Lancaster structural component weights

[MikeHoulder]

I need to have a weight distribution of the basic structure of the Lancaster. Can anyone help? Informed estimates would be a help. I need weights for:
one wing including nacelles; but excluding Merlin engines
de havilland or other propeller
Main undercarriage excluding wheel
Main wheel
Tailplane and elevator
Fin and rudder
Tailwheel strut
Tailwheel

If anyone can help, many many thanks
Mike

[Red Baron]

Hi Mike try CASMuseum.org maybe they can help in fact I know they have undergoing restoration of lancaster.

[MikeHoulder]

Thanks, Red Baron. I've just sent an email to them.

But it's looking bad. I've tried many places without any luck. I suspect the data I need is lost now forever. Here is a reply from Harry Holmes, chairman of the Avro Heritage Group:

"David Fildes of Avro Heritage passed on your email regarding the Lanc details. I am sure that the answer lies in A.P.2062 Vol II. which covers the repair schemes including the break-down of sections with weights, etc. I afraid the I do not have one and despite all the stuff I do have there is nothing that meets your requirements and this includes the material in the Avro Heritage Centre at Woodford. Now, if you had asked the same question about a Vulcan then we could have given you the answer!
Sorry about that, but if you do eventually find the answer please let us know."

Does anyone know of this manual (A.P. 2062 Vol II)?

Mike

[Micdrow]

Hi Mike, I dont know anything about the manual but Airframes might be able to help you. I cant think of the museum in Great Britain off hand but they have a lancaster that they fly and another one that was under restoration. Airframes would know the museum and if any one would have the answer I would think this musuem would. Just cant remeber the museum.

[Airframes]

Already on it Paul. I'm in corespondance with Mike, and have contacted someone I know in the R.Ae.S, who was connected with AVRO, Woodford. I haven't had a reply from them yet, but judging from the above, I have a feeling it's going to be negative, as the chap I'm waiting for possibly set up the Kkirkby, where the taxiing Lanc MkVII is, and the BBMF. Got my fingers crossed!!

[ppopsie]

In the book "Mustang Designer" by R.Wagner is a mentioning that the British had no individual weight data even for the each component of the Spitfire. Therefore Ed Schumed, the chief engineer for the P-51 had NAA people in Britain to visit to the RAF aircraft repair stations to collect raw weight data for using them for the designing the P-51G/F. Therefore I gues let alone the Lanc....

[Snautzer01]

The Lancaster was build in units. Wing ig was build in 5 pieces.

[ppopsie]

The original breakdown diagram is in the maintenance manual as a transportation guide. The problem is there are no weight numbers shown in the same manual (AP2062 Vol.1 Sect.5 Fig.7). But sizes of each component are clearly shown and these were quite useful to my modeling.

[Airframes]

I've just noticed there is a chunk missing from my last post! Don't know what happened there!
It should read that the chap at the R.Ae.S., connected with Avro, Woodford, and the Lancaster, possibly set up the Heritage Centre, or assisted. The part mentioning Kirkby should be about the Lancadser MkVII, in taxiiable conditiion, possibly to be made airborne, at East Kirkby, Lincolnshire, and the BBMF. Both of these in the context of possible sources of information.
If component weight/mass data is available, and it's looking doubtful, I think the BBMF would be the ones to know, as their airworthy Lanc undergoes a complete deep service every few years, involving disassembly into the main components. However, I'll await a reply from my contact before going any further.

[FLYBOYJ]

Hey Mike, I have a question - why do you want to find out these weights?

[MikeHoulder]

I'm building the best simulator model I can of the Lanc. I'm 8 months into what now looks to be a two year project. I'm retired now and can afford the time. My target simulators at present are two of the Aerofly technical simulators from Germany, particularly the new Aerofly 5. The model will be at 1:1 scale within the sim and is pushing the existing boundaries by a factor of 2. The wingspan of the Lanc at 102 ft is twice that of the largest model yet seen. So the technical performance parameters I have to calculate are far away from the norm.

The model will certainly look good; but it has to fly well too. I need to give parameters for the main components which include moments of inertia, strength and flexibility of the joints. For these I need the component weights I am requesting. See the attached Explanation.zip (I had to remove two diagrams from this DOC file to reduce the file size - sorry)

I have a first pass model flying in the sim. See Image100.jpg. I want users to feel the size of the aircraft.

The 3D model is being drawn in Metasequoia. See Image120s.jpg. This is what I have been doing the last eight months!

The fuselage interior will be as complete as I can make it and will be visible from all angles at the user's election. See Image114.jpg.

It was a problem to find the dimensions of the various electronic instruments. But thanks to Chris Goossens I have the dimensions. He also gave me good quality hi-res photos of the faces of these. With a little bit of smoke and mirrors which I greatly enjoy, I have produced 3D models of these from the flat 2D photos. See 'Draw Gee 3V small.jpg'.

A record of my work, the trials and tribulations are in 'AFPD Lancaster: Work in progress' topic in the Hangar sub-forum of the Lancaster-Archive Forum at
Lancaster-Archive Forum • View topic - AFPD Lancaster: Work in Progress

There is a lot more stuff in that forum which I think would be of great interest.

Well Flyboy, does that answer your question?
My best to all
Mike