taxi in this instance does not refer to Taxi-cab like flights, but rather what it's called when a plane drives on the ground under it's own power.

England especially does this a lot, where they have planes that are no longer certified to fly, but can run their engines, and even make fast runs down the runway. They have a Landcaster, a Victor and a couple of Vulcans that do this often, besides a couple of airworthy Landcasters.

The Vulcans and Victors especially being forever grounded because the technical support no longer exists to keep them legal to fly.