PSA: Lancaster Bombers flypast this Sunday up 'north

I was well surprised when they overtook me on my run this morning, near clapham station. Really low and close, but no pics as I wasn’t exactly ready for it…

Stood in Victoria park in Holmfirth. Mrs NBT was aghast to learn that I hadn’t brought a camera but as I said, it’s the only chance I’ll ever get to see this, I want to watch it not watch a viewfinder. Awesome sight, proper brought a lump to my throat. It even impressed my 11 year old nephew and for something that doesn’t involve scooters or skateboards, that’s good going

Mrs NBT was aghast to learn that I hadn’t brought a camera but as I said, it’s the only chance I’ll ever get to see this, I want to watch it not watch a viewfinder.

Eggszackerley.

I always make the mistake of trying to film/take rubbish pics so decided just to watch.

Stunning.

Oh and thanks to Hora for reminding us all, completely forgot about this and would have been gutted if I had missed it.

Gav wins today’s internet. Awesome.

Had the pleasure this weekend of seeing the Vulcan on Saturday and Sunday, and then the lancasters and spitfires on Sunday. Brilliant!. The Vulcan at full tilt is a fantastic noise.

First Prestwick airshow since the 70’s, here’s hoping it keeps going.

We parked up on the hill on Carnforth side of Morecambe.

I could not believe our luck when they turned around over the bay and came really close over our heads.

Thanks for the ehads up OP.

Saw them come over Holmfirth when I was out on the road yesterday afternoon. Kind of mixed feelings, nostalgia yes, but also an awareness that these things – regardless of the rightness of the cause – killed countless thousands of people in their time.

What was it about them that got people so worked up? Nostalgia, spectacle, curiosity, something else? Just intrigued.

…killed countless thousands of people in their time.

So did some Germans. Do you feel uneasy when you see a BMW?

Some pics from Portrush, not mine…

What was it about them that got people so worked up?

A tangible connection to momentous events in our parents life time.

My mum told me the other day that she was in the playground at school when the war was declared over.

She knew because a plane took off from Shoreham airport and flew ‘V’ for victory over Hove for some time and they all stopped and watched it until a teacher in tears told them it meant the war was over.

My mum was 10 and hadn’t seen her dad for 4 years. She thought that the war being over meant he’d be home the next day.

She didn’t see him for another 2 years.

That’s what seeing those bombers means to me.

They make a bloody marvelous noise too, of course.

Saw them bank and head towards Thwaites about 3pm here in Tockholes. Awesome sight and even better noise – wish I’d of got pictures but like others, I wanted to see them in person rather than through a screen!

Mixed feelings for me too. An absolutely amazing sight and sound, but I can’t quite wrap my head around the world wars, and every other war for that matter.

I tried to imagine what it must have felt like to hear 1,000 of them heading your way in 1942.

They didn’t show at Prestwick on Saturday – the official reason was ‘Bad weather further South’. However, the Vulcan almost made up for it. Glad we went on the bike – the queues were horrendous arriving and leaving.

So did some Germans. Do you feel uneasy when you see a BMW?

Yes, but for other reasons entirely.

I don’t recall fleets of BMWs carpet bombing London at any point, but maybe I’m missing something.

don’t recall fleets of BMWs carpet bombing London at any point

BMW made some damn fine aero engines – Ju88 bomber and the FW190 fighter both used them, so no different to the RR Merlins used in the Lancs.

My thought as they flew past was how slow and vulnerable they looked. Maybe they weren’t going flat out, but on a bomb run they would have been flying straight and level, and frankly sitting ducks.

maybe I’m missing something.

Oh yes.

Not the sharpest, but looking down on flying Lancaster Bombers above Windemere. 8)

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DSC_0089-1[/url] by ritcheyp20[/url], on Flickr

maybe I’m missing something.

Hmmm….If the sight & sound of a Lancaster has to be explained (to presumably a male) then you wouldn’t understand anyway.

The rest…

DSC_0082 by ritcheyp20[/url], on Flickr

DSC_0090-1 by ritcheyp20[/url], on Flickr

DSC_0094-1 by ritcheyp20[/url], on Flickr

DSC_0096-1 by ritcheyp20[/url], on Flickr

My thought as they flew past was how slow and vulnerable they looked. Maybe they weren’t going flat out, but on a bomb run they would have been flying straight and level, and frankly sitting ducks.

Said the same on the way home, I know they wouldn’t have flown so close together on bombing runs but when you consider how low/slow they would have been flying on the dam runs etc it puts it into perspective how brave the crew were. They just looked such an easy target.

Flew just over the way from our house. Had forgotten they were coming to Holmfirth but the drone of the engines reminded me. Ran outside to watch them go by.

Said the same on the way home, I know they wouldn’t have flown so close together on bombing runs but when you consider how low/slow they would have been flying on the dam runs etc it puts it into perspective how brave the crew were. They just looked such an easy target.

It’s much harder to hit low flying aircraft and by low I mean low enough that one aircraft was lost to an electricity pylon, 1 aircraft lost it’s bomb after it dragged it along the surface of the sea and one bomber was caught by the blast radius of it’s own bomb.

Having said that, plenty were lost to flak.

Vulcan at Carlisle here..

Lancasters at Thirlmere here..

Seeing them on Sunday stirred up all sorts of emotions.

I can’t imagine the crew sitting there in cramped, cold, noisy conditions, how uncomfortable it must have been for the rear gunner, fighting to save our country.
Such bravery, so many young lives lost (on both sides).

Those photos and video above are fabulous.

Saw another old classic something flying over Clapham this morning – no idea what it was, but it looked and sounded quite old. Seemed to have a single prop at the front, not very big, quite square shaped nose. I suppose it’s air show season…doubt it was as rare as a pair of lancasters anyway!

one of these maybe?
http://webzoom.freewebs.com/andyreohorn/chippy-medium.png

Some nice vids of them in the lakes, we think we spotted them on Sunday morning in the distance whilst on our way to the lakes (their agenda seemed to confirm that). Considered changing all our plans for a chance of spotting them over Windermere later in the day, but decided the chance of actually being at a vantage point at the exact moment was probably unlikely, so stuck to our original Wasdale plan.
My grandad was a Lancaster navigator during the war, unfortunately shot down and killed over Dresden 2 weeks before the war ended. really sad story for my gran, he was a police officer so exempt from service, but joined up for whatever reason. In their grief, his family blamed my gran for him joining up. She never remarried (we presume to prove her devotion to him), I only remember a very bitter and twisted old woman and an awful gran.

Surely its not possible to have too many photos of these, so here are a few from Duxford today

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They are doing a flypast of the Derwent dams on Sunday afternoon: http://www.lancasterbomberale.co.uk/tour-dates/