Witham paint helps restore ‘Just Jane’ Lancaster Bomber

The eagerly awaited restoration of Lincolnshire’s Avro Lancaster Bomber came to a halt at the start of April after the team ran out of paint.  Work on ‘Just Jane’, the Avro Lancaster NX611, has been ongoing for several years as part of a £3.5m restoration project with the aim of getting her flying again after 50 years.
The paint job was meant to be completed by the end of April, but supply issues meant that the team were looking at a disappointing three week delay.  However, the team at Witham Oil and Paint Ltd heard about the problem via local media and came to the rescue, donating eight different types of specialist paint, and pulled out all the stops to manufacture and deliver it in just two days.

Witham Group MD, Nigel R Bottom said:  “We are so very pleased to help support such a worthy cause. When we heard that Just Jane required help from a paint manufacturer our technical laboratory set to work on completing the order in record time. We are looking forward to seeing her restored to her former glory and it will be a proud day when she takes to the skies with our Woco paint finish on the plane.”
Just Jane has been painted in Witham’s WOCO paint in eight different colours – 40 years after the original camouflage paint job was applied.  The paint supplied is WOCO two pack polyurethane enamel (TDS 451) with a special 20% sheen finish.  The topsides of the aircraft have been painted in a combination of dark green and dark earth, the underbelly is night black, and the roundels were painted in a combination of blue, golden yellow, post office red and white.  A special matt grey/green colour was supplied for the interior.

Photo: Steve Smailes

The aircraft would become one of only three Lancaster bombers in the world to be flying if the restoration campaign is successful.  The other airworthy Lancaster ‘Thumper’ is also based in Lincolnshire, and was used in the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.  The only other flying Lancaster in the world is Canada’s Vera, which crossed the Atlantic to the UK in 2014 and flew with Thumper.
Just Jane’s restoration manager Andrew Panton commented “We’re delighted that the restoration work can continue a thanks to the Witham Group’s quick turnaround on the new paint.  Getting Just Jane back in the air is a life’s dream, not just for me, but for all her fans too!”
The £3.5 million restoration depends on public donations and voluntary labour and the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre still needs the public’s help to fund the project.   As part of the fundraising efforts, they are offering tail down taxy rides in Just Jane – the only place in Europe where the public can get on board the iconic aircraft.