First there was the sound of the engines, rumbling on either side of me.

Then there was the crack of flak exploding in the air as spotlights searched for our plane, while bombs ravaged the ground near Berlin below.

I had been transported back to 1943 to experience a harrowing bombing mission aboard a Lancaster in the Second World War — all thanks to a new virtual reality experience making its North American debut at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum this weekend.

"I hope this makes people appreciate the sacrifice these young kids went through … to fight for their country in its time of need," said museum spokesman Al Mickeloff.

"We can't forget that."

A new VR experience hosted by the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum takes people inside a Lancaster bomber during a bombing run in the Second World War. 1:11

Trying out the roughly 14-minute experience will feel familiar to anyone who has used VR. You slip on a headset and headphones, and then you step into a new world in 360 degrees — in this case, the inside of a Lancaster Bomber named F For Freddie. This carries particular weight in Hamilton, as the museum is home to one of the only flight-worthy Lancasters left on earth.

The visuals on the Oculus Rift-based experience are fair, if a little dated (think PlayStation 3-level graphics versus Playstation 4). What really makes it special is the inclusion of audio from BBC war correspondent Wynford Vaughan-Thomas, who flew with a crew over mainland Europe and back during the war.

The audio you're hearing is 22-year-old kids, and they're so calm. - Al Mickeloff, Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum

He was joined by sound engineer Reg Pidsley, who was stationed in a confined space at the back of the bomber using what was then a new portable recording device called the "Midget Disc Recorder," which looks a lot like an old phonograph player.

The discs it used could only handle a few minutes of audio recording at a time, so Pidsley had to carry several with him at once — but because temperatures inside the bomber were so frigid at around 3,000 metres in the air, he was forced to carry them inside his jacket to they wouldn't freeze and crack.

The experience is created using the Oculus Rift. (Adam Carter/CBC)

It's the audio that truly brings the whole thing to life. Anyone who tries out the experience will hear Vaughn-Thomas' voice from inside the aircraft, and the voices of the soldiers who took him up in the air, fighting for the Allies.

"Bloody good show," one man exclaims as the bombs fall. Another man sings, his voice filling the cockpit as the safety of British soil comes into view on the horizon.

It's those moments that bring a stark reality to the experience, reminding anyone with a headset on that this isn't a video game or a simple recreation based on historical events — you're hearing the voices of real people who fought the Nazis.

"The audio you're hearing is 22-year-old kids, and they're so calm," Mickeloff said.

The audio used for the project comes from well known BBC war correspondent Wynford Vaughan-Thomas. (BBC)

It's important that the museum use new technologies like this one to continuously draw people in, he said.

"As a museum you need to keep yourself fresh and reinvent yourself," Mickeloff said.

The 1943 Berlin Blitz VR experience officially opens this weekend, and will run until August.

It's free with the price of admission at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum.

adam.carter@cbc.ca