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Description
| Manufacturer: | English Electric | |
| Base model: | Canberra | |
| Designation: | Canberra | |
| Nickname: | B2 | |
| Basic role: | Bomber (UK) | |
Specifications
| Not Yet Available |
Known serial numbers
Recent comments by our visitors
| irving holgate london , england, PE | I was a humble SAC Engine Mech 1956/58 in the UK and saw a few moments such as refuelling at night on iced wings and having my first taste of skiing..One of our squadron landing with wheels up on the grass and the navigator breaking the world recod for the 100yds sprint as soon as it came to a stop, a collision of wing tanks with a stationary kite, and the pilot claiming that someone must have moved it as it wasnt there a minute ago, and an irate pilot kicking the nose wheel because his kite had gone US when he was due to join a flypast.
Happy Days 02/11/2008 @ 05:43 [ref: 19640] |
| José Luis Dos Santos buenos aires, OTH | I flew Argentina´s Air Force Canberras between 1992 and 1998 as a pilot, until the Squadron was deactivated. I won´t add anything new about their operational qualities or performances, but a tale about the "lucky aircraft", instead. Canberra B-Mk-62 Registration Number B-109 (original british number WJ-109), which is in fact displayed at our Aeronautics Museum since 2000, had a colourful career in the Air Force. These are its main highlights:
1-By unanimous opinions from most pilots I flew with and including myself, B-109 was by far the nicest aircraft to fly: well balanced, vicious free, nice response through all the flight envelope. 2-It flew several bombing missions during the South Atlantic Conflict in 1982, always coming back home. 3-Although it went through several in-flight emergencies during its career, all the crews returned safely (the last one happened to me in 1994, when the starboard engine suffered a massive collapse and literally "swallowed" the first stages of the compressor). 4-In 1997, during a TV documentary footage at its operational Air Force Base, B-109 was unofficially named "Karina", after one of the TV programme members - a nice looking girl - flew formation and low level tactics in a rear ejection seat. 5-It was the last Canberra to fly in Argentina. 08/21/2006 @ 15:20 [ref: 13946] |
| David Thompson , OTH | The RAF has just retired the last of its Canberras (XH131,XH134,XH135 OF 39 squadron (1PRU) ), fresh back from 5 months in Afganistan. They have been very successful photo-reconnaissance aircraft (RAF type code PR9)for many years.
Apparently in its heyday it had fighter-like performance and manoeverability. 08/01/2006 @ 13:43 [ref: 13779] |
| dudley pritchard Birmingham UK, OTH | I was a navigator on B2's at RAF Marham (35 Squadron)in the early fifties flying with Dave Wright and Peter Kenyon., and we were second aircraft in one of the flypasts over Buckingham Palace.I recollect that all of the switches were upside down and we lost a number of cabin roofs when landing as a result of last minute panic checks.,and we lost a mechanic who ejected himself through the hangar roof.OUt of fifteen people who passed as aircrew,eight died in accidents within four years.I understood the official chop rate was forty per cent, and this all in training.However,it was a lovely aircraft and my claim to fame was in the yard long graphsheet to calculate how long the fuel was going to last, I pointed out that if you drew a line joining up the dots and extended it to the bottom line you knew how far you would get.This bright idea later became normal practice credited of course to the Wing Commander and not little old me.In those days you got £500 if you stayed in for four years as a pilot or navigator.I had been a bank clerk so I knew what money was, but not much else as I was in the Army cadets at school.In the final interview at Hornchurch after putting square pegs in round holes for four days, they said I could be a pilot or a navigator, but as I had been good at maths at school, they would prefer me to be a navigator. I didn't know what that was but to impress them I asked if a navigator flew as much as a pilot.Wot a mug I was, all the pilots went straight onto the major airlines after the RAF and had very comfortable lifestyles.Despite telling employers that I was a leader of men, responsible for million pounds of aeroplane etc etc., they all said I was two years older than everybody else ( ie 4years instead of 2years National Service) and as salaries were based on age, I never got the job until I came across a personnel officer whose nephew was a pilot.And life continued along those lines, ie it wasn't what you know, but who you knew!!!I later had a pub in the 90's called the Princess Victoria in Walpole St.Andrew near Marham and they were still flying Canberras there and also at Wyton I think. They had these guards on the gate with real guns - well we never had anything like that although we were supposed to be the nuclear deterrent during the Cold War.Personally I never saw anything bigger than a 1000 pound bomb. Anyway, if anyone is out there from this time would be pleased to talk over old times. 09/26/2005 @ 21:15 [ref: 11338] |
| Jim Stanfield East Wenatchee, WA | 'Way back in the 1950's, I was a designer at Temco at Grand Prairie, Texas. We modified a Canberra to carry the Boeing Bomarc nose section. The aircraft could then "fly" the Bomarc flight profiles without losing a valuable airframe every time. Although the extended nose caused the aircraft to handle like a pig on approach, the overall program was a success. I never got used to the pyrotechnic charges used to start the engines. I flew back seat to monitor the performance of the systems. 03/24/2002 @ 22:56 [ref: 4576] |
| Jim Stanfield East Wenatchee, WA | 'Way back in the 1950's, I was a designer at Temco at Grand Prairie, Texas. We modified a Canberra to carry the Boeing Bomarc nose section. The aircraft could then "fly" the Bomarc flight profiles without losing a valuable airframe every time. Although the extended nose caused the aircraft to handle like a pig on approach, the overall program was a success. I never got used to the pyrotechnic charges used to start the engines. I flew back seat to monitor the performance of the systems. 03/24/2002 @ 22:55 [ref: 4575] |
| Praveen Prakash Sathaye Mumbai, QC | This aircraft was used as a bomber primarily and also modified for trainer and maritime recce roles. Operated by the indian airforce and the RAF this aircraft was unique in having a slightly offset cockpit, towards th port side.
It was also manufactured by Martin as the B-57 in the USA for the USAF. 11/13/2000 @ 08:55 [ref: 1035] |
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