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. While the group has made magnificent progress, even during the pandemic, the recent lockdown for much of the UK has presented significant challenges. Nevertheless, they are indeed moving forwards, and we thought that our readers might like to see a recent report, reproduced here with permission…
The Rivet Club – Newsletter 135
by Andrew Panton
Well this week has been quieter than last week, but that’s not hard.
Malcolm and our maintenance team have produced new fuselage trestle beams for the trestle trailer so that the beams we are borrowing from Battle of Britain Memorial Flight can be returned this year.
The fuselage will be lowered from the jig next week as we prepare to reassemble the Lancaster ready for the summer taxi season and hangar activity begins to return closer to normal. There is a video below that was shot in the hangar this week, and it shows you how we are looking at the moment.
John and Ian have been making good progress with the static wingtip. The top skins are all complete and the top stringers have all been painted up. The next process for the tip, once we receive a delivery of rivets, is to rivet the structure for the top skins together. There are a couple of repairs to rivet in place and then the stringers will be riveted to the structure. Once the stringers are in place, the skins will have their undersides painted and then they will also be riveted to the structure. While the team waits for the rivets to arrive (the company producing them is experiencing COVID delays) they have started work on the last two lower skins which we need to remanufacture and Bob is continuing to plough through the painting of the lower stringers. This tip is coming together nicely, and it won’t be too long before John and Ian can move onto their next project.
Brad has been progressing the engine work nicely with both number 2 and number 3 ready for the props to go back on. They have had their top ends completed following their block removal/replacements. The next step for the engine work is to continue to address the snag list and refit the propellers.
Ade Harris has been progressing well with the FN82 rear turret and his latest update report can be seen HERE
There is a selection of images below taken Martin Keen with his drone.
Plans for next winter are still uncertain, as we won’t know the affects of COVID on this year’s income until later in the season. If all goes well, we will be able to work on the rear fuselage section in the jig. However, if we have another bad year, then we will need to look at other parts to progress the project. At the moment, we are working on two plans so we can be ready for either eventuality.
Stay safe and 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!
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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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