Virtual reality Lancaster bomber experience launches at warplane museum

The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum (CWHM) is launching a virtual-reality experience this weekend.

The 14-minute experience transports visitors back to 1943 when a BBC reporter and sound engineer with a microphone boarded a Lancaster bomber and set out on a mission into the heart of Nazi-occupied Europe.

The virtual-reality experience called “1943 Berlin Blitz” uses the original audio to capture the danger of the Second World War raid as the crew endures a fighter attack.

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Al Mickeloff, the CWHM’s director of marketing, says one thing that is really striking is “just how calm they are,” noting that the average age of the crew was 22.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vfSCEgTxz4

Mickeloff adds that the project represents “dipping our toe into the water” to see what the reaction is to virtual reality. He adds early signs are that this is “just the beginning” for the museum.

The exhibit is available for those aged 13 and up, and is free with regular admission.

The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum is home to one of only two flight-worthy Lancaster bombers left on the planet.