The Aerospace Museum were worried their 35,000-lb.-Lancaster Bomber has settled too far into the ground where it is resting. (STUART DRYDEN/QMI AGENCY)

Concerned an important piece of Canadian history could fracture, staff at a Calgary museum hired a moving company to help them reposition the antique.

Staff at the Aero Space Museum of Calgary at 4629 McCall Way N.E. noticed the facility's historical Lancaster bomber -- one of only 26 still in existence-- was settling unevenly into the gravel it was resting on.

"We've been concerned, we've got one of the 26 left in the world," said museum spokesman Herb Grieder.

"What would happen is there would be excessive stress on the air frame and stress cracks could occur with it being out of balance, so we've got to get it so it's sitting level with the weight on the landing gear."

The museum hired a moving company that was scheduled to come in Monday and use house jacks to roll the Lancaster Mk. X FM-136 out of the spot it has been sitting since 1992, said Grieder.

The plan is to pour concrete over the spot where the 36,900-lb.-plane will rest to stabilize it.

But the reason for giving the plane a sounder platform is twofold.

Stabilizing it is one of several steps in the refurbishment of the plane's exterior, which, when complete, will allow the museum to offer tours inside the bomber as early as next spring.

Built in 1945 by Victory Aircraft Ltd. in Malton, Ont., the plane was assigned to the 20th and 30th maintenance units in England but was never issued to an active squadron.

It was re-configured and transferred to the Buffalo Maritime patrol squadron in Greenwood, N.S. and later to 407 Demon squadron in Comox, B.C. before being decommissioned in April of 1961, said Grieder.

The plane was sent to Fort Macleod, Alta. where it was destined to become scrap metal until being acquired by the Lancaster Club of Calgary and mounted on a pedestal in April of 1962 at the old airport terminal, he said.

In 1992 it was moved to its current location at the Aero Space Museum.

The museum hosted the Mynarski Memorial Lancaster -- one of only two of the bombers still deemed airworthy -- for a stint in August.

jenna.mcmurray@sunmedia.ca