Lancaster bomber flying in for a visit
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/07/2010 (5728 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The Lancaster bomber’s upcoming four-day stopover in Winnipeg is sure to leave the Queen’s recent brief six-hour visit in its vapour trail.
While some lined up for hours to catch a fleeting glance of the Queen, thousands of aviation buffs will get up close and personal with North America’s only flying Lancaster.
The Western Canadian Aviation Museum will host the Mynarski Memorial Avro Lancaster Mk 10 Bomber from July 30 to Aug. 2
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This is the second year in a row the bomber will pay a visit to the museum, following previous visits in 1989 and 1990.
For museum executive director Shirley Render the aircraft represents a living history that has touched many lives.
Render received a letter regarding the plane last year that almost brought her to tears.
“He said ‘I remember the Lancaster because I am from the Netherlands and I remember when it was on its bombing raids and I remember after the war it dropped food for us,” said Render, who lives in Fort Garry.
She said the 93-year-old man was so happy for the opportunity to see the Lancaster again because it held so many special memories.
Render saw similar reactions from others last year from people who either helped build the planes or actually flew them and came to view it.
But she was surprised by the number of young visitors who knew about the Lancaster or had a family connection to it.
“Some of them had a grandparent or great uncle, a relative or neighbour who had flown the Lanc and they wanted to find out what this legendary Lancaster bomber was all about.”
The Lancaster was active during the Second World War during the raids on the Ruhr dams in May 1943 and the sinking of the German battleship Tirpitz in November 1944.
Gary Styrchak, exhibits co-ordinator for the museum, said the visit last year attracted people from all over the world, including his former West End neighbours, all of whom had their own stories to tell.
“My old neighbours, I didn’t realize, had worked or flown on Lancasters in Britain. They came and brought pieces of shrapnel they had got from their aircraft during the war,” Styrchak says.
“It was a very emotional time for these people and I’m not that far removed from them so I could connect with that too.”
More than 7,000 people saw the Lancaster and visited with its crew last year. Render is expecting an even bigger crowd this year.
Departure and arrival times are dependent on the weather and aircraft serviceability. Check www.warplane.com for the latest updates on the Lancaster’s flight itinerary.
Admission to the museum during July 30 to Aug. 2 is $5 for members, seniors and children; $10 for adults; and $30 for families.
The Western Canadian Aviation Museum is located at Hangar T-2, 958 Ferry Road.
For more information, call 786-5503 or visit www.wcam.mb.ca/lancaster.html.
trevor.suffield@canstarnews.com