First Flight of the Avro Lancaster 9-January 1941

On this Day in History 9 January 1941 – First Flight of the Avro Lancaster

On January 9, 1941 Captain Harry Albert “Sam” Brown took the very first Avro Lancaster, prototype BT308, into the air from RAF Ringway in Cheshire. That short maiden flight south of Manchester marked the beginning of one of WWII’s most legendary aircraft.

Born from the troubled Avro Manchester, the Lancaster emerged after Avro redesigned the airframe to carry four Rolls‑Royce Merlin engines. The result was a bomber with far greater power, reliability, and payload — a leap forward that would define Britain’s strategic bombing capability.

By late 1941 and early 1942, the Lancaster was entering RAF service. It soon became the backbone of night operations over Germany and carried the heaviest bomb loads of the war, including the massive 22,000‑lb “Grand Slam.” From countless night raids to the famous Dambusters mission of 1943, its impact was enormous.

The Lancaster’s story didn’t end in 1945. It continued flying into the 1950s — and even inspired a civilian passenger variant called the Lancastrian.

Come visit history at the Canadian Aviation Museum and see the incredible restoration of Windsor’s own Lancaster FM-212.

You can also learn more on our Lancaster Page