Just some nice photos I've found

[GTX]

Regards,

Greg

[beowulf]

[GTX]

Ah yes, the infamous Penthouse F-111 pic

Regards,

Greg

[PR19_Kit]

... and that's MY Canberra of course. XH131 no less

[B777LR]

... and that's MY Canberra of course. XH131 no less

Why your Canberrra? Just curious...

[beowulf]

Ah yes, the infamous Penthouse F-111 pic

Regards,

Greg

you had better have the famous full moon pic as well then 

[beowulf]

[PR19_Kit]

Why your Canberrra? Just curious...

XH131 and I have crossed paths more than once since I first saw her in 1972 or thereabouts.

I did some consultancy work for a company that made hydraulic sampling equipment and they were trying to sell the system to the RAF, having already had it made an 'RN Standard' for the Royal Navy. We went to RAF Swanton Morely and put the sampling points on a grounded Harrier GR1, and it worked pretty well, so we then went to RAF Wittering and did the same to a service Harrier, in the hangar that they used to use for Blue Steel missiles no less.

Some weeks later they asked if we could go to RAF Wyton and fit some sampling points to a Canberra PR9. Guess which one?   It wasn't easy as we had to work in the flare bay, at the rear of the bomb bay area, and they eventually had to remove the pipework, we fitted the sampling points and then they put it back again.

Every now and then I'd come across XH131 again at an air show, for some reason she seemed to be a favourite for both 13 Sqdn. and 39 Sqdn. to use as a show aircraft.

In 2005 she was the static PR9 at RIAT that year and I took lots of photos, as she had the System B camera fairing fitted, very rarely seen in public. Late in the day I went back to see her again, and her pilot recognised me from before and came to chat. I told him about the sampling points and he said 'Well, I think you just talked your way into the cockpit'!  

And so I did, an amazing experience as I'd never managed that in the 70s. Even later, when 39 Sqdn. at RAF Marham disbanded in July 2006 their last three PR9s, the last Canberras in RAF service, were sold to commercial interests at Kemble, which was about 3 miles from my office at the time! Naturally I took the day off to be there, along with many other Canberra fans, and as luck would have it '131 went technical and was delayed a while, so she arrived at Kemble last and made the last ever flight and landing of a Canberra in RAF service. She was also the last Canberra on ops as she flew the last operational Canberra mission over Afghanistan as well.

The pics below show '131 as she arrived back from there and me giving her an affectionate pat at Kemble. You can see my checque book in my pocket but they wouldn't accept my bid for her....  

[hurricanemk1c]

Here's N347DK at Weston, EIWT :

[JJC]

so all 3 Pr.9s are still at kemble?

[PR19_Kit]

JJC,

Yes, but not for long.

XH131 herself is destined to go to the Northern Ireland Museum in Belfast, near to her birthplace at Shorts there. XH134 and '135 are supposed to be in flyable condition, and three times they'd tried to do fast taxi runs at the Air Days, but the aircraft has 'gone technical' every time sadly.

I saw the fin of '135 sticking up behind the tower there last Friday, and it's unusual to see any of them outside the Delta Jets hangar in recent years.

[beowulf]

been doing some research today........so you can tell what subject im planning on doing sometime soon 

[PR19_Kit]

Sad to say, but that Javelin was hardly state of the art when they took the piccie. Perhaps a Lightning would have been more topical?

[beowulf]

Sad to say, but that Javelin was hardly state of the art when they took the piccie. Perhaps a Lightning would have been more topical?

very true...just seemed to be an unusual pic that i hadnt seen before 

[PR19_Kit]

That must have been taken at some NATO meet in Europe.

The F-105 is US obviously, and the Jav from the RAF, plus a Armee de l'Air Mirage III and F-104s from the Luftwaffe, the RCAF, and the other two from Holland and Belgium I think. A sort of non-Tiger 'Tiger Meet'.........