Avro Lancaster

The Avro Lancaster is a bomber aircraft used by the British during World War II, being first introduced in 1942 and used until 1963. In Bomber Crew, the aircraft flown by the player's crew is a Lancaster.

Description
The Lancaster bomber is, by today's standards, a medium-small aircraft, but in the game, it is the largest aircraft seen. At the start of the game, the aircraft has three turrets installed, one located at the front on the nose, in the rear-middle on the top of the fuselage, and in the rear of the aircraft. The option to install a fourth turret directly below the center turret on the bottom of the fuselage is available to the player. The aircraft also has four engines and two fuel tanks; one tank is in each wing.

Operation
The player does not directly control anything in the aircraft, but instead controls the actions of seven crew members to operate the aircraft. The crew consists of a Pilot, Flight engineer, Navigator, Radio and Radar Operator, Bombardier, and Two Gunners. Crew members, after gaining enough experience, can have a secondary role. However, if necessary, any crew member can perform any task on a basic level. Clicking on one crew member will display a small menu along the bottom of the screen with buttons the player can click to perform some action.

At the start of every mission before takeoff, the aircraft sits at the end of the runway at the Airbase until the player commands the pilot to start the takeoff roll. When the takeoff begins, all the engines will be started simultaneously, and then the aircraft begins accelerating down the runway. The landing gear can be raised after lifting off from the runway, and it is recommended the player commands the pilot to do so to conserve fuel.

During flight, one or more of the engines can ignite after taking heavy damage. Fires can be extinguished using extinguishers, by performing an emergency dive, or by letting the fire burn out over time by itself. If the fire burns out on its own, the engine will shut off after the fire goes out. The player can command a crew member, preferably a flight engineer, to crawl out of the aircraft and onto the wing to repair the engine. After being repaired, the engine will be operational and at full health.

Some types of ammunition can cause a fire to start inside of the plane. These fires can also be extinguished using an extinguisher or with an emergency dive, but these fires will not burn out over time and will instead spread slowly if left unattended. It is recommended that the player have at least one fire extinguisher on board in case of an on-board fire.

The Lancaster, in-game, has several systems to be maintained that are crucial to the operation of the aircraft: electricity, oxygen, and hydraulics. Electricity is required for the operation of the radar, the oxygen is required to keep crew members from suffering from hypoxia at high altitudes, and the hydraulics system is required to keep turrets, the bomb bay doors, and the landing gear operational.

Before landing, the landing gear must be lowered again before touching down. Failure to do so will result in a crash. Once the aircraft touches down, the pilot will lower the tail and reduce throttle. It is still safe to land the aircraft with only one wheel in the event that one of them has been shot off during combat. At least one engine must be running as well, else the aircraft will be uncontrollable and will likely crash onto the runway or near it. Nothing else needs to be closed or operational for a safe landing (e.g. all systems can be inoperative (assuming the hydraulics only fail after the gear is lowered) and the bomb bay doors left open on landing) The mission will officially close just before the aircraft comes to a complete stop.

Customization
The aircraft can be customized by the player at the air base before/after every mission. The player is allowed to customize the paint scheme, engines, turrets, onboard equipment, the fuselage, and the survival equipment. The player can upgrade (and downgrade) the engines, turrets, fuselage, and survival equipment to tailor the Lancaster to the player's needs. Onboard equipment will provide tools to aid the crew in performing certain tasks, and survival equipment can increase the odds of your crew being rescued in the event of a crash or emergency landing. The livery can be adjusted to the player's preference, but this only provides an aesthetic change with no strategic value. The aircraft can also be named, but the name provides no significant effects on the gameplay.

Crashing
Main article: Crashing

Should the Lancaster lose all four of its engines, either from them shutting off from excess damage or being shot off the aircraft entirely, the aircraft will begin to pitch downwards and descend uncontrollably to the ground. The crew must be told to bail out, else they (usually) risk immediate death upon impact when the plane hits the ground. In uncommon circumstances, a crew member may survive the initial impact.

After a crash, the player will be provided with a brand-new Lancaster. Depending on the player's progress, some parts of the aircraft may be upgraded already, such as the fuselage, on-board equipment, turrets, engines, etc. However, the replacement plane will always be in the default camouflage livery; the player must reapply the livery options from the previous plane or choose new ones.