FLIGHTPATH | 15The Lancasters were observed again at Duxford and Good-
wood where for once they were blessed with glorious sunshine.
The Goodwood Revival is probably the finest general ‘vintage’
event in the world, and Goodwood becomes a time capsule for one
weekend each summer. With the majority of attendees dressing
up in period attire, the 2014 incarnation will be remembered as
the year the Lancs arrived!
For many, the most memorable Lancaster experience was East
Kirkby, the former Bomber Command airfield that has been mag-
nificently restored by the Panton Brothers and their team. The at-
mosphere at this event was just magical, and a sell out crowd were
there to witness the great spectacle. Desperately difficult to photo-
graph, it was one of those events where it was better to put the cam-
era down and just soak up the atmosphere. Hopefully in the next
decade we will see the East Kirkby Lancaster NX611 ‘Just Jane’ (t he
former G-ASXX, ‘Spirit of Surfer’s Paradise’) take flight and regu-
larly join the BBMF’s PA474 on flights up and down the country.
Despite the CWH having to borrow a Rolls Royce Merlin following
the failure of No.4 engine, the tour was a great success, with an im-
pressive serviceability record for a seventy year old aircraft. The
engine change at Durham Tees Valley airport was made more chal-
lenging by differences between the Packard Merlin 224 and the Rolls
Royce engine but these were quickly surmounted and FM213 suc-
cessfully returned to the tour. There were many other highlights,
including the Avro Vulcan XH558 overflying the Derwent Dam.
The Lancaster tour certainly swelled the coffers of some dis-
play organisers with record attendances at most venues. The duo
also caused many traffic management issues not witnessed since
the retirement of Concorde, or the first flights of Vulcan XH558.
Financially the tour appears to have been a success, with the re-
lated merchandising doing particularly well wherever the tour’s
sales trailer has been in attendance, along with internet sales re-
sulting in airshow flightlines filled with a plethora of tour-in-
spired T-shirts and caps.
The only reservation was that, although there was a great
demand for a public event at which the Lancasters could be
seen on the ground, this opportunity was limited to one event
at RAF Waddington which, due to its front-line service activi-
ties, was itself limited. Given the Lancaster tour’s success,
there is now talk as to whether a Mosquito tour could be staged
sometime in the future!Lancaster Summer
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP CENTRE: Taxiing in at Biggin Hill. The two Lancasters together
in the air – a sight not seem for decades. Canadian Lancaster C-GVRA on landing
approach and a canopy up fly-by. NX611 taxiing on the grass at East Kirby. Canadian
and British flags by from C-GVRA. [All Gary R Brown]