Lancaster's escape hatch. Anyone knows where it is???

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kstab

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Apr 4, 2008
I am interested in making a diorama.

I will (try to) show a –badly hit- flying Avro Lancaster (specifically the 1/72 model from Hasegawa) and the crew leaving the plane in their parachutes.

I want to show the escape hatch open.

But i don't know where it is and how does it look when it is open....

Could someone please help me???
Are there any photos or diagrams??

I have found information in this site that i couldn't imagine existed...
So I hope someone will be able -and willing- to answer my questions...

Thanks in advance for any help...
 
Maybe this will help, also your duplicate post was deleted. Please try to only post one request. Thanks
 

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The Lancaster had 4 designated escape hatches, although the access door along the RH side of the fuselage could also be used.

The front gunner, bomb aimer had a hatch on the underside, basically underneath where the bomb aimer lay. This was released with a double latch system and thrown out the aircraft. 2 smaller escape hatches were positioned along roof of the fuselage, one in the rest bay between the Navigator station and the centre gun turret, the second between the centre gun turret and the rear gunner. These hatches when opened were also ejected from the aircraft.

The 4th escape hatch was buit into the pilot canopy in the centre. This was used by pilot, co-pilot and navigation crew.
 
First of all,

I would like to thank you for your immediate and accurate answers...

I think your diagram and other information will help me make my diorama...

As for what a diorama is...it is a scene made from scale models.

Here's a link of some photos of dioramas...

Lancaster Gal_Fea Archives



P.S. Any further info greatly appreciated...
 
By the way,

Is the B-17 photo real??

Did that B-17 really fly THAT low???
 
I got the rear hatch wrong, oops.

Looked at your links, very nice.

I am currently drawing up the Lancaster B1 BIII using Solidworks for a customer / manufacturer looking to produce 2 x 1:6 Scale RC show pieces, and 1:12 and 1:16 readily available RC Flyers (would come in plans, half kits, full kits and ready built).

Some weeks down the road now but still looking for as much resource as i can possibly find in order to get as close to detail / scale as possible. Have some rough and ready blueprints, photgraphs, a couple of books / manual, but my god it's tough going having to model the Lancaster from scratch.

Any advice, photo's, links, video, drawings, plans etc would be much appreciated. Seems you guys on here know your stuff. You can see what i have modelled so far at my website RCAP - need to open the Design Drawings page.

Will be having a good look through the links you have given so far.
 
Am also looking for as much detail regarding RR Merlin XX Engine as we are looking at procuding high detailed dummy engine for the 1:6 model as we really need this produced up to competition standard. Pretty much sorted cockpit, but really struggling to find sizes, details for bombs, (regular sets, dam buster and grand slam), and almost impossible to get good detail on gun turrets other than pictures. The 1:6 model will include a full set of crew (Dragon, hollowed out with moving pilot - head, arms on controls, legs on pedals)
 
This is my first time on here, joined this evening, and surprised there are people willing to help. Very much appreciated indeed.

I have a mass of resource available to share on here, however, need to learn my way around here first, get to grips with it and then i can contribute. Time totally taken up with the Lancaster at moment though as you can imagine.

Next projects are scale drawings, models etc for the Hawker Harrier and Concorde, A10, and a few of the Russian WW2 fighters that are poorly represented in the RC world, if at all. Looking also to produce some of the Italian fighters.

All in all, am looking forward to contributing here and sharing information.
 
Again i would like to mention that i am excited -just like RCAP- with my new "discovery" -that is your site- not only because of the wealth of information, but also because of the members' willingnes to share knowledge..

1. RCAP, i am a little confused with your statements " ...got the rear hatch wrong, oops...."
Could you please explain?


2. "The 4th escape hatch was buit into the pilot canopy in the centre." Is it shown in the diagram Micdrow posted?? I can't locate it....
Could you please explain?


3. Furthermore, does anyone have any idea if it would be possible for the whole crew to escape from one hatch??
(if for example the others were damaged and couldn't be opened)


4. And a last question...

Could the access door along the RH side of the fuselage also be used as a parachute hatch??
If so, then was it also ejected? If not then from which side did it open (lookng from the inside to the outside)

Thanks again to everyone...

P.S. RCAP fantastic models on your site...Marvellous job...
 
No the rear entrance door was not to be used for parachuting due to the close proximity of the tailplane and the increased chance of being hit by it. I have read reports and talked to some Lanc vets that yes indeed all the crew would leave by the same hatch, usually the one in the nose only. The ones on top used when the aircraft belly landed.
 
I know that this is a 12 year old thread, but who knows, it may interest somebody.

The Lanc rear gunner's parachute pack was stored on the starboard side of the rear fuselage. To get at it the RG had to fore-and-aft his turret, open the turret doors, open the turret access doors in the fuselage, retrieve the pack and clip it on. Usually he would then climb back into his turret and rotate left or right as far as possible. Then he would open the turret doors again and fall backwards. Any model portraying a damaged Lanc from which RG had escaped would need to show the turret pointing sideways, with doors open.

Nicholas Alkemade described the procedure in his account of leaving his aircraft, though in his case he left the parachute pack as well.
 

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