Did any Avro Lincoln's ever make it over to N.Z.

[Stormbird262]

:oDo you guy's notice the Lincoln RF 342 in C.W.

Something called the Avro Bomber Preservation Group here in Melbourne maybe bringing it out from the U.K.

My grandad worked on them at C.A.C. fisherman's bend .

And seemed to have great affection for the Linc, was very upset with what happened to nearly every plane that had come out of the bend and ended in the Smelter's pot's
If he was still alive , this new's would have made his day .

Cheer's all ;D, Tally Ho! Ho! Phil .

[Bruce]

Gidday,
Lincolns certainly did stop by through Whenuapai on several occaisions postwar although I dont have any dates or photos to hand. Certainly there were several RAAF examples at various times, but the RAF also stopped by on a Round the World flag - flying tour in the late 1940s. There were several such trips in a short space of time involving Lancasters, Lancastrians and Lincolns so the picture is a little fuzzy. I'll see what I can find out....

[Phil]

Any more info, or Picture's Bruce ;D?

[Bruce]

Hi Phil, thanks for reminding me....
I havent come accross any specific details on Lincoln visits to NZ, but I'd be very surprised if RAAF Lincolns had never crossed the Tasman at some stage. There is a definite Kiwi link however - 1sqn RAAF was based at Tengah in Singapore at the same time 14sqn RNZAF was there operating Venoms in support of the Malayan Conflict. The following website has some awesome pictures of RAAF Lincolns and kiwi Venoms:
members.tripod.com/~imogiri/lincoln.html
Love the aerial pic of a Lincoln and 2 Venoms in formation.....

[planeimages]

Rather late to be continuing this thread. There are two RAAF Lincoln sections extant.

One is the cockpit of A73-27 at Camden Museum.

The other lies on Mt.Superbus. A large section of the rear fueslage of A73-64 (MK31 GR) lies in remarkable good condition after crashing there at Easter 1955 on a mercy flight from Townsville to Brisbane.

The RAAF lifted out the tail empennage in 1977 and this is in crates now back at Point Cook Museum.

[Peter Lewis]

RAAF Lincoln at Whenuapai - on the original print there is a shadow mark on the fuselage at just the wrong place, but it looks to be either A73-4 or A73-1.
Date unknown, but probably late 1940s.

[planeimages]

A73-1 to 5 were built from Manchester-made components under the "Assistance Contract". powered by 86B Merlins. First flight of A73-1 was on 12 March 1946 from Fishermen’s Bend and the first six were delivered the same year. All the manuals and placards of the early builds bore "Lancaster MK IV" nomenclature.

After serving with No.1 Sqn, A73-1 was scrapped following a taxiing accident on 18 April 1948 but -4 was listed for disposal on 06/59 and apparently survived, on the books anyway, until the end of Lincoln service with the RAAF.

The Lincolns were scrapped or used on fire dumps in 1959. They were replaced by the Canberra as they were relics of WWII technology and were suffering from corrosion in critical components.

Although through no inherent or common fault in the aircraft concerned, twenty four people lost their lives, all in peacetime operations, in RAAF Lincolns. Sixteen died in one dreadful accident in the middle of RAAF Base at Amberley on 17 February 1948 when the overloaded aircraft stalled during a go-round and plunged into the ground. Two pilots were lost near Ipswich in a training accident in A73-44 on 7 March 1950 when a parachute release box apparently jammed the control column. Four senior RAAF officers of 10 Sqn, a civilian nurse and a new-born baby in the crash of A73-64. when the aircraft was flown into Mt.Superbus, west of Brisbane, in the early hours of Easter Saturday 1955.

The Melbourne group who were planning the built a Lincoln using parts from the fuselage of RF 342, seems to have gone to ground.

There are two Lincolns or parts thereof extant in the UK and one if not two in Argentina (B-010 and was in a "beautifully-restored condition" in 1975) . One UK aircraft is complete and is on display at Cosford (RF398). The other appears to be RF 342 (G-ARPJ) which is the subject of the "Melbourne" connection.

[ozrbfan]

planeimages
the melbourne group that was trying to bring rf342 to australia pulled out because of a lack of money.
of intrest is that the aircraft in the photo has ww11 pacific roundels so it must have been taken not long after 1945.
paul

[Stormbird262]

Thank's guy's, sorry not been around much been preety crook of late, but I'm getting there once again, the Battle continue's......

Hey ya RB Paul mate, jeez I did not know the deal fell through!

Oh well Sh*t Happen's , let's see what part's, scrap's and some mother of invention, here in Oz can come up with.

One day we just might see a through together job!

Just see what those old dude's down(lol) SH*T town(Werribee near Geelong), made a whole damn B-24 Lib, out all sort's of bit's and piece's, and the old boy's want it to fly!!!

Cheerio, Tally Ho! Phil in Oz

Baaaa Baaaa all far and WIDE!

[phil82]

I've seen the B24! The only way it will ever get off the ground is on jacks!

[yak2]

It did get airborne once when it unfortunately toppled from the jacks. A wonderful tribute to the RAAF veterans and their team of volunteers, but it was never intended to fly again. Maybe they will get an engine running tho'.

[planeimages]

If Peter Jackson's crew can make a number of Lancasters why not a fibreglass Lincoln? I guess it's a case of having a flim-maker's budget and the need.

[Stormbird262]

Well a few year's back!

I was down with the Lib, even got squeezed in a turret , and crawled all over the beast with an old boy who flew in one as a Nav WW2, he told me some ripper war story's.

I myself already knew that it had been made out of at least three different aircraft, Priviateer bit were handy!, but the old boy's and lad's have down magic work with what they had,

And all the trouble that has happened OTHER then the Lib re-build , gotta love darling Human's , I'm still with Spike.M. on that score! think dog's.

Now I knew they could NEVER get a C of A for the Lib, so I brought that up in front of the old boy's, but a lot of thoses old boy's said she will fly, she will fly, I'll be dead with in 10 year's BUT I will live to see her fly.....

I do really hope and feel for the old boy's, and that it was a real reality for them, but it isn't of course .

And there was never any room left for it to take off anyway, and the Lad's over at Cooky just laughed at them , as they did to me , when I asked if they could help the old boy's with the Lib, and get her C of A.

But they do have enough on there own plate at cooky!

Cheerio all far and WIDE ;D, Tally Ho!

Phil in Oz

[jmw]

YES - RAAF Lincolns did fly to NZ- Only just found your site.

On the 8th. April 1948, A73-2, A73-7 & A73-8 departed from RAAF base Sale, Victoria for Whenuapai, New Zealand.
A73-2 and I assume the others returned on the 13th April to Sale, Vic.
Was it an Air Pageant or other function?, I would like to know.

It must have been something special. I have official RAAF photograph of the crews in front their aircraft prior to takeoff.

I have the Log book of F/L Rex M Whitburn DFC MID who flew A73-2 and photographs, crews etc.

I was going to send the Log Book but every time I attemped to place an attachment Internet Explorer crashed! It doesn't normally!

[Dave Homewood]

Great info jmw, welcome to the forum. Perhaps it was an exercise or even a competiton like Fincastle?

If you want to email me the scan you're trying to attach, I should be able to put it up on your post.

[camtech]

Also a Lincoln escorted the first 4 Mosquitos on their delivery flight from Australia arriving at Whenuapai 8 November 1946. They left Brisbane on 6 November, spending two nights at Norfolk Is before flying on to NZ.

[Dave Homewood]

Here is the logbook page from John: