Statue for designer of iconic plane's landing gear

4 hours ago

Emma PetrieEast Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

News image — The statue of Sir George standing alongside the wheel of a Lancaster bomber

International Bomber Command Centre The statue is bronze in colour and Sir George wears a suit and tie. He has his hand on the top of the wheel. The statue is on a plinth in the manicured gardens of the IBCC. — The statue of Sir George standing alongside the wheel of a Lancaster bomber

An engineer who designed the hydraulic landing gear for the famous World War Two Lancaster bomber has been recognised with a statue in Lincolnshire.

The 8ft (2.4m) bronze sculpture depicts Sir George Dowty, who was a pioneer in aviation technology and mining engineering.

The statue of Dowty, who died in 1975, is due to be officially unveiled at the International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC) in Lincoln on Wednesday 27 May.

Sir Mike Graydon, chair of IBCC trustees, said: "George Dowty was a brilliant engineer and an unsung hero in the Lancaster bomber tale."

Sir George's hydraulic landing gear played a key role in the success of the iconic Avro Lancaster bomber and other military aircraft.

Joe Giddens/PA Wire A large bomber aircraft on the ground with its four propellers spinning. The plane is painted dark green underneath and in camouflage green and brown tones on its upper body. Very short grass is in the foreground of the image. — There are only two airworthy Lancasters left in the world, one of which (above) is based at the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire

The engineer also developed a hydraulic pit prop - a roof support system used in mines - by applying the same principles he had used to absorb the shock experienced by heavy aircraft on landing.

The pit roof support system could be adjusted to changing conditions and virtually eliminated the threat of roof collapses, thus improving safety standards in the mining industry.

Sir Mike said the IBCC, which serves as a point for recognition, remembrance and reconciliation for Bomber Command, was a fitting home for the sculpture.

The undercarriages of the Lancaster bomber were "faultlessly designed and manufactured" and "instrumental to safe landings for our crews at the completion of their flights", he said.

The statue has been funded by the Dowty Memorial Committee, based in Gloucestershire, which is Dowty's birthplace.

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