Avro Lancaster Mk.VII
NX611 (G-ASXX) DX-F / LE-H
"Just Jane"
Only one of two operational Avro Lancasters in the United Kingdom & Europe, NX611 is undergoing a multi-year restoration to airworthiness; All the latest restoration and taxy run photography & news can be found on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds. The official Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage website is HERE
The Lancaster that was to eventually become our much loved "Just Jane" was rolled out from the Austin Motors Longbridge works on 16th April 1945, NX611 was the third aircraft off the line as part of an order for 150 Lancaster B.VIIs destined to join the RAF’s initially twenty squadron strong TIGER FORCE, for operations in the Far East against the Japanese.
Following the Japanese surrender the TIGER FORCE was disbanded and the newly built Lancasters were consigned to storage at 38 MU, Llandow. NX611 remained there until April 1952, when she was sold for a reputed £50,000 as part of a batch of 54 Lancaster's to the French Government. Under a Western Union agreement, the French Navy (L’Aeronavale) was to supplement RAF patrols of the Atlantic and Mediterranean shipping lanes. NX611 was converted to Maritime Reconnaissance standard by Avro’s at Woodford and collected by a French ferry crew on 30th May 1952. By now painted midnight blue and coded WU15, further modifications included the removal of the mid upper turret, the fitting of an airborne lifeboat and the provision of ASV radar.
For the next ten years WU15 served with a number of Flottilles (Squadrons), such as 25F and 55S and operated from bases in Brittany and Morocco. In November 1962 WU15 underwent an overhaul and lost her attractive blue paint scheme, with a more suitable for tropical climates white applied, prior to departing for service in New Caledonia, a French Island around 1000 miles east of Australia. WU15 was operated by Escadrille de Servitude 9S from Noumeau, one of three Lancaster's carrying out patrols, air sea rescue, communications and liaison duties across a wide area of the south Pacific. Interestingly, during her time with the French WU15 also participated on sorties moving ammunition over Indo-China to beleaguered French forces fighting against an overwhelming Independence campaign.
After a further two year's of service the three Lancasters at Noumeau were withdrawn from service due to high maintenance costs and a long supply chain resulting in a shortage of spares. The Lockheed Neptune would replace the Lancasters as a dedicated maritime reconnaissance design. Meanwhile, 13,000 miles away in the UK, the Historic Aircraft Preservation Society (HAPS) had enquired about the possibility of acquiring one of these Lancaster's for preservation. After a lengthy wait without any response, the French authorities contacted the society; not only did they offer to donate a Lancaster, but they would also deliver it as far as Australia or New Zealand. Hasty arrangements were made by HAPS and in August 1964, WU15 touched down in Australia at Bankstown, near Sydney. Before WU15 could be returned to the UK she needed a thorough overhaul followed by a test flight. At least £10,000 was required and financial aid was kindly provided by the RAF, the RAAF, the Hawker Siddeley Group, Shell Petroleum and Qantas (who loaned vital radio equipment for the flight to the UK). Considerable funds were also donated by holidaymakers & residents of Brisbane’s Gold Coast beaches and from aviation enthusiasts around the globe.
Following the required overhaul and test flight, WU15 was repositioned to Mascot, near Sydney, in readiness for the lengthy flight to the UK. Although still carrying the white paint scheme, roundels and badges from French service the registration was changed to G-ASXX. A 400 gallon fuel tank was installed in the bomb bay, adding to the usual 2,154 gallon wing tank capacity. On April 25 G-ASXX took off from Mascot and started her 12,000 mile journey to the UK. The sponsorship badges and 'zaps' that appeared on the aircraft’s nose grew in number with every landing on the route to the UK – Coolangatta, Amberley, Darwin, Changi, Butterworth (escorted on departure by an RAF Victor [from 57 Squadron] and Canberra plus RAAF Sabres), Calcutta, Karachi, Bahrain, Akrotiri, Istres and finally Biggin Hill.
