Introduction
Section 1 Military Service
Section 2 RCAF Mk10 AR Details Section 3 Canadian Civilian Life
Section 4 Preparations for Leaving Canada Section 5
Flights from Canada to Strathallan, Scotland

Section 6
Strathallan Life

Section 7
Leaving Strathallan
Section 8
To British Aerospace, Woodford
Section 9
1988 to present
Section 10
KB976 and KB994 Connection
Section 11
Nose and Fuselage Build
Section 12
Documents List 1
Section 13
Documents List 2
Links 
Credits
Email Me 

Lancaster KB976 Section 5 - The Flights from Canada to Strathallan, Scotland

Unless otherwise credited, all photographs on this page are taken by Glyn Genin,
the official photographer on the Trans-Atlantic flight and provided by courtesy of Dick Richardson.
kb976_568
kb976_573
The below photographs are at Edmonton International Airport where the aircraft was located following the recertification work. From here the flight to Scotland began.
kb976_558

kb976_546
kb976_559
kb976_557
kb976_556
870
kb976_563
kb976_551
kb976_541
kb976_550
011-lancaster
kb976_561
012-lancaster
Now at Toronto International Airport
kb976_533
013-lancaster
014-lancaster
015-lancaster
066-lancaster
016-lancaster
017-lancaster
018-lancaster
019-lancaster
020-lancaster
021-lancaster

Picture1
025-lancaster
kb976_542
027-lancaster
kb976_562
022-lancaster
023-lancaster
The above two photographs are at Halifax, Nova Scotia, parked outside Imperial Marine Products which serviced C130s. The President of IMP is pictured here with his family. The staff of the company also came out for photographs and kindly helped sort some radio problems KB976 had been having.
kb976_549
1069187_471834732912549_982372526_n
KB 976 leaving Halifax Canada, 18th May 1975
Photo by Barrie MacLeod from his Facebook page YHZ ATC
972060_471839439578745_1735095211_n
KB 976 leaving Halifax Canada, 18th May 1975
Photo by Barrie MacLeod from his Facebook page YHZ ATC
450
KB 976 leaving Halifax Canada, 18th May 1975
Photo by Barrie MacLeod from his Facebook page YHZ ATC
kb976_595
026-lancaster
Gander airport, Canada
kb976_552
kb976_553
029-lancaster
030-lancaster
031-lancaster
kb976_548
032-lancaster
Captain P A Mackenzie (DSO, DFC) British Caledonian Director Flight Operations
033-lancaster
034-lancaster
035-lancaster
kb976_554
kb976_540
kb976_539
kb976_564
036-lancaster
037-lancaster
038-lancaster
Landing at Reykjavik, Iceland
039-lancaster
Landing at Reykjavik, Iceland
040-lancaster
Flypast at Reykjavik, Iceland
041-lancaster
070-lancaster

L to R: David Kemp, Stan Banfield, Capt MacKenzie, Dick Richardson and Gerry Moore

The flights from Alberta took 34 hours, flying by way of Toronto, Halifax, Gander and Reykjavik (Iceland) to Scotland.
The five man crew was made up of three officers of British Caledonian Airways Ltd, all former Lancaster crew in WWII -
Captain MacKenzie, BCal’s Flight Operations Director, was in command
Gerry Moore as Co-pilot
David Kemp as
Navigator
Stan Banfield was Flight engineer
Strathallan’s Dick Richardson was also on board
Glyn Genin was on board as the official photographer
042-lancaster
RAF Nimrod meets KB976 at Tiree, Scotland
043-lancaster
044-lancaster
kb976_560
045-lancaster
Approach to Glasgow Airport, May 1975.
Photograph taken and provided by courtesy of Dick Richardson
410
Photograph courtesy of Dave Thaxter http://www.british-caledonian.com/
420
Photograph courtesy of Dave Thaxter http://www.british-caledonian.com/

470
Glasgow Airport May/June 1975
460

046-lancaster
Captain Mackenzie and new owner Sir William Roberts at Glasgow Airport
kb976_567
kb976_547
Charts and Maps from the Trans-Atlantic journey.
540
Photograph courtesy of Dave Thaxter http://www.british-caledonian.com/
520
Photograph courtesy of Jim Bavin
530
480
Photo by Hugh McMillan
490
Photo by Hugh McMillan
510
Photo by Hugh McMillan
500
Photo by Hugh McMillan
kb976_572
The next 8 photos are all taken and provided by courtesy of Dick Richardson. They were taken during an attempt to land at Strathallan on 18th May 1975. The Cessna 207 G-AYTJ belonging to Sir William Roberts delivered Dick to Glasgow airport that day and the remaining photographs then show the view from the aircraft on the way to Strathallan.
Captain MacKenzie deemed the conditions unsuitable for landing so returned to Glasgow airport.
kb976_700
kb976_704
kb976_706
En route to Strathallan above Crosslee, on the bank of the River Gryffe about four miles west of Glasgow Airport.
Thanks to Joe Kokes for identifying the location.
kb976_708
kb976_703
kb976_702
Two images showing Crieff in the distance.
kb976_705
kb976_701
049-lancaster
Circling above Strathallan before returning to Glasgow Airport.
047-lancaster
Finally on 10th June 1975 another attempt was made, this time successfully.
Photographs taken and provided by courtesy of Dick Richardson - A view of the village of Kippen, Stirlingshire on the flight from Glasgow Airport to Strathallan Airfield.
560
Possibly the very last flight for KB 976 - flying above Auchterarder, on either the May or June flight 1975
Photograph by Douglas Campbell from his Flickr photo site
550
Photograph by Douglas Campbell from his Flickr photo site
048-lancaster
Photograph taken and provided by courtesy of Dick Richardson
Approaching Strathallan airfield
050-lancaster
Photograph taken and provided by courtesy of Dick Richardson
Approaching Strathallan airfield
kb976_732
kb976_731
kb976_730
The final flight and landing at Strathallan

