Ian Bott ‘steps aboard’ Guy Gibson’s Lancaster for a visceral experience of the Dambusters night-raid on the Möhne Dam, thanks to an adrenalin-filled new virtual reality attraction at the RAF Museum London.
Tracer bullets zipped overhead while flak rocked ED932 as the Lancaster inexorably sped towards its Möhne Dam target. Being virtually in Guy Gibson’s aircraft as the raid unfolded and seeing, hearing, touching and feeling what the crew went through was awe inspiring.
The skill and bravery of the crews on the Dambusters raid is legendary. Now historic records and cutting-edge technology combine to create a crew’s-eye view of the famous overnight raid of May 16-17, 1943.
This installation, a collaboration between the museum and UK creative studio All Seeing Eye, uses innovative virtual reality (VR) technology to give an insight into flying on board Avro Lancaster B III (Special) ED932 as it led the attack.
The physical portion of ‘Immersive Histories: Dambusters Virtual Reality Experience’ consists of a full-size recreation of part of the fuselage from just behind the wireless operator’s station to the back of the pilot’s seat. Only a small portion of the port side of the ‘Lancaster’ fuselage has been…