After nineteen days and seventy hours of flying time, on May 13 1965, the Lancaster arrived safely at Biggin Hill – fittingly her crew comprised of serving or retired RAAF members, many of whom had served as Lancaster aircrew during the war. By this point total air time from new was 2,411 hours. The Air Registration Board promptly grounded G-ASXX; the number of flying hours allowed for one engine and propeller had expired, so restoration work commenced. All parts were carefully examined and where necessary restored to an airworthy condition. The white paint was stripped back to bare metal and a RAF night bomber black & camouflage scheme was applied. The original RAF serial NX611 was reapplied with the fuselage code letters HA-P, an authentic WWII Lancaster 218 Squadron code, that also represented the Historic Aircraft Preservation Society. Subsequently named 'Guy Gibson'’ over the weekend of the Biggin Hill Air Fair of May 11-14 1967 by Alexander J Gibson - the ninety-one-year-old father of the late ‘Guy’. After the excitement of the unveiling, attention turned to completing a short programme of test flights, and after a successful fourth flight G-ASXX’s Permit to Fly was granted in time to allow the Lancaster to attend the twenty-fourth reunion of 617 Squadron at RAF Scampton. Onboard for the flight from Kent to Lincolnshire were a small number of 617 Squadron veterans, and these were met at RAF Scampton by Dr Barnes Wallis, the inventor of the UPKEEP bouncing bomb.
Regarding speculation that WU15 was utilised on combat supply drops in Vietnam (French Indo-China) to assist the French forces besieged at Dien Bien Phu – In ‘Story of a Lanc’ (5th Edition, 2010) the episode is discussed: Whilst on her delivery flight to Escadrille de Servitude '9S' from Le Bourget, France to Noumea (Tontouta), New Caledonia in early November 1962. It was during that long ferry flight that WU15 was flown to Phnom Penh, Southern Cambodia. It was during this welcome seven-day break, during which a '50 Hour' check was carried out by engineers flown out from Noumea, that WU15 was tasked with a 'supply operation'. Her crew were called upon to collect 10,000 rounds of ammunition from a French base in neighbouring Laos (Seno), which was an ally of France. French forces had been involved in anti-guerila operations in that area and were in dire need of re-supply. After a successful landing at Seno, nothing more than a rough 1,500 metre gravel strip, the Lanc experienced an alarming incident on take-off for the return trip to Phnom Penh. With a load of almost five ton and 600 gallons of fuel on board, with little if any wind and temperatures nearing 34 degrees C, the take off was described as "somewhat hairy". The crew were tested to the very limits and had to use +18 boost to gain height as the 'strip' was hemmed in by massive trees. Never-the-less the operation was a success and the Lanc made it safely back to Phnom Penh and was able to continue her ferry flight to New Caledonia. As it transpired, that was the sole occasion that WU15 operated in that immediate area of South East Asia, and there was no recorded incident relating to 'supply drops at Dien Bien Phu.
