In a tribute to the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force, a Second World War-era Avro Lancaster Mk. X bomber will tour Canada this summer, appearing in several air shows. While most of the over 7,000 Lancasters produced were of British origin, 430 were built in Canada at the Victory Aircraft factory in Malton (now part of Toronto).
The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum of Hamilton, Ontario owns one of only two flying examples of this historical aircraft in the world, which came off the assembly line in Malton in 1945. In 2014, it made a memorable flight across the Atlantic to join the world’s only other flying Lancaster for a tour of the United Kingdom.
Lancaster bombers played a key role in the famous Royal Air Force ‘Dambuster Raid’ in Germany during the war. Many Canadians were among those involved in the raid.
Lancasters served in the post-war years with the RCAF in numerous roles, including Arctic surveying, VIP transport and Search and Rescue roles. The last one was finally retired in 1964.