Three engines down... and a long way from home

18/04/2007

I had been posted to my 'permanent' station, working on 'Air Radio Maintenance'  - that is, maintaining all the communications equipment in any plane handled by R.A.F. Shawbury. We did not get many opportunities to fly, as our servicing was to be so good that the aircraft would take off with all systems operating perfectly - a testament to hope over experience!
 
Other than a flight in the Air Training Corps, my very first opportunity for a flight since joining up finally came. I was to go on a Lancaster training exercise, and, if necessary, work on the antiquated equipment that passed for sending and receiving messages, called 1154 and 1155 so as to inspire enthusiasm. (Of course, commercial and holiday flights were so much rarer then, and too dear for my salary, so I was keen.)
 
With my parachute packed and strapped on, I enthusiastically climbed on board, not even knowing if it would be for more than a few minutes.
 
In the training exercise we were being 'attacked' by enemy fighters, with evasive action needed. This meant dodging in and out of some fairly thin cloud, which wasn't very comfortable, but at least  I wasn't sick.  Anyway, we were successfully attacked and our engines 'hit', leading to the pilot (an ex-wartime pilot who had left and returned, a Sgt Jingles) having to shut down the starboard engine. Minutes later the same happened and the port engine was closed down. At this point we were getting concerned, as by 1952 Lancasters were getting a bit old in the tooth and hardly hi-tech.
 
But half an hour later and a further attack led to the other starboard engine being put out of action.  As far as I was concerned this was getting too much like the wartime stories of aircraft limping home from Germany and not always making it!  We were over both land and sea, but not being warned to prepare for ditching - although it seemed likely when I learned later that Lancasters were taken out of service partly because of metal fatigue.
 
So we managed to limp home on one engine. Fortunately the pilot was given permission to restart the three 'failed' engines, probably because the likelihood of a crash landing would have cost the C.O. his job!
 
So that very exciting four hour trip was my initiation into real flying, and I have to admit that all the flying I've done since then has never quite matched the first experience. 
 
Alan Orme