The chief pilot of the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum is among the world’s most seasoned Lancaster exponents — not least from 2014’s UK tour
Against some stiff opposition, it was surely the historic aviation event of the decade. Two Avro Lancasters together in British skies, people turning out in their thousands everywhere they went. The country had rarely, if ever, seen anything like it. This spectacle transcended the boundaries of regular enthusiasm for old aeroplanes, such was the desire to see the pairing and be part of it. Airshows were packed out, the roads around their operating bases chocka-block. Those few weeks in 2014 will stay in the memory for a long time.
Success has many fathers, and such was the case here. The visit by the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum’s Lancaster X that made it all possible only happened thanks to the generosity, efforts and support of a host of individuals on both sides of the Atlantic. One of them on the Canadian side was Leon Evans, the CWHM’s chief pilot. Steeped in taildragger flying, this vastly experienced — 25,000-hour — ex-Air Canada captain became a natural choice to fly the ‘Lanc’ as his time with the museum progressed. The British tour was a highli…
