The last Canberra T4 training aircraft made its last........
Discussion
.... flight at RAF Marham in Norfolk yesterday piloted by SQN Ldr Terry Cairns who has flown Canberras for 34 years and is believed to be the worlds oldest operational military pilot in his 60s!
The trainer is no longer needed with the retirement of the PR9 (photo reconnaissance) version due next year. :(
The trainer is no longer needed with the retirement of the PR9 (photo reconnaissance) version due next year. :(
, he had some other planes bits and pieces as well. He did live in the country thoughThere are some great photos on here.
www.ukar.co.uk/board/ikonboard.cgi?s=76dbcd786402dfcb7134eccb8e4eedac;act=ST;f=9;t=6508
Unfortunately couldn't make it up there yesterday to see it.
I went up to Marham the other week. Got there at about 10 in the morning, just missed a PR9 take off by less than 30 minutes.
I waited until 5.30 before it returned!!
The retirement date for the remaining 4 PR9's is July 2006.
Here's a couple of one of the remaining PR9s I took the other week.
www.ukar.co.uk/board/ikonboard.cgi?s=76dbcd786402dfcb7134eccb8e4eedac;act=ST;f=9;t=6508
Unfortunately couldn't make it up there yesterday to see it.
I went up to Marham the other week. Got there at about 10 in the morning, just missed a PR9 take off by less than 30 minutes.
I waited until 5.30 before it returned!!
The retirement date for the remaining 4 PR9's is July 2006.
Here's a couple of one of the remaining PR9s I took the other week.
I believe they are a bit limited now in what they are allowed to do.
I have heard though that it is not airframe life that is the limiting factor in their continued service, but cabin pressurisation. Once the pressurisation cycle is used up it is game over. I did hear rumours that they are X-Rayed very frequently.
I think the US are the ones asking us to keep the Canberra as long as possible, as they have nothing that can do the job it can!!
I saw the Canberra PR9 arrive at Fairford this year, it was just a run and break but it was very impressive. I hear it can still beat a Tornado to 30,000 feet!!
I have heard though that it is not airframe life that is the limiting factor in their continued service, but cabin pressurisation. Once the pressurisation cycle is used up it is game over. I did hear rumours that they are X-Rayed very frequently.
I think the US are the ones asking us to keep the Canberra as long as possible, as they have nothing that can do the job it can!!
I saw the Canberra PR9 arrive at Fairford this year, it was just a run and break but it was very impressive. I hear it can still beat a Tornado to 30,000 feet!!
The PR9 evolved out of the B(I)8 which was the first variant to feature the offset canopy. In the nose, in a very squashed little cubbyhole, sat a weapons officer/bomb aimer/navigator and his ejector seat fired upwards through a hatch right beside the perspex canopy. Offsetting the canopy allowed room for the seat to emerge from the aircraft without hitting anything.
A similar arrangement was used on the De Havilland Sea Vixen.
Being claustrophobic was not a good thing for Canberra and Sea Vixen 2nd crew members.
A similar arrangement was used on the De Havilland Sea Vixen.
Being claustrophobic was not a good thing for Canberra and Sea Vixen 2nd crew members.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
What can it do? There must be better search & rescue planes about, surely?
Anyway, what did these get used for in the end? The only ones I saw flying over were on pretend bombing runs (they took the same route as the Tornados so I assume this is what they were doing).
The US have great respect for the Canberra. In fact, they loved it so much that they obtained a licence to build it (the Martin B-57 Canberra). It is one of the very few foreign designs which the Americans decided was superior to anything they had at the time and were willing to order and use in large numbers.
The Canberra has a service ceiling greater than the U-2 (probably).
The Canberra has a service ceiling greater than the U-2 (probably).
Eric Mc said:
The PR9 evolved out of the B(I)8 which was the first variant to feature the offset canopy. In the nose, in a very squashed little cubbyhole, sat a weapons officer/bomb aimer/navigator and his ejector seat fired upwards through a hatch right beside the perspex canopy. Offsetting the canopy allowed room for the seat to emerge from the aircraft without hitting anything.
A similar arrangement was used on the De Havilland Sea Vixen.
Being claustrophobic was not a good thing for Canberra and Sea Vixen 2nd crew members.
Thanks Eric, I never realised that was the reason but I do remember the cubbyhole in the front as a friend of mine used to take a PR9 cockpit to shows. It had a hinged nose cone and he used to charge 50p a go for the dubious pleasure of sitting in there with the nose cone shut!
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