As many of our readers will be well aware, Avro Lancaster B.VII NX611 Just Jane is under restoration to airworthy condition with the Lincoln Aviation Heritage Center at former RAF East Kirkby in Lincolnshire, England. We have been reporting on their progress periodically, and we thought that our readers might like to see a recent report, reproduced here with permission…
The Rivet Club – Newsletter 103
by Andrew Panton
This week we have managed to make good progress with the rear fuselage of NX611. Jack and John have been forging on with the riveting of all of the parts back into the fuselage structure.
Part of the work is deciding which order the parts should all go back together to make sure we only rivet it all once. There are so many opportunities to rivet one part in which then obscures/reduces access to a rivet head or tail of another part. It follows the old adage of ‘measure twice, cut once’.
The rear turret hoop has been riveted into position, the lower skins to the stringers, the reinforcing extrusion into the bottom of the fuselage and the former/frame into the skins and stringer brackets. Next week will hopefully see the bulkhead and all of its associated parts riveted and bolted back into the fuselage leaving the floor intercostals and all of the structure below the turret to be done.
The starboard wingtip has been making progress, with many small parts progressing, along with the extruded chords and web being built up. The web and chords have been riveted together, and the stud holes reamed to the correct size so make it all ready for fixing into the jig. We’re still waiting for many of the larger parts from Mark Cole, who has been away.
The port wingtip has been at a standstill while Kev has been away.
Sadly, we are beginning to feel the affects of the terrible new virus Covid 19. This will undoubtedly have a devastating affect upon the Centre, and depending on its financial impact, it will set the project back by at least a year. If you have any way you can help to support the Centre through this time, it would be most gratefully appreciated. The project relies on the funds raised by the operating of the Centre and the kind support from our Rivet Club and Supporters Association members.
Don’t forget to checkout our new RAF Blue/Grey Rivet Club t-shirts on the links below. We have changed the colour from the khaki green to try and offer some variation. I could see no better colour than RAF Blue/Grey!
Thanks for your support!
Andrew Panton
That’s all for this particular update. We hope that you have enjoyed reading it. As can be seen, a lot of work remains to be done, but the aircraft is well on the way back to flying condition. It is being done in a methodical and careful manner in order to keep the aircraft available for ground-running operations during the summer months. For those interested in helping support this important project, please click HERE
Be sure to check out their store HERE as well… There are many cool items to buy which will help get Just Jane back in the air!
Richard Mallory Allnutt's aviation passion ignited at the 1974 Farnborough Airshow. Raised in 1970s Britain, he was immersed in WWII aviation lore. Moving to Washington DC, he frequented the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum, meeting aviation legends.
After grad school, Richard worked for Lockheed-Martin but stayed devoted to aviation, volunteering at museums and honing his photography skills. In 2013, he became the founding editor of Warbirds News, now Vintage Aviation News. With around 800 articles written, he focuses on supporting grassroots aviation groups.
Richard values the connections made in the aviation community and is proud to help grow Vintage Aviation News.
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