Avro Lancaster Bomber in World War II

Avro Lancaster Bomber in World War II The Avro Lancaster was a heavy bomber flown by the Royal Air Force during World War II. An evolution of the earlier and smaller Avro Manchester, the Lancaster became one of the backbones the RAFs nighttime bombing offensive against Germany. Possessing a large bomb bay, the aircraft proved capable of carrying a variety of exceptionally heavy weapons including Grand Slam and Tallboy bombs. The Lancaster was also adapted for special missions such as the Dambuster Raid (Operation Chastise) in 1943. During the course of the war, over 7,000 Lancaster were built with approximately 44%lost to enemy action. Design and Development The Lancaster originated with the design of the earlier Avro Manchester. Responding to Air Ministry Specification P.13/36 which called for a medium bomber capable of being used in all environments, Avro created the twin-engine Manchester in the late 1930s. Similar in appearance to its later cousin, the Manchester utilized the new Roll-Royce Vulture engine. First flying in July 1939, the type showed promise, but the Vulture engines proved highly unreliable. As a result only 200 Manchesters were built and these were withdrawn from service by 1942. As the Manchester program was struggling, Avros chief designer, Roy Chadwick, began work on an improved, four-engine version of the aircraft. Dubbed the Avro Type 683 Manchester III, Chadwicks new design utilized the more reliable Rolls-Royce Merlin engine and a larger wing. Renamed Lancaster, development progressed quickly as the Royal Air Force was engaged in World War II. The Lancaster was similar to its predecessor in that it was a mid-wing cantilever monoplane, featured a greenhouse-style canopy, turret nose, and a twin tail configuration. Built of all-metal construction, the Lancaster required a crew of seven: pilot, flight engineer, bombardier, radio operator, navigator, and two gunners. For protection, the Lancaster carried eight.30 cal. machine guns mounted in three turrets (nose, dorsal, and tail). Early models also featured a ventral turret but these were removed as they were difficult to site. Featuring a massive 33 ft.-long bomb bay, the Lancaster was capable carrying a load of up to 14,000 lbs. As work progressed, the prototype was assembled at Manchesters Ringway Airport. Production On January 9, 1941, it first took to the air with test pilot H.A. Bill Thorn at the controls. From the start it proved to be a well-designed aircraft and few changes were needed before moving into production. Accepted by the RAF, remaining Manchester orders were switched to the new Lancaster. A total of 7,377 Lancasters of all types were built during its production run. While the majority was built at Avros Chadderton plant, Lancasters were also built under contract by Metropolitan-Vickers, Armstrong-Whitworth, Austin Motor Company, and Vickers-Armstrong. The type was also built in Canada by Victory Aircraft. Avro Lancaster GeneralLength: 69 ft. 5 in. Wingspan: 102 ft. Height: 19 ft. 7 in. Wing Area: 1,300 sq. ft. Empty Weight: 36,828 lbs. Loaded Weight: 63,000 lbs. Crew: 7PerformanceEngines: 4 Ãâ€" Rolls-Royce Merlin XX V12 engines, 1,280 hp each Range: 3,000 miles Max Speed: 280 mph Ceiling: 23,500 ft. ArmamentGuns: 8 Ãâ€" .30 in (7.7 mm) machine guns Bombs: 14,000 lbs. depending on range, 1 x 22,000-lb. Grand Slam bomb Operational History First seeing service with No. 44 Squadron RAF in early 1942, the Lancaster quickly became one of Bomber Commands principal heavy bombers. Along with the Handley Page Halifax, the Lancaster carried the load of the British nighttime bomber offensive against Germany. Through the course of the war, Lancasters flew 156,000 sorties and dropped 681,638 tons of bombs. These missions were a hazardous duty and 3,249 Lancasters were lost in action (44% of all built). As the conflict progressed, the Lancaster was modified several times to accommodate new types of bombs. Avro Lancaster B.Is of 44 Squadron. Public Domain Initially capable of carrying 4,000-lb. blockbuster or cookie bombs, the addition of bulged doors to the bomb bay allowed the Lancaster to drop 8,000- and later 12,000-lb. blockbusters. Additional modifications to the aircraft allowed them to carry the 12,000-lb. Tallboy and 22,000-lb. Grand Slam earthquake bombs which were used against hardened targets. Directed by Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Bomber Harris, Lancasters played a key role in Operation Gomorrah which destroyed large parts of Hamburg in 1943. The aircraft was also widely used in Harris area bombing campaign which flattened many German cities. Special Missions During the course of its career, the Lancaster also achieved fame for conducting special, daring missions over hostile territory. One such mission, Operation Chastise a.k.a. the Dambuster Raids, saw specially modified Lancasters use Barnes Wallis bouncing Upkeep bombs to destroy key dams in the Ruhr Valley. Flown in May 1943, the mission was a success and provided a boost to British morale. In the fall of 1944, Lancasters conducted multiple strikes against the German battleship Tirpitz, first damaging and then sinking it. The destruction of the ship removed a key threat to Allied shipping. Upkeep bomb mounted on a Avro Lancaster. Public Domain Later Service In the final days of the war, the Lancaster conducted humanitarian missions over the Netherlands as part of Operation Manna. These flights saw the aircraft drop food and supplies to that nations starving population. With the end of the war in Europe in May 1945, many Lancasters were slated for transfer to the Pacific for operations against Japan. Intended to operate from bases in Okinawa, the Lancasters proved unnecessary following Japans surrender in September. Retained by the RAF after the war, Lancasters were also transferred to France and Argentina. Other Lancasters were converted into civilian aircraft. Lancasters remained in use by the French, largely in maritime search/rescue roles, until the mid-1960s. The Lancaster also spawned several derivatives including the Avro Lincoln. An enlarged Lancaster, the Lincoln arrived too late to see service during World War II. Other types to come from the Lancaster included the Avro York transport and the Avro Shackleton maritime patrol/airborne early warning aircraft.

