I toured the Lancaster bomber that carries Sheffield's name and could soon fly over city

Famed for the Dambusters raids in 1943, and still a cherished part of British history, there are few things more likely to turn heads than a flypast by the RAF’s last Lanc, operated by the Battle of Britain memorial flight.

But if plans come to completion, there could soon be a second Lancaster in the skies of the UK.

That is because work to restore one of the iconic planes back to airworthy condition is gradually going on in a hangar in Lincolnshire.

And in a tribute to the city where its owner’s relatives experienced the Blitz, the plane that could soon be back in the air carries the name City of Sheffield.

It may not be back in the air yet. But it is already restored to the point it can travel a nearby field, powered by its own propellers. If the plans are completed, it would raise the possibility of the City of Sheffield Lancaster bomber at some point in the future flying over the city whose name it carries

That may still be a few years away. But the family which owns the aircraft, at the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre, near Skegness, will let people inside the rare aircraft for a tour.

I was delighted to receive one of these tours as a birthday present. And after finally arranging the date, I climbed inside the famous aircraft this summer.

After a two hour drive down to the hangar, at the former RAF East Kirkby, which was a bomber base in the war, I was excited at the prospect. The base is now a visitor attraction, owned by the family which owns the Lanc.

There were eight of us on the tour, and things started with a talk from the guides. They explained that the aircraft had been bought by two brothers, part of the local Panton family, as a tribute to the memory of a third brother, who was killed in a Lancaster in a raid over Nuremburg in March 1944.

They explained that the plane was given the City of Sheffield tag, with the city’s crest pained onto its fuselage, because another family member had lived close to Sheffield during 1940, and saw the devastating effects of Nazi air raids on the city.

After the detailed and fascinating talk was over, we were led inside the plane, and split into two groups. Four of us headed to look at the back, while four went towards the front.

We took it in turns to battle our way through a narrow, claustrophobic gangway to get to the rear gunner’s turret, taking the seat behind the guns. It was clear that the gunner, who apparently did not have space for his parachute, must have had a torrid time. It was clear how vulnerable he was, and how terrifying his job must have been. The guides continued to provide fascinating, and sometimes surprising information, including how one crew member survived falling from their plane without a parachute.

Behind the Lancaster, dominating the view from the turret, was another British wartime plane, a Mosquito fighter bomber. For me, this felt strangely moving, as one of my uncles, who had been a radar navigator on Mosquito night fighters in the war, had once told me how they used to practice using Lancasters, as a way to hone their radar skills. With the rear section done, the two groups swapped over. It was time to try out the positions at the front.

That meant it was time to try the pilot’s seat, and then move down into the space where the front gunner and the bomb aimer would have been.

Again, space was tight, and the exit from the plane, if they had to bale out in an emergency, tricky to get to quickly.

Sign up today to get all of the latest news headlines from Sheffield and South Yorkshire delivered straight to your inbox, with The Star’s free emails

It was impossible not to think of those who would have been taking those seats in the war, facing freezing temperatures and being shot at, with just a thin sheet of metal between than and the bullets. It should never be forgotten that over 50,000 were killed flying in the RAF’s bombers in the second world war.

The tour took around an hour, and, with that completed, there was also the chance to look around the wider museum, across a large site. There was plenty to fill a whole day.

The Lancaster tour has to be pre-booked. But it was a moving experience, and a reminder of what those bomber crews had to endure.

Interestingly, South Yorkshire is playing its own small road in the restoration of the Lancaster. A section of the fuselage of the aircraft that I toured is on loan from the Aeroventure museum in Doncaster. That section has been restored by the experts in Lincolnshire, and has temporarily replaced the City of Sheffield’s original section, while that, in turn is restored to an air-worthy condition.

The sections will then be swapped over again, and the South Yorkshire exhibit will be returned to Doncaster in its own newly restored condition.