kb976_566
Sir William Roberts (left) and the Lancaster crew 
kb976_570

051-lancaster
Photograph courtesy of Dick Richardson
KB976 Finally at her new home.
lanc1
lanc2
lanc3
lanc5
Clippings courtesy of Margaret Issa
570
Photograph courtesy of Dave Thaxter http://www.british-caledonian.com/

From the left - Mr J M Ritchie, British Caledonian External Affairs Director, Colonel Frank Kaufman, Sir William Roberts of Strathallan, Captain P A Mackenzie (DSO, DFC) British Caledonian Director Flight Operations.

A reception was held at the Canadian Embassy after their arrival, hosted by Colonel Frank Kaufman, Senior Liaison Officer (Air Force) of the Canadian Defence Liaison Staff in London, in honour of the last flight of Spirit of Caledonia and the British Caledonian crew who flew the aircraft to Scotland.


kb976_538
kb976_545
kb976_544
Postcard courtesy of Dick Richardson
kb976_647
kb976_646
VETERAN LANCASTER RETURNS TO UK
Originally from http://www.aircrew.org.uk/woking/W_News210401.html - this page is now unavailable.

Members of Woking Aircrew Association at their regular monthly meeting at the Fairoaks Flight Centre were treated to a lively and very humorous illustrated account of the adventures of an ex-Pathfinders crew and a very experienced ground engineer who went to Canada in the late 70s to fly a retired Lancaster back to Britain.

The speaker was Dick Richardson, who had the distinction of serving for 12 years continuously on the same RAF Station, rising from Corporal Fitter to Chief Technician, looking after Mark I and Mark II Vulcans, and subsequently taking on responsibility for maintaining the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Lancaster. Following his RAF career, he became Chief Engineer to the Strathallan Collection of Vintage Aircraft owned by Sir William Roberts. It was in this capacity that he was sent to Canada to survey an ex-wartime Canadian built Lancaster Mk X parked at Calgary Airport, which had been converted as a Water Bomber, carrying 2000 gallons at a time to be dumped on forest fires.

Having scrounged necessary replacement parts from nine other derelict Lancasters of various vintages which he found dumped at Edmonton, he was joined by a crew led by Captain P A Mackenzie, ex-83 Squadron, who was then the Operations Director at British Caledonian Airways, and other B Cal crew members who had also flown Lancasters during the war.

They had a tremendous reception at their first port of call, Toronto, where the aircraft was originally built, with huge crowds to see them off, and much media coverage. On departure, the queue of impatient 747s in the takeoff queue were told by Air Traffic Control that "Today it is age before beauty" and had to wait until the Lancaster had completed a requested fly-past for the waiting crowds!

Similar attention was paid to their refueling stops at Halifax, Gander and Reykjavik, where it turned out that the British Consul was an ex-rear gunner, and so they were required to beat up the town before they left. On their return to UK they were, to their surprise, met and escorted in over Tiree by a Maritime Reconnaissance Nimrod, with wheels and flaps down and with 39 people on board, all clustering with cameras round portholes on the port side, upsetting its trim! Captain Mac asked the Nimrod Captain to "clean up his aircraft" so that they could get decent photos, which they subsequently exchanged to great glee all round.

They had another great reception at Glasgow Airport, after which they had to fly the aircraft onto an 800-yard dirt strip at its future home at the Strathallan collection, where it was repainted in 405 Squadron colours, but sadly, although its Merlin engines "never missed a beat" all the way across the Atlantic, it never flew again.

Dick Richardson finished his presentation with slides of derelict military aircraft he found all over Canada in various stages of disarray, but he could name every one, and his whole talk sounded as if it had happened only yesterday. He was given a heartfelt vote of thanks by all present, and our Social Secretary was urged to provide more speakers like Dick, PLEASE!

Above originally from http://www.aircrew.org.uk/woking/W_News210401.html - this page is now unavailable.

ferry1
ferry2
ferry3a
ferry4
ferry5
Introduction
Section 1 Military Service
Section 2 RCAF Mk10 AR Details Section 3 Canadian Civilian Life
Section 4 Preparations for Leaving Canada Section 5
Flights from Canada to Strathallan, Scotland

Section 6
Strathallan Life

Section 7
Leaving Strathallan
Section 8
To British Aerospace, Woodford
Section 9
1988 to present
Section 10
KB976 and KB994 Connection
Section 11
Nose and Fuselage Build
Section 12
Documents List 1
Section 13
Documents List 2
Links 
Credits
Email Me