60th Anniversary of...

[nazca_steve]

Any guesses for what happened sixty years ago today? Hint: it was not an an unlucky day for a certain company...

[fran65]

...found this one: :think:
"Legendary test pilot Roland Beamont, famed as a fighter pilot, began testing the new bomber at Warton, near Preston, on 13 May 1949 and the design - named Canberra" from http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/20 ... -1958.html

bingo?

[Motormouse]

thats' the one, Steve is our resident Cranberry-nut, right Steve ?

ttfn

Pete

[nazca_steve]

That'll be it chaps. I've gone easy on you all for so long but today I just had to get my Cranberry mentioned. I've also found the perfect haven for nuts like me here: http://canberratalk.conforums.com/

[Chris558]

Such a shame that Air Atlantiques Canberras are not currently airworthy to help celebrate one of the worlds greatest Aircraft. Must've been good - the Yanks bought it!! :o I do hope we'll see them in the sky soon.

I remember often seeing one when I used to go on holiday to Devon, when I was a nipper. It towed a red target around a Navy gunnery school, just up the coast from where my Nan & Grandad lived in the village of Wembury, near Plymouth, (a free holiday near the sea!) The circuit it flew took it right over my Nans house, and we'd wait for the target to follow... a long way behind the Aircraft, then it continued its circuit over the sea when you'd hear the boom of the guns firing at the target. The gunnery place has closed now, so not even FRA would get a look in now. I don't know if it was a Naval or RAF Canberra, I suspect it was the former. Would it have been based at Culdrose? The only thing about it I could identify was that it wore the Black & Yellow stripes.

I didn't appreciate the Canberra as a type then, although it was distinctive looking. But now I look back at those memories with fondness.

[SkippyBing]

Chris, fairly sure it would have been navy from the Fleet Requirements and Air Direction Unit (FRADU), they were based at Yeovilton until the mid-90s when they moved down to Culdrose when FOST* moved from Portland to Plymouth.

*FOST - Flag Officer Sea Training, trains and assesses ships prior to deploying.

[nazca_steve]

Nice memories there, Chris, we had TT.18s with 100 Sqn at Wyton when I was growing up, but I don't ever recall seeing one actually towing targets. Anyone know where they did their tug work and who for?

[Nigel H-J]

Oh the Canberra....Not as mighty as the V's but very close.

Enjoyed a flight in one when 85 Sqdn came to stay for a few months when their runway was being relaid. Prior to the sortie and during my converrsation with the pilot I mentioned I flew gliders and P2 in powered a/c, he tried to see if he could get the T5 (dual control) so I could get the best seat but alas it was awaiting spares so was lumped next to the Navigator and unfortunately I just had to sit and watch him instead. :-(

Nigel

[nazca_steve]

Still, Nigel, I am suitably jealous regardless. Was it one of the long-nosed T.11/19s that 85 Sqn had? What was the flight like in general?

[Nigel H-J]

Hi Steve, no....not the long nose, just the bog standard Canberra with the persplex window for manual bombing position. The flight was great though very restricted in looking out as I was sat in the rear right hand seat but I did get the job of arming the escape hatch switch and making it safe after landing

The flight? it was during the early Seventies from RAF Scampton, took off with another Canberra and flew in formation to 30,000ft over the North Sea and commenced combat evasion with the other one courtesy of the Fighter Controller who wanted us up higher but as I was a passenger the pilot told fighter control he would not go any higher, don't know why though. A lot of G's pulled and remember as we were descending rapidly their was quite a bit of vibration felt, he may very well have pulled the airbrakes whilst in steep dive but did not feel any change in airspeed!! On our return the navigator explained the use of his navigational equipment but I was more interested in what was happening up front.

One thing I did find out for the 1- 2 hours we were up was that the ejector seat was beginning to get quite uncomfortable....just wonder how many pilots suffer from piles!!

Hope this answers your question Steve.

Regards
Nigel.