WW2 Mk XA Aircraft Oxygen Regulator for Lancaster

Description

WW2 Mk XA Aircraft Oxygen Regulator for Lancaster

This WWII-era Oxygen Master Regulator Mark XA was used in large bomber aircraft of the British Royal Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force, such as the Avro Lancaster. The Mk XA regulator was for a high pressure continuous flow oxygen system and allowed the pilot to control the flow of oxygen centrally for up to 8 crewmen.

The left hand knob controlled the flow of oxygen, which would be displayed on the ALT gauge. The flow was to be set to match the altitude of the aircraft, up to 40,000 ft.  The right hand knob turned the system on and off.  The right hand gauge measured system pressure and indicated the quantity of oxygen remaining in the system.

In this specimen, the knobs turn as they should. The glass and the bezels, but otherwise the unit is in good order. The lettering is clear and precise. Measures ~6 inches wide, ~4 inches tall, and ~ 7 inches long.  Its a heavy beast, at 8 lbs.

Postage will need to be paid for on this item due to weight

WW2 Mk XA Aircraft Oxygen Regulator for Lancaster

The Avro Lancaster, commonly known as the Lancaster Bomber, is a British Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the Short Stirling, all three aircraft being four-engined heavy bombers adopted by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the same era.

The Lancaster has its origins in the twin-engine Avro Manchester which had been developed during the late 1930s in response to the Air Ministry Specification P.13/36 for a medium bomber for “world-wide use” which could carry a torpedo internally, and make shallow dive-bombing attacks. Originally developed as an evolution of the Manchester (which had proved troublesome in service and was retired in 1942), the Lancaster was designed by Roy Chadwick and powered by four Rolls-Royce Merlins and in one of the versions, Bristol Hercules engines. It first saw service with RAF Bomber Command in 1942 and as the strategic bombing offensive over Europe gathered momentum, it was the main aircraft for the night-time bombing campaigns that followed. As increasing numbers of the type were produced, it became the principal heavy bomber used by the RAF, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and squadrons from other Commonwealth and European countries serving within the RAF, overshadowing the Halifax and Stirling, two other commonly used bombers.^[2]

A long, unobstructed bomb bay meant that the Lancaster could take the large