The restoration of Avro Lancaster B.VII NX611 “Just Jane” at the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre (LAHC) continues to make steady and meaningful progress. Recent updates—republished with permission from Restoration Update 258—highlight significant advances across several key areas, including the aircraft’s nose section, wing components, and work on the rear fuselage of companion airframe NX664. Collectively, these developments mark continued movement toward major structural assembly milestones.
The period has been particularly notable for the arrival of two long-awaited deliveries, both critical to the next phase of restoration. The first shipment, arriving from the United States, included a container of components supplied by AAA Air Support and Aircraft Extrusions. Among the contents were newly manufactured spar booms, wing stringers, and a variety of extrusions destined for use throughout the aircraft. The scale of these items underscores their importance: the four largest crates—each approximately 30 feet in length and weighing around one tonne—contained three spar booms apiece. While their size and weight presented logistical challenges, their arrival represents a major step forward for the project.
The second delivery comprised newly produced flap tubes for NX611, manufactured by Retro Track and Air. Their timely arrival aligns perfectly with ongoing wing restoration efforts. Together, these acquisitions reflect a substantial investment of approximately £375,000, unlocking further work that will sustain progress on NX611 in the years ahead.
Elsewhere, the removal of NX611’s main wheels has allowed for detailed inspection and refurbishment. Transported to RAF Waddington, the tyres have been removed to facilitate a full assessment of the wheel assemblies. Planned work includes corrosion removal, refinishing of surfaces, and a comprehensive overhaul of the braking units, including disassembly, cleaning, and evaluation of brake pad condition.
Work on the aircraft’s forward fuselage continues to advance under Chris’s direction. The fabrication of new nose skins is nearing completion, after which attention will turn to the underlying stringers, which will be removed for inspection and any necessary repair or replacement. Parallel efforts on the companion airframe NX664 are also progressing. Jodie has been focused on the rear-mid fuselage section, addressing damage to the floor structure caused during earlier pipework removal. Careful planning and execution of these repairs are helping to preserve and stabilize this important secondary airframe.
In addition to major restoration tasks, ongoing maintenance work ensures NX611 remains operational for taxiing demonstrations. Spav has undertaken repairs to one of the lower engine cowlings, where an earlier fibreglass-based repair has now been replaced with a correctly fabricated metal skin. Work is also underway to reproduce and install an internal reinforcing structure within the cowling—an example of the continuous attention required to keep the aircraft serviceable. Support for the project continues to grow through the “Wings Fund” campaign, which has now surpassed £102,700 toward its £500,000 goal. Contributions from supporters have already helped fund key components such as the newly acquired spar booms, demonstrating the vital role of public backing in advancing this ambitious restoration.
