The 'E' Type Forum

I have done it now is your chance - forget the cost, unmissable. Four Merlin's at full chat.

http://www.warplane.com/lancaster-2014-uk-tour.aspx

This is sooooo tempting !!
Erik

Fabulous!

:D

Wow thats looks fantastic, fancy that.

I just drove and fired a 300 ton steam train all day last friday that was also my wifes xmas present to me!



East Lancs Railway. Nowhere near as fast or exciting as flying in Lancaster bomber though! One thing I learnt was steam trains dont have any suspension! Even at 30mph it was quite uncomfortable in places while trying to shovel coal into a roaring fire!.

The cost of flying in the Lanc in Canada was $2,500 for an hour. Four passengers and once airborne you could walk about (actually that should be clamber about with some difficulty!) freely. Not sure there is much point paying a premium for the cockpit seat which you will only occupy for a few minutes and from which you cannot see anything. Fabulous experience though. I am a member of the Canadian Warplane Heritage museum ( came with the flight 'donation') hence I got the heads up they were going to do this over here. Hopefully we will get to see and hear two Lancs together in the sky.

"I just drove and fired a 300 ton steam train all day last friday that was also my wifes xmas present to me! "

For your birthday, I have a driveway that needs replacing.

Over here, we're fortunate to have a chapter of the Commemorative Air Force (formerly "Confederate Air Force") at the Camarillo airport. Their air show every August features the usual stuff from the local aerobatic pilots, but the finale has just about every flyable warbird under the sun making high-speed passes down the runway. Mustangs, Spitfires, Bearcats, a FW-190, P-38s--you name it. They'll typically have 20 or more airplanes in the air at this time. Anyone planning to be in southern California in August should pencil this one into their itinerary. I think a ride in a B-17 or P-51 was around $500.

Ha Ha, it wasnt all hard work :D Its called a Steam footplate experience, do they do them in the states?

There are quite a few steam locomotive "excursion lines" scattered around the country, but I don't know of any that offer hands-on experience. When the kids were young, we took an excursion train pulled by a steam locomotive from Cumberland, MD to Frostburg, MD, which was probably 15-20 miles by rail. At Frostburg, there was time to grab a bite to eat and spend money in the ubiquitous souvenir shop while the workers pulled the engine onto a turntable to reverse its direction. The engine was then recoupled to the former tail of the train for the return trip. Very interesting to watch.

Nothing like the sound of a Merlin to raise the hairs on the back of your neck!! :D
I got a ride in the Grace Spitfire a few years back from Duxford to Farnborough for the first day of the airshow. I was just amazed at the agility and power of such an old aircraft! 8) I even got to fly it briefly. :D
Mike

Thank you David.
I was so envious when you told us about your flight and so I have bitten the bullet and booked.
Any one else?
Steve.