The Royal Air Force’s Lancaster, PA474 was by now airworthy and as a result HAPS were unable to find enough sponsors to keep NX611 flying. Prohibitive costs at an estimated £2,000 - £3.000 per hour finally resulted in HAPS handing over its assets to Reflectaire Ltd, which in turn was given notice to leave Biggin Hill. Since her return to the UK, NX611 had only flown 14 times, piloted by Neil Williams with Eric Hughes assisting as navigator. On March 30 NX611 relocated to the former USAAF airfield at Lavenham in Suffolk. Shortly afterwards the code letters HA-P were replaced by GL-C in honour of Group Captain Leonard Cheshire VC DSO DFC who had recently visited the airfield, performing a short taxi run in NX611 whilst there. Attempts to lease the airfield were in vain so once again NX611 was forced to move, this time temporarily to Hullavington in Wiltshire on February 7 1970. Richard Todd, the actor who played Guy Gibson in the 1953 film 'The Dambusters' was onboard recording commentary for a TV programme. Once at Hullavington a re-paint was in order and an inspection was carried out by Rolls Royce and Hawker Siddeley. On June 26 1970 NX611 took off from Hullavington for her very last flight – to Squires Gate Airport, Blackpool, where an aviation museum was being planned with the Lancaster as the main attraction. It had been hoped to maintain NX611 in flying condition but in the end this was not achievable. During October 1971 the guns were removed (deemed a security risk) by a specialist from the BAC’s factory at nearby Warton. The museum attracted much interest; however, revenue was not sufficient and inevitably liquidation followed. NX611 was put up for auction, as lot 63, on April 29 1972 but was withdrawn because she failed to achieve her reserve price of £20,000; in fact, the highest bid on the day was a pitiful £9,500. NX611 was ultimately secured by Lord Lilford of Nateby, who finally paid £12,500 in a private sale. Lord Lilford had hoped to keep her in Britain – the engines had been run up for the auction and there were hopes that she might still fly again. However, having stood out for two years in Blackpool's salty sea air, without care, events had to move quickly to prevent her from ending up as scrap. NX611 was dismantled and moved to Scampton, where a deal had been struck with the Royal Air Force for her to serve as a gate guard for the next ten years. The task of dismantling NX611 and moving her to Scampton took until the spring of 1974 to complete. Operating alongside 617 Sqn at Scampton during this period was 230 Operational Conversion Unit (OCU), and as 617 Sqn was mentioned on the port side, the OCU crest was added to the starboard side.
The Lancaster was well looked after at Scampton, and displayed with wartime weaponry such as the famous UPKEEP bouncing bomb, the 12,000lb TALLBOY and 22,000lb GRAND SLAM. The Station Flight YF code was added, along with red painted propeller spinners.
By early 1983 the Lancaster’s ten-year period at RAF Scampton was coming to an end and despite strong interest from other parties, including potential buyers in the USA, after lengthy negotiations by September NX611 was finally the property of the Panton brothers. NX611 would remain at RAF Scampton for a further five years, to allow for the sourcing and construction of a suitable T2 hangar and other necessary preparations at East Kirkby, such as the erection of three wooden barrack huts from the former RAF Station Manby. These would be used for display space and a cafe with gift shop. It was now sixteen years since Fred had first seen NX611 at Squires Gate, but the arrival of NX611 at East Kirkby airfield was the start of the Centre: Fred and Harold’s ambition to commemorate their fallen brother and his Bomber Command colleagues had at long last been realised. With the Lancaster now safely ensconced in her new hangar and protected from the elements for the first time in some forty-five years, thoughts soon turned to opening to the public. Fred was quite convinced no one would visit the nascent museum, but he was swiftly assured otherwise! An official opening for the site, to be known as the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre (LAHC) took place in July 1989, with former RAF East Kirkby pilot Marshall of the Royal Air Force Sir Michael Beetham GCB CBE DFC AFC residing over the official duties.
Now hangared and safe from the elements, NX611 was surveyed during 1990 and found to be in excellent condition with both the airframe and engines appearing sound. In December 1993 the decision was taken to restore one of the four Rolls Royce Merlin 24 engines. Primarily manned by Ian Hickling and Roy Jarman, the restoration project began on January 10 1994, and after some 728 man hours and a cost of £7,000 the No.3 (starboard-inner) engine was finally ready for a test run on April 6 1995, and the first public static run took place on April 22. A few months later the No.2 engine was successfully restored and started on July 28 1994. Following the success of running Just Jane on two engines, it was time for another exciting step to be taken – a short taxy run using three engines. The fourth engine started easily on July 13 - The Centre now had an operational Lancaster representing the wartime era at East Kirkby. It had taken just thirteen months, albeit thirteen months of extremely hard work, to turn a dusty inert airframe into a living memorial to the personnel of Bomber Command. A month later, on August 13 1995, was chosen to celebrate Just Jane's fiftieth birthday and to perform the first public taxy run using all four Merlin engines.
