Mission accomplished Vaunted Second World War Lancaster bomber touches down in Winnipeg By: Nicole Buffie Posted: 7:50 PM CDT Tuesday, Jul. 16, 2024 Last Modified: 8:09 PM CDT Tuesday, Jul. 16, 2024 Updates

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Flight officer Jack Widdicombe likely wouldn’t have said much when the jet-black Avro Lancaster taxied down the runway at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada Tuesday afternoon.

Instead, he would have sported his signature crooked smile.

Widdicombe, who died two weeks before he could see the Lancaster — the aircraft he flew during the Second World War — make its trip to Winnipeg, was a man of few words.

His daughter, Melva, spoke for him as the war bomber her father completed 23 missions in landed for its two-day display.

“It’s amazing,” she remarked as the historical plane headed toward its mark outside the back of the museum.

Her 103-year-old father was due to make the trip from Foxwarren to Winnipeg to once again see the same model of plane he flew over Dresden, Germany, when British and American bombers conducted a massive air raid.

While he didn’t speak much about the war to his children, he always maintained an interest in aviation.

“He was excited that it was coming in. He kept saying that to me in the weeks leading up,” she said.

Nearly 3,000 people have bought tickets to see one of only two airworthy Lancaster bombers left in the world, at the aviation museum Tuesday and Wednesday.

“There’s been three big days at the museum for me so far: in 2020, when we put shovels in the ground, in 2022, when we opened the museum, and then this,” said museum CEO Terry Slobodian. “I think this is at least equal or if not greater than those other two.”

The plane, in pristine condition and marked with red, blue and white air force symbols, is on tour to mark the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Its first stop was Winnipeg before it jets off to Saskatchewan and a series of air shows in Western Canada.

The Avro Lancaster was developed for the Royal Air Force to fight Nazi Germany in 1941. By the end of the war, nearly 7,400 bombers had been built and flown. Canadians played roles in building, training and flying the aircraft, with more than 400 bombers built in a factory near Mississauga, Ont.

The visiting plane, nicknamed the Mynarski Memorial Lancaster in memory of war hero Andrew Mynarski, is owned and operated by the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton. It was originally built at Victory Aircraft in Malton, Ont., in 1945.

Mynarski, who was born in Winnipeg, was posthumously awarded with the Victoria Cross for his act of bravery. He tried to save a fellow crew member after their Lancaster was attacked.

The Ontario museum bought the Mynarski Lancaster in 1977 for about $10,000 and a team of volunteers spent 11 years restoring it before it took flight again in September 1988.

Measuring more than 69 feet long and with a 102-foot wingspan, the Lancaster can carry a crew of eight and has four engines.

Scott McCrady, a retired commercial pilot-turned-aerospace program director, was eager to get a look at the aircraft Tuesday afternoon.

“This was Canada’s contribution to the war. It’s pretty cool,” said McCrady, who oversees the F-35 program for Magellan Aerospace.

The Lancasters left many dead in their wake, flying in excess of 150,000 missions in Europe. Its value in the war effort can’t be underscored, said Lancaster crew member Martin Graham.

“On bomber command alone, there was 55,573 people (in the war) that lost their lives… this aircraft has just over 55,573 moving parts, so we like to think that when we’re flying, we’re carrying their souls with us as a memorial,” he said. “She is a flight memorial and hopefully she is for a long, long time.”

The bird’s visit is sure to pique the interest of all aviation buffs, McCrady said.

“Once (the hobby) is in your blood, you’re done,” he mused.

Tickets to view the aircraft and tour its interior, can be purchased at royalaviationmuseum.com.

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca