B.C. Aviation Museum raising funds to restore Avro Lancaster bomber

Inside the hangar at the B.C. Aviation Museum in North Saanich, a piece of history is being brought back to life.

“This is an Avro Lancaster Mk. 10,” said Steve Nichol, president of the B.C. Aviation Museum.

The aircraft was instrumental in the defeat of Nazi Germany during the Second World War.

“The Lancaster was the most effective bomber that the British had,” said Nichol.

Experts say the aircraft completely changed the Allies’ bomber offensive.

More than 7,300 were produced during the second half of the war. Today, only 17 remain throughout the world and just two are capable of flight.

“We’re actually not restoring it to fly, we’re restoring it to static position,” said Nichol.

A team of roughly 15 volunteers have been working tirelessly to restore the aircraft, including volunteers like Gary Powe.

“We got it basically as the large empty air frame parts and two containers full of bits and pieces,” said Powe.

The volunteers have no plans to work off of and none of the pieces are marked.

“You know what you’re looking for and you just can’t find it,” said Powe. “Then six months later you find it underneath something in the Sea-Can.”

The plane came from Toronto where it sat on a cement pillar on display, decaying in the elements for more than 30 years.

The restoration project has been time consuming and expensive.

“It’s hundreds of thousands of dollars,” said Nichol.

In order to fund the project, the museum has gotten creative. It sells unsalvageable parts in its gift shop and jewellery created from the plane’s scrap metal.

On Thursday night the planes fuselage will be on display at the Mary Winspear Theatre in Sidney, taking centre stage at a sold-out event.

“The purpose is ultimately for fundraising for the museum and our Lancaster project,” said Nichol.

Also on display will be a framed piece of flooring from the Lancaster which will be going up for auction on Thursday through eBay.

“I would hope that we get $500 from this,” said Nichol.

At the height of production, more than 1.1 million people were tasked with building the Avro Lancaster’s in the U.K. and Canada.

On Wednesday, in a hangar in North Saanich it was just two volunteers piecing the museum’s Lancaster back together.

The museum is hoping to have the project completed and on display within the next three years.