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The Avro Lancaster bomber had a standard bomb load of 14,000 lb (6,300 kg), and a crew of eight, each with a specialist role.
Pilots
There were two, although in 1942, with pilot numbers beginning to dwindle, the number was cut to one, with the engineer expected to fly the aircraft if necessary. Their training was the most rigorous: the pilot was the 'skipper', responsible for the safety and cohesion of the crew as well as for the success of their mission.
Navigator
After the pilots, the most skilled and most vital role. Whatever technical aids were available, the navigator's on-the-spot decisions were responsible for guiding the bomber to its target - and getting it back to base afterwards.
Flight engineer
Responsible for monitoring the aircraft's fuel consumption and its performance in flight; he could also assist the pilot and act as reserve bomb-aimer.
Bomb aimer/gunner
Used increasingly sophisticated bomb-sighting systems, some of which included rudimentary computers. Often doubled as forward gunners.
Wireless operator/gunner
Usually glued to his 'set'. Vital transmissions from base were brief and infrequent, as Germans monitored radio communications.
Mid-upper and rear gunners
Difficult and dangerous roles, scanning the night sky for enemy aircraft in isolation from the rest of the crew. If an aircraft was in trouble, the pilot would stay at the controls long enough to enable the rest of the crew members to bale out, but gunners were often unable to get out of their turrets in time.
The evolution of military technology has had a dramatic effect on aircraft crewing levels. The specialist roles of bomb aimer, engineer, wireless operator and gunner are effectively obsolete. The Panavia Tornado fighter/bomber, which carries 18,000 lb (8,100 kg) of bombs and is widely used by the RAF in Iraq, has a crew of two: pilot and navigator/weapons system operator.
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