In February 2001 NX611 performed her first fast run, with the tail wheel lifting clear of the ground for the first time since 1971 This was also the first time a Lancaster had been seen on one of East Kirkby’s runways since around 1946! (for the record, the last tail-up run took place in the Autumn of 2007). This amazing sight took place on behalf of the BBC who featured the Lancaster in the two-part drama 'Night and Day' starring Christopher Plummer and Edward Woodward as Second World War veterans whose memories of Bomber Command Operations still haunted them. The fictitious Squadron codes CM-V were applied to NX611 and the Just Jane nose art was temporarily covered over whilst filming was underway.
The name "Just Jane" had appeared on the starboard side soon after NX611’s arrival at East Kirkby, applied as a result of an RAF recruitment exercise and featured the nose-art that had adorned JB138, a wartime 61 Squadron Lancaster. The wartime nose-art proved popular, so was re-applied in the more traditional location on the port side. Inspired by a popular 1940s Daily Mirror newspaper comic strip character who had a habit of frequently, and most often inadvertently, losing her clothes. Jane had a pet dachshund named Fritz and the cartoon strip became very popular during the war. Indeed, it was even considered by authorities including the Prime Minister Winston Churchill as morale-boosting as “Britain’s secret weapon”.
During, and in the post war years, Miss Chrystabel Leighton-Porter performed a striptease act using the character of Jane, and in Fred Panton's autobiography "Man on a Mission", the talks of seeing Chrystabel's act during the early post-war years at a theatre in Skegness and the lasting impression Just Jane left on him. Originally the Just Jane nose-art wore a red one-piece swimsuit, but during a visit to the Centre in 1998 Chrystabel pointed out she would have never worn such clothing, it would have been a two-piece swimming costume. The nose-art was corrected during the winter of 2005. As children both Fred and Harold had witnessed the Sheffield blitz, and decided the Lancaster should also carry the title City of Sheffield. This is worn on the starboard side of the nose in honour of the City’s endurance of the Luftwaffe’s blitz, and its steelworks that provided many parts for the Lancaster aircraft, its Merlin engines and the weapons it would carry to war.
When Fred passed away on June 9 2013 the effect on the Panton family was immeasurable but the Panton family decided that then was the right time for a tribute to be made to the efforts of both Fred and Harold in rescuing and maintaining NX611. For over 25 years NX611 had worn the aircraft letter ‘C’, with the wartime codes of DX- (57 Squadron) and LE- (630 Squadron). In tribute to Fred and Harold it was therefore decided to change the aircraft code letter to ‘F’ on the starboard side and ‘H’ on the port side. Both codes are also associated with wartime Lancasters operating from RAF East Kirkby. NX611 was officially rolled out in her new ‘colours’ on the March 29 2014 during the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre’s event to commemorate the seventieth anniversary of the Nuremberg Raid on 30/31 March 1944 on which Christopher Panton lost his life.
Fuselage Code LE-H 630 Squadron Allocated Aircraft:
JB288
Shot down by night-fighter on outward flight to Nuremberg March 30/31 1944.
P/O A G G Johnson KiA (Pilot)
Sgt A H McGill KiA (Wireless Operator
Sgt G Watts Pow (Flight Engineer)
Sgt W Pearson PoW (Mid-Upper Gunner)
Flt Sgt E Farnell KiA (Navigator)
Sgt W France Kia (Rear-Gunner)
F/O J Headlam PoW (Bomb Aimer)
PB211
Took off July 23/24 1944 to lay mines in Kiel Bay. Aircraft ditched outbound thirty-six miles north-east of Cromer on the Norfolk coast. Two survivors spent seven hours in the water before being picked up by the coastal minesweeper HMS Coursor.
