Two chunks of a huge silver plane fill the middle space of a hangar at the BC Aviation Museum.

Boxes and bins line shelves along the walls, filled with bits and bobs sa国际传媒� some that the restoration team isnsa国际传媒檛 sure where they belong, and others sorted to where they figure the parts belong.

Itsa国际传媒檚 presumably all the parts to the 1944 Avro Lancaster Mark 10 shipped to the North Saanich site by the City of Toronto in 2018.

sa国际传媒淲e got a kit,sa国际传媒� explained project lead Gary Powe, joking about the puzzle volunteers have been putting together for years now.

Leaning on existing knowledge, the other remaining 16 around the world, old schematics, math and educated guesses, theysa国际传媒檙e sorting it all out to get a good static display.

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Built in 1944, at Victory Aircraft Limited in Toronto, the FM104 was sent to the UK in early 1945 but didnsa国际传媒檛 ever see combat. It had been mounted on a concrete slab in a city park for more than three decades.

sa国际传媒淚 have photos of us having picnics under it,sa国际传媒� said Cheryl Thorpe, seated metres away from the nose of the aircraft she once played under.

The FM104 is part of her childhood as a picnic site, and the Lancaster in general, serves as a reminder of the war trauma her father endured sa国际传媒� first serving on a Lancaster as a mid-upper gunner then as a pilot.

sa国际传媒淚t was a miracle he came back because he did 38 missions,sa国际传媒� Thorpe said.

Shesa国际传媒檚 been cleaning bits and bobs of the engine for about five years now sa国际传媒� starting around the time the plane landed at the museum.

Her son Chris Thorpe does similar detailing duty nearby, tackling one of four Merlin engines nearby sa国际传媒� and knows how it works inside and out.

Several of the volunteers buzzing about the room have personal connections to that aspect of the planesa国际传媒檚 working life.

Bryan Georgesa国际传媒檚 grandfather worked on them in the UK. While this one was made in Canada, it still offers that connection to the past.

At the museum, the shop managersa国际传媒檚 father worked in them, and Powesa国际传媒檚 own father flew in them.

A woman visited recently who worked riveted wings on Lancasters in the 1940s.

sa国际传媒淚t could well have been on this aircraft,sa国际传媒� Powe said. sa国际传媒淭heresa国际传媒檚 a lot of family connections with this particular aircraft.sa国际传媒�

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While FM104 didnsa国际传媒檛 ever see combat sa国际传媒� sa国际传媒淒uring the war it never had guns in it,sa国际传媒� Powe said sa国际传媒� it did full a full career changing lives. It returned to Canada in June 1945 and was retrofit to become a coastal surveillance and search and rescue plane, amassing 7,000 flying hours until it was retired in 1964.

There were notes in the nose where crew indicated who or what they were searching for, typically in the Arctic, Powe says.

sa国际传媒淭heresa国际传媒檚 a history angle of it, but I guess also an engineering history of it sa国际传媒� ideas that are still viable or workable today,sa国际传媒� Powe said. sa国际传媒淲esa国际传媒檙e all old geezers, but to get younger people interested in engineering and manufacturing techniques theresa国际传媒檚 a real value there.sa国际传媒�

This Lancaster wonsa国际传媒檛 likely ever fly again, but thatsa国际传媒檚 not the goal. The idea is to get it looking like it flew a week ago.

Powe hopes to have the floor and pilot seat in place as well as the front instrument panel installed and partially populated by the time the BC Aviation Museum sa国际传媒� packed literally to the rafters with aircraft sa国际传媒� hosts its annual open house in August.

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