[Milsurplus] Fwd: Re: "Lancaster" - no copilot

[Kenneth G. Gordon]

On 4 Oct 2017 at 8:49, Andy Young wrote:

> 
>     I´m in the UK and have a great interest in the Lancaster.

Well, I am in the U.S. and have also had great interest in the Lancaster.

>     I don´t believe there was any formal training of any other crew member to fly, but it is clear from 
>     reading aircrew reminiscences that within a crew, the pilot usually trained up another member, 
>     normally the engineer, to have basic flying skills to at least keep the aircraft straight and level, 
>     and maybe return home, although whether he could then land it I don´t know. The pilot and 
>     engineer essentially worked as two-man team to fly the aircraft anyway.

I have read, at least once, that a flight engineer DID bring a shot-up Lancaster home and 
land it successfully when the pilot had been incapacitated. 

As I remember it, he was rewarded for that effort.

I am also certain that he was not the only one who did this.

Keeping any airplane straight and level is usually not all that difficult: LANDING....at least, 
successfully...without bending the aircraft...any further....is the hard part.

Ken W7EKB

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