Lancaster “Flight Simulator” arrives at Metheringham Airfield Visitor Centre
On May 12th 2026, Metheringham Airfield Visitor Centre took delivery of a new exhibit which will form the centrepiece of an exciting new attraction at the museum over the coming months and years. The exhibit is a beautifully crafted, full-scale replica of the front section of an Avro Lancaster bomber, built from scratch by Léon Ellison in his garden workshop at the family home near Bracknell.
Léon Ellison spent over two decades first researching and then handcrafting an exact replica of the forward section of a WW2 Avro Lancaster Bomber, which he intended to become a fully working simulator. His vision was to be able to “fly” the famous Dambusters Raid of 16-17 May 1943. Léon spent the best part of 20 years doing all the research, finding the original drawings, where they existed, and taking photographs of every Lancaster that he could get his hands on. Then he started to build his own Lancaster, starting from the ground up, all of it fabricated in his workshop in the garden. The only parts that were not made by Léon were the struts around the top half of the fuselage, which were laser cut by a company for him. The build includes some original parts including instruments and an authentic radio in the Wireless Operator’s position.
Sadly, after he had completed the actual aircraft front section, Léon died suddenly in June 2024 before he could turn it in to a working simulator. After Léon’s passing, the family looked to donate the simulator to an organisation that would care for it to a high standard whilst making it available to a much wider audience and ultimately try and complete it as a working simulator, in order to realise Léon’s vision.
MAVC is delighted to have been chosen by the Ellison family to become the custodian of Léon’s Lancaster and after several months of discussions it has now been donated to Metheringham Airfield Visitor Centre (MAVC), who will undertake the necessary work to complete the project. Metheringham Airfield Visitor Centre will be a suitably appropriate home to Léon’s Lancaster as RAF Metheringham was home to the Avro Lancasters of 106 Squadron from November 1943 until the end of WW2. The visitor centre is located on the former domestic site of RAF Metheringham and it utilises some of the original WW2 buildings.
The Ellison family held a “Farewell Event” on Saturday 11 April 2026 ahead of moving the simulator from Berkshire to Lincolnshire. They aimed to raise £5,000 to contribute to the cost of the move, which has required MAVC to engage a specialist haulage company, Allelys. With further help and support, Metheringham Airfield Visitor Centre will create a purpose-built exhibition to house the Lancaster. It will include a feature about its creator, and the Engineering Team at MAVC will look to make it "fly" as a fully working simulator over the coming years. Whilst the initial move has been completed and well supported by the Ellison family’s JustGiving page, the building of the dedicated annex will cost in the region of £50,000 so fundraising efforts will continue over the coming weeks and months.
After several months of planning, working with specialist haulage company Allelys, the Lancaster was carefully removed from its “hangar” in Bracknell to Metheringham Airfield Visitor Centre where it was installed in the hangar alongside our Dakota KG651. The move was completed on the 12th May 2026 and the Lancaster will be made ready to be open to the public over the coming weeks. The move was covered by BBC and featured on the evening television news for BBC South on 11th May; you can see the BBC coverage HERE along with a video slideshow showing the move in detail. It was also covered by regional radio stations in Berkshire and Lincolnshire. You can hear the interviews featuring Kate Ellison and MAVC's Ian Brett with BBC Radio Berkshire below.
Léon Ellison spent over two decades first researching and then handcrafting an exact replica of the forward section of a WW2 Avro Lancaster Bomber, which he intended to become a fully working simulator. His vision was to be able to “fly” the famous Dambusters Raid of 16-17 May 1943. Léon spent the best part of 20 years doing all the research, finding the original drawings, where they existed, and taking photographs of every Lancaster that he could get his hands on. Then he started to build his own Lancaster, starting from the ground up, all of it fabricated in his workshop in the garden. The only parts that were not made by Léon were the struts around the top half of the fuselage, which were laser cut by a company for him. The build includes some original parts including instruments and an authentic radio in the Wireless Operator’s position.
Sadly, after he had completed the actual aircraft front section, Léon died suddenly in June 2024 before he could turn it in to a working simulator. After Léon’s passing, the family looked to donate the simulator to an organisation that would care for it to a high standard whilst making it available to a much wider audience and ultimately try and complete it as a working simulator, in order to realise Léon’s vision.
