“It’s a really popular flying airplane, and pilots enjoyed flying it because it’s such a ‘pilot’s airplane’. When it took over from the RAF’s Mosquito bomber, they were putting the same pilots into it, and that must have been a major change – like going from a Ford to a Ferrari. “The Canberra flies like a fighter plane,” he says – with its two Avon engines at half-power, the Canberra could outrun the latest models of Spitfires with ease; a Mark 24 Spitfire could easily reach 450mph (724km/h). The renovating will take four stages. There is an initial inspection, rectifying any mechanical faults, testing and clearance for operations; stage two will begin in 2017, and the final stage should, funds permitting, be in 2018, in time to celebrate the RAF’s 100th anniversary. “By then, we expect to be flying the Canberra for 60 to 80 hours a year, and 30 to 35 of those will be in flying displays. It’s a good target to aim for.” The Canberra won’t be able to fly to the heady heights reached by Randrup and Shirley; the aircraft won’t be pressurized, so it will only be able to fly up to 15,000ft (4.5km) high. The cockpit will have to be updated to a more modern standard to ease the pilot’s workload – all the more important when you consider that even the youngest Canberra pilots will be well into their 50s by the time WK163 gets back into the air. “One thing we have to decide is whether we put a ‘rocket engine’ back in the bomb-bay,” says Edmondson. “We do have a dummy wooden version of it we could use.” He smiles. “And the bracket that the original was fitted to is still in there.” -- This story is a part of BBC Britain – a series focused on exploring this extraordinary island, one story at a time. Readers outside of the UK can see every BBC Britain story by heading to the Britain homepage; you also can see our latest stories by following us on Facebook and Twitter. Join 700,000+ Future fans by liking us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and Instagram. If you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newsletter, called “If You Only Read 6 Things This Week”. A handpicked selection of stories from BBC Future, Earth, Culture, Capital, Travel and Autos, delivered to your inbox every Friday. “It’s a really popular flying airplane, and pilots enjoyed flying it because it’s such a ‘pilot’s airplane’. When it took over from the RAF’s Mosquito bomber, they were putting the same pilots into it, and that must have been a major change – like going from a Ford to a Ferrari. “The Canberra flies like a fighter plane,” he says – with its two Avon engines at half-power, the Canberra could outrun the latest models of Spitfires with ease; a Mark 24 Spitfire could easily reach 450mph (724km/h). The renovating will take four stages. There is an initial inspection, rectifying any mechanical faults, testing and clearance for operations; stage two will begin in 2017, and the final stage should, funds permitting, be in 2018, in time to celebrate the RAF’s 100th anniversary. “By then, we expect to be flying the Canberra for 60 to 80 hours a year, and 30 to 35 of those will be in flying displays. It’s a good target to aim for.” The Canberra won’t be able to fly to the heady heights reached by Randrup and Shirley; the aircraft won’t be pressurized, so it will only be able to fly up to 15,000ft (4.5km) high. The cockpit will have to be updated to a more modern standard to ease the pilot’s workload – all the more important when you consider that even the youngest Canberra pilots will be well into their 50s by the time WK163 gets back into the air. “One thing we have to decide is whether we put a ‘rocket engine’ back in the bomb-bay,” says Edmondson. “We do have a dummy wooden version of it we could use.” He smiles. “And the bracket that the original was fitted to is still in there.” -- This story is a part of BBC Britain – a series focused on exploring this extraordinary island, one story at a time. Readers outside of the UK can see every BBC Britain story by heading to the Britain homepage; you also can see our latest stories by following us on Facebook and Twitter. Join 700,000+ Future fans by liking us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and Instagram. If you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newsletter, called “If You Only Read 6 Things This Week”. A handpicked selection of stories from BBC Future, Earth, Culture, Capital, Travel and Autos, delivered to your inbox every Friday.
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