Avro Lancaster Bomber: Saskatoon Gets Visit From Rare World War II Aircraft

The Royal Canadian Air Force is celebrating its 100th anniversary with air shows across the continent. Saskatoon residents were visited by one of the rarest surviving aircraft from World War II, including a former pilot.

By the end of the war, more than 7,300 Avro Lancaster bombers were roaring through the skies. Eighty years later, only 17 Lancasters remain in existence, and only two are still capable of flying.

One of those historic bombers visited Saskatoon on Thursday, with hundreds of people of all generations flocking to the Saskatchewan Aviation Museum to see it up close.

“It always surprises me when we come to these types of events,” said Dave Rohrer, captain of the Avro Lancaster and president and CEO of the Canadian War Plane Museum.

“How many people are here, and what does this Lancaster represent, and how important is it to many Canadians across the country.”

(Chad Hills/CTV News)

The historic bomber is making its way across the continent, from its home base in Hamilton to various air shows as part of the RCAF’s 100th anniversary celebrations. It wasn’t a full air show, but a special request convinced the crew to make a stop in Saskatoon.

“Today is a special day because this plane flew in World War II,” said Brian Eikel, director of the Saskatchewan Aviation Museum. “And there’s a guy here, Reg Harrison, nicknamed ‘Crash’ Harrison. He flew 19 missions to Germany and survived four crashes.”

Harrison got the best seat in the house from a Saskatoon Airport vehicle on the tarmac as the Lancaster arrived and landed. As the plane pulled up to the museum, Harrison shared a few stories with the crew, later explaining what it felt like to be so close to one of his old planes.

“It’s hard to put into words,” Harrison said. “I’ve had a lot of surprises in my life, but I would have to say this tops them all because I never, ever expected something like this to happen. I’m so grateful to all the people who made this happen and I want them to know how much I appreciate it.”

The former pilot considers himself lucky, as the survival rate for airmen during the war was less than 50 percent, regardless of whether it involved near-collisions while flying in tight formations, being shot down by friendly or enemy fire, or mechanical failures.

“The loss rate was almost 49.9 percent, but they never told us that at the time,” Harrison said. “Because if they had, we would have been a lot more afraid to go.”

(Chad Hills/CTV News)

Despite the terrible ordeal of flying during the war, Harrison still missed the roar of the engines and the intense action.

“And everything was so quiet I couldn’t hear the roar of the engines starting up and taking off,” he said. “I wish I had stayed with the special squadron, what a contrast.”

But with a nickname like ‘Crash’, Harrison says he hasn’t been that keen on planes since.

“I started my tour with a crash and I ended it with a crash,” Harrison told CTV News. “I thought, if I go back to flying, there’s not going to be any night fighters shooting at me, there’s not going to be any searchlights looking for me. But with my luck, if I go back to flying, a wing might fall off the plane. So I might have to stop.”

The Lancaster has been refueled and will depart for Cold Lake this weekend for an air show.