MAVC is delighted to have been chosen by the Ellison family to become the custodian of Léon’s Lancaster and after several months of discussions it has now been donated to Metheringham Airfield Visitor Centre (MAVC), who will undertake the necessary work to complete the project. Metheringham Airfield Visitor Centre will be a suitably appropriate home to Léon’s Lancaster as RAF Metheringham was home to the Avro Lancasters of 106 Squadron from November 1943 until the end of WW2. The visitor centre is located on the former domestic site of RAF Metheringham and it utilises some of the original WW2 buildings.
The Ellison family held a “Farewell Event” on Saturday 11 April 2026 ahead of moving the simulator from Berkshire to Lincolnshire. They aimed to raise £5,000 to contribute to the cost of the move, which has required MAVC to engage a specialist haulage company, Allelys. With further help and support, Metheringham Airfield Visitor Centre will create a purpose-built exhibition to house the Lancaster. It will include a feature about its creator, and the Engineering Team at MAVC will look to make it "fly" as a fully working simulator over the coming years. Whilst the initial move has been completed and well supported by the Ellison family’s JustGiving page, the building of the dedicated annex will cost in the region of £50,000 so fundraising efforts will continue over the coming weeks and months.
After several months of planning, working with specialist haulage company Allelys, the Lancaster was carefully removed from its “hangar” in Bracknell to Metheringham Airfield Visitor Centre where it was installed in the hangar alongside our Dakota KG651. The move was completed on the 12th May 2026 and the Lancaster will be made ready to be open to the public over the coming weeks. The move was covered by BBC and featured on the evening television news for BBC South on 11th May; you can see the BBC coverage HERE along with a video slideshow showing the move in detail. It was also covered by regional radio stations in Berkshire and Lincolnshire. You can hear the interviews featuring Kate Ellison and MAVC's Ian Brett with BBC Radio Berkshire below.
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BBC Radio Berkshire - Kate Ellison Interview
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BBC Radio Berkshire - Ian Brett Interview
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Finally, we’d like to extend a huge thank you to the team at Allelys who made an incredibly complex and delicate job look straight forward. They went above and beyond their brief and even helped manoeuvre the Lancaster into its final resting place. Thanks also to the many volunteers at MAVC who have supported and helped the project throughout its journey, especially Ben Whiting and Ian Brett.
You can help support this project to preserve Léon’s Lancaster by donating via the Ellison family JustGiving page HERE:https://www.justgiving.com/page/adrian-ellison-1. You can also make a donation directly to MAVC via our online store HERE: https://mavc.my-online.store/category/donations-lancaster
Donating through JustGiving or via the MAVC online store is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving and MAVC; we'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Thank you so much for your support!
Please note that the Lancaster Simulator is not currently open to the public whilst we undertake the work required in order to be able to make it safe to do so. As soon as it is open to the public, we will update the website and make an announcement via social media. When it does open, charges will apply. Because the Lancaster replica is so cramped inside, it will only be possible to conduct guided tours on a one to one basis. The charge for a tour of the Lancaster cockpit will be £10 per adult payable on the day.
The gallery below contains photos of Léon's Lancaster being moved from Bracknell up to Metheringham Airfield Visitor Centre.
You can help support this project to preserve Léon’s Lancaster by donating via the Ellison family JustGiving page HERE:https://www.justgiving.com/page/adrian-ellison-1. You can also make a donation directly to MAVC via our online store HERE: https://mavc.my-online.store/category/donations-lancaster
Donating through JustGiving or via the MAVC online store is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving and MAVC; we'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Thank you so much for your support!
Please note that the Lancaster Simulator is not currently open to the public whilst we undertake the work required in order to be able to make it safe to do so. As soon as it is open to the public, we will update the website and make an announcement via social media. When it does open, charges will apply. Because the Lancaster replica is so cramped inside, it will only be possible to conduct guided tours on a one to one basis. The charge for a tour of the Lancaster cockpit will be £10 per adult payable on the day.
The gallery below contains photos of Léon's Lancaster being moved from Bracknell up to Metheringham Airfield Visitor Centre.
