© Darren Harbar
Lancaster BI PA474
Lancaster BI PA474 is one of only two Lancasters remaining in airworthy condition out of the 7,377 that were built . PA474 was built at the Vickers-Armstrong Broughton factory at Hawarden , completed on 31 May 1945 . The war in Europe had ended a few weeks earlier so the aircraft was modified for Far East operations against the Japanese as part of the ‘ Tiger Force ’ and was first flown in this configuration in August 1945 . Combat operations in the Far East also ended before the aircraft could be deployed and instead it was stored with just three hours and ten minutes on the airframe . From September 1948 to February 1952 , after conversion to PR1 standard , PA474 conducted aerial survey mapping work in East and South Africa with 82 Squadron , accumulating 2,000 airframe hours , before being returned to the UK . The Lancaster was then loaned to Flight Refuelling Ltd at Tarrant Rushden with the intention of converting it into a pilotless target drone . Fortunately , the drone conversion was cancelled and the Lancaster was saved from a fate which would almost certainly have prevented it from being here today . Instead , PA474 was allocated to Cranfield College of Aeronautics in 1954 where she was modified as a platform for testing experimental aerofoil sections . It served in this capacity at Cranfield for 10 years , which kept the aircraft airworthy , although it flew only some 100 hours during that time . In April 1964 PA474 was adopted by the Air Historical Branch for display as a static exhibit in the proposed RAF Museum . She was flown to Henlow for storage in the open air , to await the opening of the new museum . In 1965 the CO of No 44 Sqn – the first unit ever to be equipped with Lancasters and then flying Avro Vulcans at Waddington - gained permission for PA474 to be transferred into the care of the Sqn . An inspection found that the aircraft was structurally sound and permission was granted for PA474 to make a single flight from Henlow to Waddington on 18 August 1965 . After refurbishment , PA474 joined the BBMF in 1973 , initially at Coltishall , moving with the Flight to Coningsby in 1976 . PA474 was officially adopted by the City of Lincoln in 1975 , and permission was granted for the aircraft to display the coat of arms and the name of the City on its nose , which it will always do , regardless of which colour scheme it wears . PA474 is now painted on its port side as Lancaster BIII W5005 , ‘ AR-L ’ “ Leader ” with nose art depicting a kangaroo in wellington boots playing the bagpipes , representing the mixed nationalities ( Scottish , Australian and Welsh ) of its crew at the time . W5005 flew 51 ‘ ops ’ with 460 Sqn ( RAAF ) from Binbrook and was then transferred to 550 Sqn at North Killingholme . On the starboard side PA474 wears the 50 Sqn code letters ‘ VN-T ’, these being the code letters of the aircraft in which Fg Off ‘ Dougy ’ Millikin flew 27 of the 35 ‘ ops ’ on his tour with 50 Sqn .