Two chunks of a huge silver plane fill the middle space of a hangar at the BC Aviation Museum.
Boxes and bins line shelves along the walls, filled with bits and bobs 香蕉视频直播 some that the restoration team isn香蕉视频直播檛 sure where they belong, and others sorted to where they figure the parts belong.
It香蕉视频直播檚 presumably all the parts to the 1944 Avro Lancaster Mark 10 shipped to the North Saanich site by the City of Toronto in 2018.
香蕉视频直播淲e got a kit,香蕉视频直播 explained project lead Gary Powe, joking about the puzzle volunteers have been putting together for years now.
Leaning on existing knowledge, the other remaining 16 around the world, old schematics, math and educated guesses, they香蕉视频直播檙e sorting it all out to get a good static display.
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Built in 1944, at Victory Aircraft Limited in Toronto, the FM104 was sent to the UK in early 1945 but didn香蕉视频直播檛 ever see combat. It had been mounted on a concrete slab in a city park for more than three decades.
香蕉视频直播淚 have photos of us having picnics under it,香蕉视频直播 said Cheryl Thorpe, seated metres away from the nose of the aircraft she once played under.
The FM104 is part of her childhood as a picnic site, and the Lancaster in general, serves as a reminder of the war trauma her father endured 香蕉视频直播 first serving on a Lancaster as a mid-upper gunner then as a pilot.
香蕉视频直播淚t was a miracle he came back because he did 38 missions,香蕉视频直播 Thorpe said.
She香蕉视频直播檚 been cleaning bits and bobs of the engine for about five years now 香蕉视频直播 starting around the time the plane landed at the museum.
Her son Chris Thorpe does similar detailing duty nearby, tackling one of four Merlin engines nearby 香蕉视频直播 and knows how it works inside and out.
Several of the volunteers buzzing about the room have personal connections to that aspect of the plane香蕉视频直播檚 working life.
Bryan George香蕉视频直播檚 grandfather worked on them in the UK. While this one was made in Canada, it still offers that connection to the past.
At the museum, the shop manager香蕉视频直播檚 father worked in them, and Powe香蕉视频直播檚 own father flew in them.
A woman visited recently who worked riveted wings on Lancasters in the 1940s.
香蕉视频直播淚t could well have been on this aircraft,香蕉视频直播 Powe said. 香蕉视频直播淭here香蕉视频直播檚 a lot of family connections with this particular aircraft.香蕉视频直播
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While FM104 didn香蕉视频直播檛 ever see combat 香蕉视频直播 香蕉视频直播淒uring the war it never had guns in it,香蕉视频直播 Powe said 香蕉视频直播 it did full a full career changing lives. It returned to Canada in June 1945 and was retrofit to become a coastal surveillance and search and rescue plane, amassing 7,000 flying hours until it was retired in 1964.
There were notes in the nose where crew indicated who or what they were searching for, typically in the Arctic, Powe says.
香蕉视频直播淭here香蕉视频直播檚 a history angle of it, but I guess also an engineering history of it 香蕉视频直播 ideas that are still viable or workable today,香蕉视频直播 Powe said. 香蕉视频直播淲e香蕉视频直播檙e all old geezers, but to get younger people interested in engineering and manufacturing techniques there香蕉视频直播檚 a real value there.香蕉视频直播
This Lancaster won香蕉视频直播檛 likely ever fly again, but that香蕉视频直播檚 not the goal. The idea is to get it looking like it flew a week ago.
Powe hopes to have the floor and pilot seat in place as well as the front instrument panel installed and partially populated by the time the BC Aviation Museum 香蕉视频直播 packed literally to the rafters with aircraft 香蕉视频直播 hosts its annual open house in August.
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