F/O R Hayes KiA (Pilot)
Sgt J A Helliwell KiA (Wireless Operator)
Sgt W Wallance KiA (Flight Enginner)
Sgt W Stead KiA (Mid-Upper Gunner)
Flt Sgt W Goodhew RCAF (Navigator)
Sgt B Graves (Rear-Gunner)
Sgt F Murray KiA (Bomb Aimer)
ND412
Aircraft first served with 405 Sqn as LQ-M, aircraft then transferred to 630 Sqn as LE-H before ending up at 22MU in Sept 1945. Aircraft scrapped by May 1947.
Fuselage Code DX-F 57 Squadron Allocated Aircraft:
ED707
Shot down May 23/24 1943, presumably by flak ship.
F/O E Chivers RAAF KiA (Pilot)
Sgt D Robb KiA (Wireless Operator)
Sgt P Parkin KiA (Flight Engineer)
Sgt W Rawnsley KiA (Mid-Upper Gunner)
Sgt T Bayles KiA (Navigator)
Sgt W Bestwick KiA (Rear-Gunner)
Sgt I Jervis KiA (Bomb Aimer)
ED989
Lost without trace August 17/18 1943, on raid to Peenemunde.
Wing Commander W Haskell DFC KiA
Sgt J Harkness KiA (Bomb Aimer)
Flt Sgt Butterworth KiA (Second Pilot)
Sgt D Nye KiA (Wireless Operator)
Sgt R Stringer KiA (Flight Engineer)
Sgt J John KiA (Mid-Upper Gunner)
F/O J Jones KiA (Navigator)
Sgt J Lamb RCAF KiA (Rear-Gunner)
JB233
Crashed December 23/24 1943 at Meppen, whilst on sortie to Berlin.
P/O H Knights RCAF PoW
Sgt A Eley KiA (Wireless Operator)
Sgt D A J Fisher KiA (Flight Engineer)
Sgt J McAdanson RCAF KiA (Mid-Upper Gunner)
Flt Sgt J Forsyth RAAF PoW (Navigator)
Sgt R Mutton KiA (Rear-Gunner)
Flt Sgt J Low RCAF Pow (Bomb Aimer)
JB474
On March 15/16 1944 detailed for sortie against Stuttgart; about an hour before reaching target area, all four engines began to burn. Lancaster made course for Switzerland and when pilot was satisfied, they had crossed the Swiss frontier P/O Atcheson ordered the crew to baleout. Only Flt Sgt Reece managed to comply before the Lancaster crashed at Saignelegier.
P/O S C Atcheson DFC KiA (Pilot)
Sgt F Weaver KiA (Wireless Operator)
Sgt B Thomas KiA (Flight Engineer)
Flt Sgt K Reece Interned (Mid-Upper Gunner)
P/O A MacCall KiA (Navigator)
Sgt J Naylor KiA (Rear Gunner)
Flt Sgt J Greenhalgh KiA (Bomb Aimer)
JB486
Shot down by a night fighter on July 4/5 1944 whilst detailed for sortie to St Leu d’Esserant
Flt Lt A Grubb KiA (Pilot)
Sgt G Osborne KiA (Wireless Operator)
Sgt H Lees KiA (Flight Engineer)
Sgt C Stalker KiA (Mid-Upper Gunner)
W/O2 J W Weyers RCAF KiA (Navigator)
Sgt J Nixon KiA (Rear-Gunner)
F/O J Hodges RAAF KiA (Bomb Aimer)
PD212
Crashed July 28/29 1944 in France, whilst detailed for sortie to Stuttgart
F/O W Nicholls Evaded (Pilot)
F/O D Littlejohn Evaded (Wireless Operator)
Sgt E Polson PoW (Flight Engineer)
Sgt J Hanton Evaded (Mid-Upper Gunner)
Sgt E Hurst Evaded (Navigator)
F/O P Vogt PoW (Rear-Gunner)
F/O A Lawless PoW (Bomb Aimer)
PB384
Lost on August 17 1944, during a gardening mine laying sortie. The port outer engine was on fire and the aircraft abandoned. Two of the crew landed ashore and Sgt Crapper fell into the sea but was able to swim ashore
Flt Lt S L Scutt KiA (Pilot)
F/O J Fanhill KiA (Wireless Operator)
Sgt M Crapper Pow (Flight Engineer)
Sgt J Shields RAAF PoW (Mid-Upper Gunner)
F/O A Stienstra RCAF KiA (Navigator)
Sgt C Harris KiA (Rear-Gunner)
F/O R Trindhall PoW (Bomb Aimer)
ND572
Collided with 207 Squadron Lancaster ME473 EM-N and crashed at Ruskington Fen, near Billinghay, Lincolnshire, on March 2 1945. A bomb cradle from Lancaster ME473 is currently installed on NX611.
F/O R Anscomb KiA (Pilot)
Sgt C Watts KiA (Bomb Aimer)
Sgt G Dandy KiA (Second Pilot)
Sgt F Leahy KiA (Wireless Operator)
Sgt D Whitefoot KiA (Flight Engineer)
Sgt E Davis KiA (Mid-Upper Gunner)
Flt Sgt C Waters KiA (Navigator)
AC2 H Aitken KiA (Rear-Gunner)
ME845
This aircraft also operated with 630 Squadron at East Kirkby as LE-Q in 1944. It was used by 57 Squadron in May 1945 for Operation EXODUS flights. It also went on to serve with 617 Squadron and was in use until 1947.
Flt Lt A King (Pilot)
F/O J Morrison (Wireless Operator)
Sgt R Krast (Flight Engineer)
Flt Sgt G Fenton (Mid-Upper Gunner)
F/O H Thorn (Navigator)
Rear-Gunner?
Flt Sgt J Hulme (Bomb Aimer)
ND521
This Lancaster also served with 207 Sqn in January 1944, then 460 Sqn as AR-F2 and onto 57 Sqn as DX-F until February 1946.
KiA = Killed in Action PoW = Prisoner of War Evaded = Evaded Capture
With "Just Jane" as the imposing centre piece, the Centre is widely recognised as one the World’s leading sites established to commemorate Bomber Command and the terrible losses incurred by its personnel. When visiting the Centre and experiencing the throbbing roar of Just Jane’s four Rolls Royce Merlin 24 engines during a taxy run, it is worth recalling the sobering statistics of war. For every one hundred airmen who joined Bomber Command, forty-five were killed, six were seriously wounded and eight became Prisoners of War. Of the 120,000 who served within Bomber Command a staggering 55,573* were killed – in fact on a single night of operations over occupied Europe, Bomber Command would suffer more losses than Fighter Command experienced during the entire duration of the Battle of Britain in the summer and autumn of 1940. Between entering Royal Air Force service in 1941 and the end of European combat in May 1945, 7,377 Lancasters were built. These went on to fly 156,192 missions, dropping 608,612 tons of bombs – more than all other British heavy bombers combined, but at a dreadful human cost: 21,750 airmen were killed on operations in the Lancaster.
*there is some debate and uncertainty about this figure. The Bomber Command memorial on Plymouth Hoe states 58,378 – the Green Park Bomber Command Memorial states the widely recognised 55,573 and the International Bomber Command Centre has an on-going project heading towards a comprehensive final figure. An historian, after decades of research, provides a figure of 76,350. The truth is the air war was brutal, administration often basic or lacking altogether at times and as a result we may simply never know the true figure.
There can be little doubt amongst aviation or historical enthusiasts of the importance of the Lancaster and its contribution to the Allied victory in the Second World War. Indeed, it is claimed by enthusiasts to be one of the greatest and most famous aircraft ever built. Many hundreds of thousands of words have been written over the years on the subject of the Lancaster and its role within the Royal Air Force’s Bomber Command, films produced for cinema screens, countless magazine articles have explored combat experiences and numerous documentaries filmed for television. All this media, enthusiast and veteran attention helped to build the legend that is the Avro Lancaster.
