Canberra Bomber Collection

[v6srs]

The Canberra is a bomber designed in the late 1940s by the English Electric company.

It was born out of a requirement to replace the Mosquito bomber at the end of the second world war.

The Canberra was designed with no defensive armament of any kind which made it compact and fast. It was designed to fly high enough to avoid any fighter aircraft of the same era.




The Canberra B.2 first flew on 21st April 1950. Carrying 7,900 lbs of bombs at up to 48,000 ft and with a maximum speed of 470 knots, it was an instant success.

English Electric (later Avro/Handley Page/Short Brothers) would go on to produce 900 aircraft in 27 different variants.

49 aircraft were also license built in Australia.

The Glenn L. Martin Company produced 403 heavily modified variants of the Canberra, known as the B-57 Canberra.

Despite over 1350 of these aircraft being produced in total, only 5 or 6 remain flight worthy today.


General Dynamics took the Martin B-57D design and produced the RB-57F/WB-57F high altitude research plane.

There are many examples in museums around the world. Several more survive in private hands, especially nose sections which, at 15 feet long, are a little easier to store in your back garden or driveway.

I don't imagine I have come even close to finding all of the ones visible in GE, so if you find one let me know and I'll add it.
Most of the airframes are identified, except for the 6 awaiting their fate at AMARC in Tucson, 7 in Venezuela, 5 in India, 2 in Zimbabwe and 6 at Pisco, Peru. If anyone has any information on the identity of these, please let me know.

Currently there are 189 full or partial aircraft in the collection. That accounts for 13% of the original airframes built. 
Hidden ones are included, where their identity and location is precisely known.

EDIT: 03-Apr-2021 - Complete rebuild of collection from scratch. Now 171 placemarks.

EDIT: 07-Apr-2021 - Lots more nose sections added and 2 more complete aircraft. Now 181 placemarks.

EDIT: 07-Apr-2021 - Another nose section added and 1 more display aircraft. Now 183 placemarks.

EDIT: 14-Apr-2021 - Many more additions including 2 complete aircraft at Lampson Field, California. Now 189 placemarks.

Attachments:

Canberra_Bombers_23Apr2021.kmz (9.83 KB)

[arnoldc]

NASA WB-57

Hello England,

Good reading there remains an interest in the Canberra.  One of my 'modern era' favorite aircraft.  Last fall, NASA did a 'Thank You' over flight here in Houston, Texas with its WB-57's.  Both fly out of Ellington Field, south of Houston.

Cheers, ArnoldC

[v6srs]

Thanks for the kind words ArnoldC.

As I said, nowhere near all the ones visible in GE are in the collection. Keep them coming.

Another 15 added today. Chile, Peru, South Africa and Venezuela make their first appearance.
There are 7 unknown airframes at Pisco, Peru as well as the one on display. If anyone has information on these aircraft, let me know.
Judging by the date of the imagery and the conditions in Peru, this is the place to get a second hand Canberra if you want to get it flying again.

KMZ in first post updated.

Cheers,
Sean.

[arnoldc]

Sean,

After reading your reply, did a Google earth search for Ellington Field, Texas.  Right there on the hardstand sits an overhead view of the WB-57.  Image dated 7/31/2015.

Cheers, and good hunting, ArnoldC

[v6srs]

Another 8 aircraft added, including 5 WB-57F variants.
The only WB-57F I could accurately identify is the one in the Pima Air & Space Museum back lot.
Several of the other previously unidentified aircraft are now labelled correctly.

KMZ in first post updated. Now 125 aircraft in the collection.

Cheers,
Sean.

[v6srs]

Another 12 aircraft added.

The RB-57F aircraft at Davis Monthan have now been identified.
Several of the other previously unidentified aircraft are now labelled correctly.

KMZ in first post updated. Now 138 aircraft in the collection.

Cheers,
Sean.

[v6srs]

I have found 2 aircraft in Zimbabwe and 1 in China.
All 3 are former Rhodesian Air Force. The one in China was a gift to the Chinese people from Robert Mugabe.
I have no ID for the 2 at Harare International.

Rhodesia obtained 15 ex-RAF B.2s and three T.4s in 1959, for a total of 18 Canberras.
In 1971, elements of three Rhodesian Canberras were used to build a dedicated PR Canberra with a sophisticated camera payload.

When Rhodesia became Zimbabwe another B.2 and a T.4 were supplied in 1981.

6 B.2 aircraft were lost in accidents, so these 2 must come from the remaining 9 B.2 or 4 T.4 airframes.
The six losses were R2509, R5212, R2510, R2156, R2514 and R5203.
The one gifted to China was R2175. (This may or may not be the PR conversion. Opinions differ on this point)

Anyone has any more information on the fate of the others, please let me know.

KMZ in first post updated.

Cheers,
Sean.

[v6srs]

India was the third largest user of the Canberra bomber with 144 airframes in several different variants.
I figured they must therefore have more than 3 remaining on display somewhere in the country.

Finding records for Indian Air Force aircraft seems to be a very difficult task.
The records are spotty and split across several different regions.
With perseverance, I have so far found evidence for 8 more aircraft in India, 5 of which are now included in the collection.
One of these, a PR.57, is not yet identified.

I have also added the hidden Canberra at Hendon Museum.

Now 147 aircraft in the collection. 

KMZ updated in first post.

Cheers,
Sean.

