CWHM's Avro Lancaster Mk. X

The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum (CWHM) is the owner and operator of this rare Avro Lancaster Mk. X which is the only Lancaster flying in North America, and one of only 2 airworthy Lancasters in the world.

The most famous British designed bomber of World War II, the Lancaster had impressive flying characteristics and operational performance. The Lancaster was the RAF's only heavy bomber capable of carrying the 12,000-lb Tallboy and 22,000-lb Grand Slam bombs. The aircraft demonstrated its right to fame with the daring and precise raids on the Ruhr dams in May 1943, and also the sinking of the German battleship Tirpitz in November 1944.

The Lancaster was derived from the unsuccessful Avro Manchester. The 2 Rolls-Royce Vulture engines of the Manchester were replaced by 4 Rolls-Royce Merlins to produce the Manchester III which was renamed Lancaster. The prototype Lancaster flew on January 9, 1941. In total, 7377 Lancasters were built in Britain and Canada. The Canadian built Lancasters were designated Mark X and were powered by the Packard Merlin 28, 38 or 224.

There are only 2 airworthy Lancasters in the world today. One in England with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and the one in Canada with the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum.

The CWHM Lancaster Mk. X (FM213) was built at Victory Aircraft, Malton in July 1945. It served as a RCAF Maritime Patrol aircraft based at Greenwood, Nova Scotia and Torbay, Newfoundland for many years before it was retired in 1964. With help from the Sulley Foundation, it was acquired in 1977 from the Royal Canadian Legion in Goderich, Ontario where it had been on outdoor display. The Lancaster was stripped of as much weight as possible and flown to CWHM under a Chinook helicopter in 1979. The first post restoration flight was September 11, 1988 followed on September 24th by the official first flight and airshow.

The Lancaster is dedicated to the memory of Pilot Officer Andrew Charles Mynarski, VC, of 419 (Moose) Squadron, 6 (RCAF) Group and is referred to as the "Mynarski Memorial Lancaster". Mynarski won 6 Group's only Victoria Cross, the Commonwealth's highest award for gallantry in battle. On the night of 12/13 June 1944, his Lancaster X was shot down by a Luftwafffe night fighter. As the bomber plunged earthwards, Mynarski, his flying clothing afire, tried in vain to free his trapped rear gunner from the jammed rear turret. Miraculously, the gunner survived the crash and lived to relate the story of Mynarski's bravery. Unfortunately, Mynarski died from his severe burns.

The Mynarski Memorial Lancaster has toured Canada and the United States as far west as Abbotsford, British Columbia, as far east as Greenwood, Nova Scotia and as far south as Galveston, Texas. It has also appeared in movies and television.

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