The P-108/B-17/Lancaster Thread

[the lancaster kicks ass]

here's a lil worring fact, AT LEAST 5 russain planes enter british aerospace every week with out prior permission, however they're always intercepted and escorted away..............

[Piaggio108]

Let me say it again (I said it before in another post today), He 177 was awful. I was a total failure.
Piaggio 108 beats He 177, Lancaster, and B-17. He 177 is a failure, Lancaster is too boxlike, and B-17 has been overhyped. Besides, the italians had cooler Cammo on p-108s.

[cheddar cheese]

yes! thankyou! the p.108 was a great bomber! nice to see another fan mate welcome

[the lancaster kicks ass]

the lancaster was far from "boxlike", it looked very good I'll have you know..............................

[cheddar cheese]

it looked very good I'll have you know

yes, to drunk people and the elderly

[the lancaster kicks ass]

don't diss the oldies, they really knew how to make good music.................

[cheddar cheese]

no they dont

[Gemhorse]

I guess if we're to decide if an aircraft is 'good', there has to be stuff besides how 'nice' it looks, and let's face-it, back then , Military aircraft were designed to do a job with what had been learned of aerodynamics by that point - I've been reading-up and the P.108 was a pretty advanced aircraft at the time. - The Lancaster had evolved from the Manchester, and that is a parallel to the He177, where the engines of the Manchester were the RR Vultures; trying to marry two Merlins together, not unlike the He177 with its DB engines. They went on to make it 4 engined etc.,
BUT, the crux of it all rests on their respective performances and what they achieved in the War - The B17 was a reliable, well-armed and crewed aircraft, their total tonnage of bombs dropped were roughly equal to the Allied night-flying counterpart, the Lancaster, and because they succeeded in flattening the enemy, the credit really goes to them and those that flew 'em. They were the thoroughbreds that won the War - There were others that helped too; - B24, B25, B26, Stirlings, Halifaxes and THE Mosquitos, but this threads heros were B17 and the Lancaster...

[cheddar cheese]

I've been reading-up and the P.108 was a pretty advanced aircraft at the time.

exactly, shame the germans were too stupid to realise it was potentially successful

[R Pope]

Gemhorse-- again, I agree completely. One minor point--The RR Vulture was based on the Kestrel engine, not the Merlin. Everyone tried to double up engines about the same time, and nobody had much success, a lot of time and energy wasted on a dead end.

[Gemhorse]

Yeah, sorry - you're quite right, Kestrels ! But wasn't it a fascinating aspect of the Technology then, trying-out something new. Wasn't the Napier Sabre similar, trying to get more 'pots' in an engine to increase power in one powerplant ?

[the lancaster kicks ass]

well-armed and crewed aircraft, their total tonnage of bombs dropped were roughly equal to the Allied night-flying counterpart, the Lancaster, and because they succeeded in flattening the enemy, the credit really goes to them and those that flew 'em

well after that you might as well have said the lanc didn't exist, you could give it some credit, it did more to win the war then the B-17......................

[ahanswurst]

I have to say that I have seen a lancaster fly over The Duluth/Superior area one Sunday afternoon on its way to Thunder bay Ontario. I went out my door and heard a strange drone of recip engines going by my house. I looked to the West and saw a Lancaster flying about 2,000 feet going North. I tried to get my video camera but it was gone. I will never forget that engine noise. We have a B-25 delivering parts up to the Duluth International Airport about once a month and it is great to see that plane still flying.

[the lancaster kicks ass]

well, when C.C. gets back, I've got quite a pleasant suprise for him related to that post...............

[cheddar cheese]

let me guess, BoB memoral flight at culdrose