The International Cessna^® 170 Association

I have flown a few British aeroplanes.
They often as not are "clunky" and oddly, but strongly-constructed, with "agricultural" levers, controls, and curiously-designed systems....especially electrics and pnuematics.
But, even if underpowered models are flown, every one of them was an aviator's dream in handling characteristics,....not unlike many of their automobiles.

One of my daughters best friends, Barbara O'Grady, is an English lady whose father was an engineer on a Lancaster Bomber in WWII. Knowing that I had been a flight engineer on the B-29s, she sent me her fathers Lancaster engineers manual to look at. In the pictures of the fuel and hydraulic control systems, you would swear thet you were looking at something in a steam locomotive. A great bank of pipes and what looked like big round handled gate valves. It must have been an interesting job.
That big four engined bomber was a single pilot airplane. I understand that many of the British pilots of WWII used to think we wasted a lot of pilots on our two pilot bombers.

Having been under a Lancaster with it's bomb bay doors open, I marvelled at the size of the cavity. The pilot said " well she carried her own weight in bombs". I'm not sure that was the case with the B-29. I also noticed that all the crew locations where small and cramped in the Lancaster. I still think that there is no sweeter sound than 4 merlin engines on the roll which was probably the main reason for the heavy bomb load. They were both great planes in their own right.

I've actually been IN the Lancaster of the "Queens Battle of Britain Flight" when it visited Bournemouth, which was a WW-II Hawker Hurricane factory. I had ferried a HS-125 to there from Houston and while renting a car a Hurricane, Spitfire, and the Lancaster landed.
LO! and BEHOLD!...my co-pilot on the ferry flight recognized the pilot of the Lancaster as a former squadron-mate! We got invitations to come aboard and "had our way" with the great old Lady!
I've got lots of pics (film-camera), I'll try to find and scan to post.
It sure was a fine view, looking out from the cockpit along the leading edges and see four Merlins all lined-up!

I wouldn't be a bit surprized if the Lancaster carried a greater percentage of bomb weight. It had a helluva big, long, bomb bay. The B-29 had a front and rear bomb bays and the center between them had either an 1100 or 1300 gallon fuel tank,depending on the model. The Lancaster had neither the range or altitude capability of the B-29. It didn't need them either.