| 26" x 20" | "The Ruhr Express" Michael Martchenko s/n by Artist, co-signed Edition Size: 850 |
$125.00 (Cdn) |
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The Avro Lancaster is usually considered the best of the heavy WWII night bombers and a glance at any of the extant examples will quickly show its massive size for the time. With British factories stretched to full capacity it was decided that it would be a great help to build some in Canada (over 400 eventually), despite the fact that the Canadian aircraft industry had never undertaken a project of such complexity. The contract for the Lancaster was given in December 1941 to the Aircraft Division, National Steel Car Corp. at Malton, Ont., which became Victory Aircraft Ltd. in November 1942. The first Canadian Lancaster, KB700, first flew on August 1, 1943. It was the first four engined and largest machine built in Canada. The men and women of Victory Aircraft at Malton, Ontario produced the tough and sturdy Lancaster in record time. The successful completion of the contract and the quality of the Lancaster X's led to the formation of A.V. Roe Canada Ltd. in December 1945 which took over Victory Aircraft's facilities. This company went on to design and build the C-102 Jetliner (the first North American jet transport), the all-weather CF-100 jet fighter and the supersonic CF-105 Arrow.
The "Ruhr" herself had a tentative start experiencing engine and electrical problems all along her route. Upon arrival at London, England she became the star of the hour among press releases on both sides of the Atlantic. S/L Reg Lane and crew had managed to deliver her safely and upon being re-crewed in 405 Squadron No. 8 Pathfinder Group, and later in 419, "Moose" SQN, she completed 48 successful missions. However, on her 49th operation (a completed "tour" was 50) she overshot the runway on landing and was totally destroyed. (Her entire crew escaping the fire successfully).The massive, powerful "Ruhr Express", KB 700 is depicted over Malton (now Pearson International) on August 6, 1943 by the talented Canadian artist Michael Martchenko, truly a milestone in Canada's aerospace industry. The lithograph, published by B.C.I.'s parent company Anvid MacBeaver Ltd., is countersigned by Lt. General (Ret.) R.J. (Reggie) Lane and K.M. (Ken) Molson, former Victory Aircraft Assistant to the Chief Liaison Engineer and original curator of Canada's National Aviation Museum.  Squadron Leader Reg Lane, D.S.O., D.F.C., had successfully completed two tours, in 35 SQN Pathfinders when he was chosen to shepherd the Ruhr across the Atlantic. After handing her over to 405 SQN, he shortly thereafter volunteered to command 405 SQN although he had to realize that the chance of surviving a third tour, particularly on Pathfinders was marginal. He survived that third tour to become perhaps the youngest Group Captain ever at 23 years of age, and today is an extremely active and energetic Lt. General "Retired". Reg Lane agreed to sign the prints on behalf of air crews who flew the mighty Lancaster.K.M. (Ken) Molson was one of the many who worked long and hard to produce KB 700. Without their dedication there would have been no aircraft to fly and we were very pleased when he agreed to sign as a representative of the thousands who took care of the seemingly endless problems of constructing and maintaining such a complex machine. Mr. Molson's love of aircraft led to his selection as the first curator of Canada's original National Aviation Museum. His recent book "Canada's National Aviation Museum" details a continuing passion for the people and aircraft which shaped Canada's history.
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