How to Email Professors at Prospective Grad Schools

How to Email Professors at Prospective Grad Schools As an applicant to graduate school you have probably wondered more than once exactly what professors look for when they select students. Wouldn’t it be easier if you could just ask them? Before you go any further, let me warn you that emails can backfire. Many applicants email professors at graduate programs they wish to attend and receive terse replies, or perhaps most commonly, no replies. For example, consider this question from a reader: I am trying to figure out a topic that would be most suitable for me. I have reached out to many professors with little luck. Occasionally, they will share articles, but rarely will I get a response to a question. My questions range from graduate opportunities to specifics about their work.   This reader’s experience is not unusual.   So what gives? Are graduate professors simply rude? Perhaps, but also consider the following contributors to the poor responses from faculty. Figuring out What You Want to Study Is Your Job First and foremost, it seems that this reader needs to do more work before contacting prospective mentors. As an applicant, realize that choosing a field of study is your task and one that you should do before emailing professors at graduate programs. To do so, read widely. Consider the classes youve taken and what subfields interest you. This is the most important part: Talk with faculty at your university.   Approach your professors for help. They should be your first line of advice in this regard. Ask Informed Questions, Not Ones Whose Answers Are Readily Available Before you email a professor for advice,   be sure that you have done your homework. Dont ask questions about information that you can learn from a basic internet or database search. For example, information about a professors research and copies of articles are easily available online. Likewise, dont ask questions about the graduate program unless you have carefully reviewed all of the information on both the departments website and the professor’s website. Professors might view answering such questions a waste of time. Moreover, asking questions about information that is readily available might signal naivetà © or, worse, laziness. This is not to say that you should never contact professors at prospective programs. Before you email a professor make sure that it is for the right reasons. Ask informed questions that show that you are familiar with his or her work and the program and simply seek clarification on a few specific topics.  Ã‚   Three basic guidelines for emailing professors at prospective graduate programs: Do not inundate the professor with questions. Ask only one or two specific questions and you will be much more likely to get a reply than if you ask a series of questions.Be specific.   Don’t ask questions that will require more than a sentence or two in response.   In-depth questions about their research usually fall in this area. Remember that professors may be pressed for time. An email that looks like it will take more than a minute or two to answer may be ignored.Don’t ask questions that are outside of a professor’s purview. General questions about financial aid, how applicants are selected by the program, and housing, for example,   fall into this area. What should you ask prospective graduate mentors?Probably the question that you are most interested in is whether the professor is accepting students. That simple, direct, question is most likely to yield a response. How Do You Ask a Professor Whether He or She Is Taking Students? In a simple email,  explain that you are very interested in the professor’s research on X and, here’s the important part, would like to know whether he or she is accepting students.   Keep the email brief, just a couple of sentences. A short, concise email will likely yield a response, even if it is a â€Å"No, I am not accepting students.† What Next? Thank the professor for his or her response, regardless. If the faculty member is accepting students then work on tailoring your application to his or her lab. Should you start a dialogue? You can’t predict how a professor will respond to multiple emails. Some might welcome them, but it is better playing it safe and avoid emailing the professor again unless you have specific questions about his or her research. Faculty doesnt want to mentor students who require hand-holding, and you want to avoid being perceived as needy. Should you decide to ask a specific question about his or her research, remember that brevity is key in receiving a response.