Operation Chastise Tribute
By Andy Marson

On the night of 16/17 May I was privileged to be asked to act as the navigator in a Lancaster simulator to recreate David Maltby's run on the Mohne Dam in real time. We 'took off' from RAF Scampton at 2132 hrs on 16 May following Maltby’s original route, were 6 seconds late crossing the Dutch coast north of Mickelburg and made the Mohne dam on time at 0049 hrs, 17 May, exactly 80 years later to the minute.
 
Andy Sturgess, from near Shaftesbury, Dorset, has spent 20 years meticulously recreating this replica Lancaster nose from original Avro drawings. This is not a wooden mock up but as near perfect to the real thing as it could be. The details are:
 
The Cockpit canopy is dated 1944.
The pilots seat was excavated from a quarry where aircraft were scrapped.
The engineers seat is original with WW2 cushion.
The Throttle box came from a known aircraft, ME485.
The landing gear and bomb door pilot’s controls came from a Canadian wartime Lancaster.
All switches and mag switches were originals that were wired up to work.
The construction of the aircraft was by Andy from aluminium sheet metal using the skills he had achieved from being taught by Jim McQuaid DFC, himself
a former WWII Flight Engineer.
Any metal parts no longer available were cast by Andy from molten aluminium.
        
All the instrumentation works as per the original, with the analog dials driven by computer-controlled servos to the rear. A visual surround system is incorporated, allied to X Plane, so positioning via Sky Demon is achieved.
        
Flying it felt like the real thing, incredibly spooky and emotional as we flew between the two towers of the dam in twilight conditions, as they would have done all those years ago. The only difference was the modern database on the visuals with the towns lit up and car headlights visible.
        
The crew for the event was: Skipper Andy Sturgess, Flt Eng. Will Sturgess (Andy's son), Nav myself, WOP Bob Kennard (ex RAF Crew Chief). Both Andy and Will are PPL holders.
        
A fitting tribute to commemorate this historical event.