The Avro 691 Lancastrian was a British and Canadian passenger and mail transport aircraft of the 1940s and 1950s developed from the Avro Lancaster heavy bomber. The Lancastrian was basically a modified Lancaster bomber without armour or armament and with the gun turrets replaced by streamlined metal fairings, including a new nose section. The initial batch was converted directly from Lancasters; later batches were new builds.
Design and development In 1943, Canada's Victory Aircraft converted a Lancaster X bomber for civilian transport duties with Trans-Canada Airlines (TCA).Milberry 1982, p. 13. (After the war Victory Aircraft was purchased by what became Avro Canada). This conversion was a success, resulting in eight additional Lancaster Xs being converted. The "specials" were powered by Packard-built Merlin 38 engines and featured a lengthened, streamlined nose and tail cone. Range was increased by two 400 gal (1,818 L) Lancaster long-range fuel tanks fitted as standard in the bomb bay. These Lancastrians were used by TCA on its Montreal–Prestwick route.Milberry 1982, pp. 14–15.
The modification of abundant military aircraft into desperately needed civilian transports was common in the United Kingdom in the immediate postwar period; the Handley Page Halton was a similar conversion of the Halifax heavy bomber.
Operational history
In 1945, deliveries commenced of 30 British-built Lancastrians for BOAC. On a demonstration flight on 23 April 1945, G-AGLF flew 13,500 mi (21,700 km) from England to Auckland, New Zealand in three days, 14 hours at an average speed of 220 mph (354 km/h).
The Lancastrian was fast, had a long range, and was capable of carrying a heavy load, but space inside was very limited as the Lancaster had been designed with space for its seven crew dispersed throughout the fuselage, and with the majority of the load being carried in the 33 ft (10.05 m) long bomb bay. Consequently, as passengers are bulky but low in weight, it was not suited to carry large numbers of passengers, but was suitable for mail and a small number of VIP passengers. BOAC used it for flights between England and Australia from 31 May 1945. It also served with the RAF; RAF Lancaster I serial number PD328, was converted to a Lancastrian and renamed Aries, as well as serving with Qantas and Flota Aérea Mercante Argentina.
15 Lancastrians made over 5,000 trips during the Berlin Airlift to transport petrol. In 1946 a Lancastrian operated by BSAA was the first aircraft to make a scheduled flight from the then-newly opened London Heathrow Airport.
Lancastrian engine testbeds Data from: Avro Aircraft since 1908
With the advent of gas turbine engines there emerged a need to test the new engines in a controlled flight environment in well instrumented installations. An ideal candidate emerged as the Avro Lancastrian which could easily accommodate the test instrumentation as well as fly on the power of two piston engines if required. Several Lancastrians were allocated for engine test-bed work with turbojet engines replacing the outer Merlin engines or test piston engines in the inner nacelles. Fuel arrangements varied but could include kerosene jet fuel in outer wing tanks or fuselage tanks, with avgas carried in remaining fuel tanks.
NameSerialTest engineFirst flightNotesNene-LancastrianVH7422x Rolls-Royce Nene14 August 1946Flew the first international all-jet passenger flight from London to Paris on 23 November 1946.Franks 2000, pp. 92–93.Nene-LancastrianVH7372x Rolls-Royce NeneAvon-LancastrianVM7322x Rolls-Royce AvonAvon-LancastrianVL9702x Rolls-Royce AvonLatterly used to test the Rolls-Royce Avon 502 civil turbojet for the de Havilland Comet 2 airliner.Ghost-LancastrianVM7032x de Havilland Ghost 50 + 2x Walter HWK 109-500 RATOG packs24 July 1947Testing the engines and takeoff-boost system proposed for the de Havilland Comet 1 airlinerGhost-LancastrianVM7292x de Havilland Ghost 50Used for afterburner research and later development and certification of the Ghost 50 for the Comet 1aSapphire-LancastrianVM7332x Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire18 January 1950Griffon-LancastrianVM7042x Rolls-Royce Griffon 57 inboardUsed for testing the Griffon installation for the Avro ShackletonGriffon-LancastrianVM7282x Rolls-Royce Griffon 57 inboardUsed for testing the Griffon installation for the Avro ShackletonMerlin 600-LancastrianVM7042x Rolls-Royce Merlin 600Used for testing the civil Merlin 600-series for use in the Canadair C4M and Avro Tudor
Accidents and incidents The Aviation Safety Network, part of the Flight Safety Foundation, records 23 hull loss accidents involving the Lancastrian occurring between 1946 and 1964 resulting in a total of 81 fatalities.
Notable accidents include:
Lancastrian G-AGLX
On 23 March 1946 Lancastrian G-AGLX was lost over the Indian Ocean en route between British Ceylon and Cocos (Keeling) Islands. All 10 on board died.
Lancastrian G-AGWH, Star Dust
On 2 August 1947 Lancastrian G-AGWH Star Dust of British South American Airways was lost in the Andes en route from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Santiago, Chile. The probable cause of the crash was a navigation error due to the unknown effect of the fast-moving jetstream.
Lancastrian T-102
On 11 December 1960 Lancastrian T-102 of the Argentine Air Force crashed near San Andrés de Giles, Argentina. All 31 on board were killed. This was the worst accident involving this type of aircraft.
Variants Lancaster XPP Nine built by converting Lancaster Mk. Xs at Victory Aircraft Ltd Canada. Lancastrian C.1 Nine-seat transport aircraft for BOAC and Qantas. Royal Air Force designation Lancastrian C.1 to Specification 16/44. A total of 23 built by Avro Lancastrian C.2 Nine-seat military transport aircraft for the RAF. A total of 33 built by Avro Lancastrian 3 13-seat transport aircraft for British South American Airways. A total of 18 built by Avro Lancastrian C.4 Ten to 13-seat military transport aircraft for the RAF. Eight built by Avro
Operators
Civil operators
Flota Aérea Mercante Argentina (FAMA) - three C.4 incorporated in 1947
Qantas
Trans Canada Airlines
Alitalia – five Lancastrians operated from 1947 until 1952
British European Airways British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) British South American Airways Flight Refuelling Ltd Silver City Skyways Limited
Military operators
Argentine Air Force - two C.4 ex-FAMA, incorporated in 1948
Royal Air Force No. 24 Squadron RAF No. 231 Squadron RAF No. 232 Squadron RAF
Specifications (Lancastrian C.1)
See also
Notes
Bibliography Franks, Richard A. The Avro Lancaster, Manchester and Lincoln: A Comprehensive Guide for the Modeller. London: SAM Publications, 2000. . Holmes, Harry. Avro Lancaster (Combat Legend series). Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 2002. . Jackson, A.J. Avro Aircraft since 1908, 2nd edition. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1990. . Mackay, R.S.G. Lancaster in action. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications Inc., 1982. .
Milberry, Larry. The Canadair North Star. Toronto: CANAV Books, 1982. . Ottaway, Susan and Ian. Fly With the Stars – A History of British South American Airways. Andover, Hampshire, UK: Speedman Press, 2007. .
Taylor, John W. R. "Avro Lancaster." Combat Aircraft of the World from 1909 to the present. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969. .
Further reading
External links
"The Lancastrian," a 1945 Flight article on the Avro Lancastrian "The Pathfinder goes by Star Light," a 1946 AVRO advertisement for the Lancastrian in Flight magazine "England to Australia in 3 Days!" – a 1945 advertisement in Flight magazine for the BOAC Lancastrian service to Australia "Flight in the Nene Lancastrian" a 1946 Flight article "Nene Installation," a 1947 Flight article on the Rolls-Royce Nene jet engine experimental installation on the Lancastrian