Fred and Harold had the fortitude and vision to create the foundations for a world class aviation museum that continues to thrive and expand after thirty years, The Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre has grown into an inspirational site that welcomes all visitors with a friendly greeting and knowledgable answers to any questions asked. Fred and Harold saved a rare and immensely valuable four engined wartime bomber from an uncertain future. Some might say they saved the Lancaster for the nation, but for the farming brothers their thoughts have always been of their older brother and the legacy of all the men and women who served in Bomber Command during the Second World War.
2020 was the 75th Anniversary of NX611’s delivery to the Royal Air Force on April 16 1945. It also marks the 55th Anniversary of G-ASXX’s ferry flight from Australia to the United Kingdom. This momentous flight was undertaken by J M Hampshire DFC (Captain), D H Smedley (Co-pilot), J B Nicholls DFC (Co-pilot), J K M McCarthey DFC AFM (Navigator), A J Johnston (Wireless Operator), M D Delaney (Flight Engineer), D L Farrar (Press Officer), P Kilvington (Flight Steward), G E Parlby (Flight Steward) and R J Birney (Flight Co-ordinator). Here is a brief look at the 12,000 mile journey undertaken by G-ASXX:
April 22 1965: Test flight Bankstown area (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia); Flight time one hour fifteen minutes.
April 23: Test flight Bankstown area; Flight time forty-five minutes.
April 23: Test & ferry flight Bankstown – Mascot (New South Wales, Australia); Flight time thirty minutes.
April 25: Ferry flight Mascot – Coolangata (Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia); Two hours fifty-five minutes.
April 26: Ferry flight Coolangatta – RAAF Amberley (Queensland, Australia); Forty-five minutes.
April 27: Training flight Amberley area; Forty-five minutes.
April 30: Ferry flight Amberley – Darwin (Northern Territory, Australia); Eight hours forty minutes.
May 3 1965: Ferry flight Darwin – RAF Changi (Singapore); Ten hours five minutes
May 5: Changi – RAAF Butterworth (Malaysia); Two hours fifty minutes.
May 6: Butterworth – Calcutta (India) Eight hours thirty minutes.
May 8: Calcutta – Karachi (Pakistan); Six hours fifty minutes
May 10: Karachi – Bahrain; Five hours thirty-five minutes. Then Bahrain – Cyprus; Seven hours five minutes.
May 12: Cyprus – Istres, France; Ten hours ten minutes
May 13: Istres – Biggin Hill, United Kingdom: Four hours twenty minutes.
In recent years much work has been undertaken around the Centre and on NX611, with the most visible process, and of major importance to NX611’s return to flight, was the total paint stripping of the airframe during the 2016/2017 winter maintenance period. Not only did this allow for a complete re-paint, the first since her time at RAF Scampton some forty years previously, but it provided the opportunity for a thorough inspection of the airframe. This inspection allowed the Centre’s engineering staff to form a clear picture of the way forward, and to identify any areas that were previously hidden by layers of paint or removed sections that needed any immediate attention. The repaint consumed around eighty litres of primer and 100 litres of paint (twenty litres dark earth, twenty of dark green and sixty of night black).
The repaint took place during April 2017, and at this time the decision was taken to apply a more personal version of the bomb tally carried under the cockpit on the port side, alongside the newly hand painted "Just Jane" nose-art. The new bomb tally represents the operations completed by Christopher Panton, older brother to museum founders Fred and Harold. Christopher was a Flight Engineer in Handley Page Halifax bombers with 433, 405 and 419 Squadrons in 6 Group.
With Fred’s grandchildren, Andrew and Louise, and their father Philip, managing the Centre it continues to go from strength to strength. The Centre has hard working teams, whether within the NAAFI, the fire team, grounds keepers, multi-trade engineers, ground crew, or the small band of volunteers helping to run NX611 on taxying days. Harold continues to aid the family where necessary and he keeps himself very much involved around the site and within the office, in fact Harold continues to keep the two Panton brother’s legacy very much alive.
Lancaster NX611 Photo Gallery
