RAF bomber to reach for the sky again Birmingham-built Lancaster could take to the air once more in £3.5m restoration
AHISTORIC Second World War bomber built at Birmingham’s famous Longbridge works is set to fly again.
The Lancaster – called Just Jane – is undergoing a major restoration which involves taking it to pieces and inspecting every component.
The £3.5 million project should see the Avro NX611 take to the skies once more by 2020.
The four-engined bomber was built by Austin Motors at Longbridge, in south Birmingham, in April 1945 and was due to become part of the RAF’s Tiger Force in the Far East. But the early surrender of Japan meant ‘Just Jane’ did not see service and went on to be used by the French Naval Air Arm.
Andrew Panton, who runs the East Kirkby Aviation Centre in Lincolnshire, said the aim was to see ‘Just Jane’ fly again as a tribute to Second World War bomber pilots – including Christopher Panton, who was shot down on a bombing raid in Nuremburg, Germany, in March 1944.
Mr Panton’s brothers, Fred and Harold, saw ‘Just Jane’ for sale and bought it as a memorial to their brother and set up the museum in 1988.
Fred’s grandson, Andrew Panton, said: “The work is quite easy in the grand scheme of things, it’s quite standard stuff – it’s just having the knowledge to do it.
“It’s important work for that aircraft and for the memory of Bomber Command and the nation.”
This winter saw a major step for-