A vintage Lancaster Mk. X plane is being restored at the National Air Force Museum of Canada in Trenton.
This particular Lancaster, KB882, was one of 430 of these bombers built in Canada during the second world war.
KB882 began its career flying with the all Canadian Number 6 Bomber Group overseas. After the war it sat in storage for over a decade before being brought back into service, now in the Mk. X AR configuration, with 408 Squadron in Rockcliffe. KB882 flew photo and aerial reconnaissance missions across Canada until April 1964, when it flew its final mission to RCAF station Downsview, and was officially retired from service.
The retired plane arrived in Trenton from its previous home in Edmundston, New Brunswick in 2017. Restoration began with reassembling the fuselage, which had been taken apart for transport. Restoration workshop technician Mike Joly says putting it back together was the hardest part of the restoration.
“We had about 236 rivets to line up on each section, and we couldn’t even be a millimetre off,” Joly said.
Currently the plane is undergoing exterior refinishing and painting at the Aerospace and Telecommunications Engineering Support Squadron at CFB Trenton. Work on this process is expected to be complete in 2023.
In order to complete the restoration, the NAFMC is looking for original parts and instruments, such as radios and cockpit dials. Anyone with items they think are relevant is asked to look at a list of parts needed on the webpage here.
