Researched 2026-10-11 from the sources listed below. Airframes move between hangars, workshops and loans: check with Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight Visitors Centre before travelling to see this one.
The airframe in brief
| Serial / registration | PA474 |
|---|---|
| Type | Avro Lancaster B.I |
| Built | Vickers-Armstrongs, Broughton; completed 31 May 1945 |
| Units / operator | 82 Sqn (from 1948); College of Aeronautics, Cranfield; BBMF from November 1973 |
| New main spar | Winter 1995 |
| Engine fire | 7 May 2015; flew again 12 October 2015 |
| Arrived | BBMF, RAF Coningsby, November 1973 |
| Current | Major service at Duxford; due back 2027 |
| Status | Airworthy |
| Where | Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight Visitors Centre, Lincoln |
The story of PA474
PA474 was built by Vickers-Armstrongs at Broughton, near Chester, and completed on 31 May 1945. It was intended for Tiger Force in the Far East, but the war ended and it went into storage.
In 1948 it joined 82 Squadron, stripped of turrets, for photographic survey work in East and South Africa. In August 1952 it was loaned to Flight Refuelling Ltd as a possible drone, but the company chose a Lincoln instead.
From late 1952 the College of Aeronautics at Cranfield used it to test laminar-flow wing sections mounted above the rear fuselage. The Air Historical Branch took it over in 1964, and it appeared in the films Operation Crossbow and The Guns of Navarone.
After storage at Wroughton and Henlow, 44 Squadron asked for it in 1965 and restored it at Waddington. It joined the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight in November 1973. A mid-upper turret found in Argentina was fitted in 1975, and a new main spar in winter 1995.
On 7 May 2015 its starboard outer engine caught fire in flight; the crew landed safely at Coningsby. It flew again on 12 October 2015. It spent ten months with the Aircraft Restoration Company at Duxford in 2021, and gained its display authority again on 6 August 2024.
It is now back at Duxford for a major service, with return to Coningsby expected in 2027.
Seeing PA474 today
When it is not away at displays or in maintenance, PA474 can be seen in the BBMF hangar on the Visitor Centre's guided tours. It is currently at Duxford for a major service and is not expected back at Coningsby until 2027.
| Museum | Adult entry | Airframes | Headline exhibit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight Visitors CentreLincoln, Lincolnshire | £12.50 | 11 | Lancaster PA474 — one of only two airworthy Lancasters on Earth — when she's home (she periodically visits Duxford for deep maintenance,… |
Also known as: City of Lincoln · BBMF Lancaster · Lancaster PA474