Final transatlantic Lancaster bomber flight auctioned on eBay for £25k


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For aviation buffs, it's the trip of a lifetime. A warplane heritage museum is auctioning off the opportunity to fly in a famous Second World War bomber on eBay.

The winner of the Avro Lancaster flight will have to fork out £25,000 for the unique journey, travelling from Canada to England over four days.

The 18-hour trip - the last time a Lancaster will make the flight - will take place in August, according to the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum.

Final flight: The winning bidder will get to fly in an Avro Lancaster from Canada to London

Final flight: The winning bidder will get to fly in an Avro Lancaster from Canada to London

Ebay auction: The Canadian Warplane Heritage is offering the flight for $42,766 (£25,000)

Ebay auction: The Canadian Warplane Heritage is offering the flight for $42,766 (£25,000)

Famous sight: Archive photo of PA474 Avro Lancaster Bomber, similar to the one the winner will be travelling in

Famous sight: Archive photo of PA474 Avro Lancaster Bomber, similar to the one the winner will be travelling in

Inside the Bomber the winner will fly in...

STATUS: On display
AIRWORTHINESS: Airworthy (flown regularly)
TYPE: Bomber
BUILT: 1945
SERIAL NUMBER: RCAF FM213
CONSTRUCTION NUMBER: 3414
CIVIL REGISTRATION: C-GVRA
CURRENT MARKINGS: RCAF KB726

The aircraft's statistics...

LENGTH: 69ft 6in
WINGSPAN: 102ft
POWER: 1,640 hp each
ENGINE: 4 x Packard Merlin 224
MAXIMUM SPEED: 275mph
CRUISING SPEED: 210mph
SERVICE CEILING: 25,700ft
RANGE: 2,530 miles  

CEO David Rohrer said of the eBay auction: 'You'll never be able to do anything like this ever again, so we thought why not put it out there? Somebody must have this on their bucket list.'

The cash to join the crew of seven others will be put towards the £380,000 cost of the trip in what is considered to be the most famous Allied bomber of the Second World War.

 

Along with the Royal Air Force's Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Lancaster, the warplane will be involved in a month-long flying tour in the UK, before returning home to Hamilton in September.

On the online auction site, the museum wrote: 'Successful bidder with [sic] have the opportunity to be trained and operate as a crew member on the last flight of a Canadian built Lancaster aircraft from Canada to England in August 2014. 

Take off: The flight in a Second World War Lancaster bomber will take 18 hours flying over four days

Take off: The flight in a Second World War Lancaster bomber will take 18 hours flying over four days

Enlarge   Terms: The warplane museum states the winner must be happy to be filmed for a documentary during the trip

Terms: The warplane museum states the winner must be happy to be filmed for a documentary during the trip

A Second World War Lancaster Bomber - similar to the one the winner will fly in - is pictured at the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre

A Second World War Lancaster Bomber - similar to the one the winner will fly in - is pictured at the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre


LANCASTER BOMBERS BY NUMBERS

  •  19 Victoria Crosses won by men of Bomber Command, including Guy Gibson, who led the Dam Busters raid
  • 125,000 Bomber Command air crew serving during World War Two
  • 55,573 died in action, a death rate of 44 per cent
  • 4 per cent average chance of being shot down per mission - but crews had to complete at least 30. Chances of surviving war lower than infantry officer in First World War trenches
  • 9,838 bomber crew became prisoners of war
  • 1.3million tons of bombs dropped by the Allies on Germany
  • 635,000 is the estimate of German civilians killed
  • 72 per cent of Bomber Command dead were British. The rest were from Canada, Australia and New Zealand

'This will be approximately an 18-hour flight over a four-day period.

'The museum reserves the right to assess the personal suitability of the successful bidder to undergo training to safely operate as a crew member.  

'Maximum crew member weight is 250lbs and you must be able to climb a ladder and maneuver in tight places.

'Winner must be willing to sign a photo waiver for the documentary filming.

'Bidder is responsible for transportation to the museum at Hamilton airport and for transportation home from England. Bidder must be in Hamilton two days prior to departure for training. 

'Museum will provide accommodation.

'Payment must be made by bank transfer within five business days of auction closing. This item is not eligible for PayPal payment and therefore does not offer eBay protection.'

No bids have yet been made for the flight, which will be in the famous bomber, travelling below 10,000ft as the cabin isn't pressurised.

Mr Rohrer said: 'We won't have meal services or in-flight movies, but we will have an outside one.'

The bomber is set to leave Canada on August 4, with five-hour hops before refuelling along the way. Departing from Hamilton, Ontario, the flight will stop at Goose Bay, Newfoundland, Canada; Narsarsuaq, Greenland; and Keflavik, Iceland before reaching RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.

Ebayers have until May 10 to bid on the trip - which has so far had nearly 12,000 views - and they will also need to book their flight home, as the trip is one-way.

About the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum's Lancaster Mk X...

Once in a lifetime: It will mark the final time a Lancaster flies from Canada to England

Once in a lifetime: It will mark the final time a Lancaster flies from Canada to England

'Probably the most famous Allied bomber of the Second World War, the Avro Lancaster had impressive flying characteristics and operational performance,' the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum says on its website.

'The Museum's Lancaster Mk. X was built at Victory Aircraft, Malton in July 1945 and was later converted to a RCAF 10MR configuration.

'In 1952, it suffered a serious accident and received a replacement wing centre section from a Lancaster that had flown in combat over Germany.

'It served as a maritime patrol aircraft, with No. 405 Squadron, Greenwood, NS and No. 107 Rescue Unit, Torbay, Newfoundland for many years and was retired from the RCAF in late 1963.

'With help from the Sulley Foundation in 1977, it was acquired from the Royal Canadian Legion in Goderich, Ontario, where it had been on outside display.

'Eleven years passed before it was completely restored and flew again on September 24, 1988.

'The Lancaster is dedicated to the memory of P/O Andrew Mynarski and is referred to as the "Mynarski Memorial Lancaster".

'It is painted in the colours of his aircraft KB726 – VR-A, which flew with RCAF No. 419 (Moose) Squadron.

'Andrew Mynarski won the Victoria Cross, the Commonwealth's highest award for gallantry, on June 13, 1944, when his Lancaster was shot down in flames, by a German night fighter.

'As the bomber fell, he attempted to free the tail gunner trapped in the rear turret of the blazing and out of control aircraft.

'The tail gunner miraculously survived the crash and lived to tell the story, but sadly Andrew Mynarski died from his severe burns.'



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