Escape hatch Lancaster

[alain charpentier]

Hello,

I would like to know the procedure to open the escape hatch of the Bomb Aimer position in a Lancaster ...Did the escape hatch had to be jettisoned outside the plane or put Inside after its opening ????


Thank you for your help !


Alain .

[lancasterlm342]

Hi Alain

The escape hatch would be jettisonned. Here is the full procedure for standard and emergency drills,,



I hope that works!

HTH - Mike

[bvs]

From A.P. 2062.A, Emergency equipment and controls

55. Parachute and crash exits.

Parachute exits may be made from the hatch in the floor of the nose or from the main entrance door. The pilot’s parachute is stowed immediately behind his seat on a panel at the end of the navigator’s table. The hatch in the nose is released by means of the handle at the centre, lifted inwards and jettisoned through the hole.

[alain charpentier]

Thank you very much Friends !! I found the handle and the mechanism of the hatch on a crash site, so I presume that the Bomb Aimer has had no time to open it …


Alain .

[bvs]

Hi Alain
Yes there could be a variety of reasons why the hatch was not jettisoned,some crews had difficulty unlocking the hatch and I think I have seen 3 different types of release mechanism,one being a 'Ring Pull' directly onto cables to withdraw the pins,another being a short lever to be pulled 'up' and 'aft' to withdraw the pins,and yet another with what looked like a Handle to pull and rotate to withdraw the pins.
Whether the 3 different 'Handles' go by Aircraft Mark/Year or whether they are a modification standard I do not know.
I did fly in the Bomb Aimers position aboard the BBMF Lancaster in the early 80's and there was not much room/space in the nose compartment,jettisoning the hatch would not have been easy - especially if the aircraft was out of control.

[ianh]

Sure I've seen stories about the hatch having been released and lifted inside the a/c, then getting jammed in the hole as the crew tried to push it out and jettison it.

Perhaps not difficult with the slipstream and in a plane going down spinning or out of control.

Ian