Editing Avro Lancaster (section)

===Crew accommodation===
The standard crew for a Lancaster consisted of seven men, stationed in various positions in the fuselage. Starting at the nose, the [[Bombardier (air force)|bomb aimer]] had two positions to man. His primary location was lying prone on the floor of the nose of the aircraft, with access to the [[bombsight]] controls facing forward, with the [[Mark XIV bomb sight]] on his left and bomb release selectors on the right. He also used his view through the large transparent perspex nose cupola to assist the navigator with map reading.{{citation needed|date=April 2017}} To man the Frazer Nash FN5 nose turret, he stood up placing himself in position behind the triggers of the twin .303&nbsp;in (7.7&nbsp;mm) guns. Ammunition for the turret was 1,000 rounds per gun (rpg). The bomb aimer's position contained the nose emergency hatch in the floor; at {{convert|22|by|26.5|in|cm}} (two inches narrower than the Halifax escape hatch) it was difficult to exit through while wearing a parachute. [[Operational research]] experts, including British scientist [[Freeman Dyson]], amongst others, attempted unsuccessfully to have the escape hatch enlarged.{{citation needed|date=April 2017}}
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On the roof of the [[bomb bay]] the pilot and [[flight engineer]] sat side by side under the expansive canopy, with the pilot sitting on the left on a raised portion of the floor (almost all British bombers, and most German bombers, had only a single pilot seat as opposed to the American practice of carrying two pilots, or at least having controls for two pilots installed). The flight engineer sat on a collapsible seat (known as a "second [[dicky seat]]") to the pilot's right, with the fuel selectors and gauges on a panel behind him and to his right. The pilot and other crew members could use the panel above the cockpit as an auxiliary emergency exit while the mid-upper gunner was expected to use the rear entrance door to leave the aircraft. The tail gunner escaped by rotating his turret to the rear, opening the door in the back of the turret, passing into the fuselage, and clipping on a parachute that was hung on the side wall. He could then exit through the rear entrance door.<ref>Neillands 1995, p. 109.</ref>

[[File:Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1941-1945. CH8789.jpg|thumb|Bomb aimer in his position in the nose]]
[[File:G for George wireless operator and navigator AWM UK2052.jpg|thumb | Inside [[G for George]] of [[No. 460 Squadron RAAF|No. 460 Squadron]]. Looking forward between wing spars. At left is the wireless operator, and at right is the navigator]]
Behind the pilot and flight engineer, and behind a curtain fitted to allow him to use light to work, sat the [[navigator]]. His position faced to port with a chart table in front of him. An instrument panel showing the airspeed, altitude, and other information required for navigation was mounted on the side of the fuselage above the chart table. The [[wireless]] operator's radios were mounted on the left-hand end of the chart table, facing the rear of the aircraft. Behind these and facing forwards the wireless operator sat on a seat at the front of the main spar. On his left was a window, and above him was the [[Astrodome (aviation)|astrodome]], used for visual signalling and by the navigator for [[celestial navigation]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 October 1996 |title=A History of Navigation in the Royal Air Force |url=https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/documents/research/RAF-Historical-Society-Journals/Journal-17A-Air-Navigationin-the-RAF.pdf |website=Royal Air Force |place=RAF Historical Society Seminar at the RAF Museum, Hendon}}</ref>{{Page requested|date=August 2024}}

Behind the wireless operator were the two [[Spar (aviation)|spars]] of the wing, which created a major obstacle for crew members moving down the fuselage even on the ground. At the end of the bomb bay was the mid-upper gunner's turret, at which the floor dropped down to the fuselage's bottom. His position allowed a 360° view over the top of the aircraft, with two [[M1919 Browning machine gun#Browning .303 Mark II|Browning .303 Mark IIs]] to protect the aircraft from above and to the side. The mid-upper gunner sat on a rectangle of canvas that was slung beneath the turret and would stay in position throughout the flight. The turret had 1,000 rounds of ammunition per gun.{{citation needed|date=May 2016}}

To the rear of the turret was the side crew door, on the starboard side of the fuselage. This was the main entrance to the aircraft, and also could be used as an emergency exit. The Elsan [[chemical toilet]], a type of [[aircraft lavatory]], was located near the spars for the tailplane. At the extreme tail-end of the fuselage, the rear gunner sat in his exposed position in the tail turret, which was entered through a small hatch in the rear of the fuselage. Depending on the size of the rear gunner, the area was so cramped that the gunner would often hang his parachute on a hook inside the fuselage, near the turret doors. Neither the mid-upper nor the rear gunner's position was heated, and the gunners had to wear electrically heated suits to prevent [[hypothermia]] and [[frostbite]].{{citation needed|date=May 2016}}