[v6srs]

Another 5 aircraft added in India.

3 of these are not identified yet. There are no pictures or other information on line about them.
From articles about the retirement of the Canberra in India, I have determined that one of them is definitely a T.4, but that is all I have found so far.

That means there are now 13 unidentified aircraft in the collection. 
I think the only way to identify them is to get someone who happens to live near Tucson, Pisco or one of the sites in India to photograph the tail fins. 

Now 152 aircraft in the collection. 


KMZ updated in first post.



Cheers,

Sean.

[v6srs]

10 aircraft added in Venezuela, 7 of which are unidentified.
1 added in Greece, 1 in Zimbabwe and several hidden aircraft added in Australia and UK.

That means there are now 20 unidentified aircraft in the collection. 

Now 172 aircraft in the collection.

KMZ updated in first post.

Cheers,
Sean.

[v6srs]

5 more aircraft added.
1 in New Zealand, 1 in Argentina and 3 in the UK.


Also the 2 TT.18's at Mesa, AZ have now been moved next to each other.

Now 177 aircraft in the collection.



I have also taken the opportunity to tidy up the database. All icons are now identical and heights and orientations of placemarks set the same.

KMZ updated in first post.


Cheers,
Sean.

[v6srs]

3 more on the boardwalk in Pisco, Peru.

A few panoramio shots around, but none close enough to identify any of the tail numbers.

Now 180 aircraft in the collection.

KMZ updated in first post.

Cheers,
Sean.

[v6srs]

1 more in the UK.
TT.18 WK118 Nose.
It's hidden and I only found out about it because it was auctioned off last Tuesday.
So I guess I'll have to find it all over again when the imagery updates.


Now 181 aircraft in the collection.



KMZ updated in first post.



Cheers,

Sean.

[frankmcvey]

Hi, Sean,

Looks like we'll be seeing WK163 on the circuit again in a few years!  


Photo courtesy of the Napier Power Heritage Trust.

Shame about the Vulcan, though...

Cheers,

Frank

[v6srs]

WK163 currently resides near me at Baginton.
When I used to work across the road from there, I regularly saw DC-3's, Electras, a Shackleton and a Twin Pioneer flying from there. Not to mention seeing a Canberra or 2. Not much flies out of there now.

It would be nice to see a British Canberra back in the skies again.
I think my collection proves there is no shortage of spares around the world.

Cheers,
Sean.

[jeep1943]

Two more:

WD954 T4 and WK165 inside at the South Australian Aviation Museum 

34°50'53.59"S

138°30'41.96"E
www.saam.org.au

A84-226 which was located at RAAF Base Wagga Wagga, now resides at the ANAM, Moorabin Airport


37°58'35.98"S

145° 5'28.43"E

[v6srs]

Long time since my last updates.

I have moved all my collections to simple CSV files for more flexibility of use.
Finally got around to making a CSV to KML generator, as I didn't find any on the net I liked.

The rebuild has also cleaned up the placemarks, by resetting all the compass, tilt and eye height settings.

A few aircraft have disappeared in the last 5 years, but 4 more have also been added, including the ones reported by jeep1943

Now 171 placemarks in the collection.

[v6srs]

Concerted effort on my part to find many of the nose sections that were sold off around the world.

Found quite a few and 2 more complete airframes.

KMZ updated in first post.
Now 181 placemarks in the collection.

Cheers,
Sean.

[willi1]

WT537 at Samlesbury. Meanwhile removed.

Attachments:

Canberra Samlesbury Aerodrome.kmz (904 B)

[frankmcvey]

Dispersed Canberras - historical imagery 1945.kmz (2.65 KB)


Something wrong with GE dating here!

[v6srs]

Apr 7, 2021 10:50:32 GMT willi1 said:

WT537 at Samlesbury. Meanwhile removed.

Check my placemark in Greece for the new location of WT537. A sad end for an aircraft that wasn't in too bad a condition.

[v6srs]

Apr 7, 2021 14:02:43 GMT frankmcvey said:

Attachment Deleted


Something wrong with GE dating here!

Yes. The fact there are at least 8 of them, means they must be production units.
So 1950-1951 at the earliest, I would suggest.

[frankmcvey]

For sure.  BTW, there's also a wrecked Canberra on one of those outlying dispersal pans, also in the historical imagery - late 90's early 2000's, I think.

[willi1]

Argentinia B Mk.64 B-112 Paraná

Attachments:

B-112.kmz (716 B)

[v6srs]

Apr 7, 2021 18:29:27 GMT willi1 said:

Argentinia B Mk.64 B-112 Paraná

Wow, thanks for that.
I always knew that B-111 had a twin somewhere nearby, but I guess I was looking too close to the airbase.

Added to KMZ in first post along with another nose section near Wyton.
Now 183 placemarks in the collection.

Cheers,
Sean.

[v6srs]

2 more aircraft located at Lampson Field, CA.
A few more in India, also.

There's also two more wrecks at Pima that I haven't yet identified.

KMZ in first post updated. Now 189 placemarks.

Cheers,
Sean.

[willi1]

Miramar NAS

Attachments:

NASA WB-57.kmz (801 B)

[v6srs]

Nice find. Normally they are undercover, if not in the air.
I have the one at Ellington placemarked in the current imagery.

Unfortunately, they are all visually very similar, so you can't tell which of the 3 it is.

Cheers,
Sean.