EE Canberra: Master of Tasks pack WIP

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Well, there has been some re-shuffling of the line-up which is going to delay the release for a while. Re-modelling some things, adding some new things too. Will keep you posted as soon as there is progress to show.
 
Could you put up a few more pics of the VC, please? I don't have the Canberra model, but I would like to take a look at the VC. Thanks.
 
Bone said:
Could you put up a few more pics of the VC, please? I don't have the Canberra model, but I would like to take a look at the VC. Thanks.
Click to expand...
I've got a couple to share..

Canberra24.jpg


MCanberra18.jpg


The top one is from the EE Canberra, whereas the bottom one is from the Martin B-57.

I believe Steve has more on the Flying Stations website.

:ernae:
--WH
 
Cheers WH, here are a few more of my own:

B-57A:

grab_hurricane_026.jpg


grab_018.jpg


T.4:

TTpack_045.jpg


B.16 (other strike/interdictor models with gunsight as well):

B16_test_030.jpg


Looking back:

promos05_034.jpg


B.1 with auxillary windscreen:

promos04_031.jpg
 
Probably going to be some delay on the release of this one. I am getting pretty behind on a freelance project and am going to have to come off FS dev for a bit. As usual, watch this space (but not too carefully!)...
 
Nothing major, although I was chipping away at it a bit last week but did not get very far. Sorry to those waiting, I realise this is long overdue now and as usual I made it look like it was closer than it was. As I said earlier, some other work took priority over it which has significantly delayed this pack. We'll get there in the end though.
 
Take your time Steve - this will be worth waiting for. Good things always are.

I have read RAF Canberras actually overflew Moscow at night in the early 1950s taking radar scope photographs for blind bombing purposes if the balloon ever went up. On at least one occasion the aircraft was greeted by Russian flak on the city's outskirts. Do you know which mark of Canberra was used, or probably was used, for this work? There was nothing in the book about special paint schemes being applied first so I would presume they were using the grey upper surfaces/black sides & undersides we've seen in some of your productions.
 
SSI01 said:
Take your time Steve - this will be worth waiting for. Good things always are.

I have read RAF Canberras actually overflew Moscow at night in the early 1950s taking radar scope photographs for blind bombing purposes if the balloon ever went up. On at least one occasion the aircraft was greeted by Russian flak on the city's outskirts. Do you know which mark of Canberra was used, or probably was used, for this work? There was nothing in the book about special paint schemes being applied first so I would presume they were using the grey upper surfaces/black sides & undersides we've seen in some of your productions.
Click to expand...


Its' generally accepted a Modified B.2/PR.3 overflew Kapustin Yar sometime in August 1953

http://www.spyflight.co.uk/main.htm

Did the role get expanded to Radar recce of Moscow.. well if so
I'm going for the B.6 (BS) or B.16 / E.15 with the Blue Shadow recce radar installed
in place of one rear crew seat; as per the late Les Bywaters' page here --> http://www.bywat.co.uk/types01.html


Don't think there would have been 'special' paint at all; probably just standard paint for the era;
the 'high speed silver' finish.

ttfn

Pete
 
The only problem with that theory Pete is I don't think the B.16 came out later, and am not sure if the B.6 (BS) was active in the early 50s either. No other Cans that we know about were fitted with radar in the early 50s unless the whole thing was completely secret. There was the Kapustin Yar mission but that was only photo work as far as I know. Paintwork as you guessed would have been either the grey black or silver scheme would be my guess. But could have been the PR blue/ slate grey type though as well.
 
nazca_steve said:
The only problem with that theory Pete is I don't think the B.16 came out later, and am not sure if the B.6 (BS) was active in the early 50s either. No other Cans that we know about were fitted with radar in the early 50s unless the whole thing was completely secret. There was the Kapustin Yar mission but that was only photo work as far as I know. Paintwork as you guessed would have been either the grey black or silver scheme would be my guess. But could have been the PR blue/ slate grey type though as well.
Click to expand...

Dunno Steve;

Found this on another forum

According to Ken Delve in 'English Electric Canberra' there were 25 B6(BS) conversions by Boulton Paul,most of these ultimately converted to B16 by Marshalls and that one of the rear crew ejection seats was removed to make space available for the BS gear!
Because of the way that the book is laid out it is difficult to say how many a/c were fitted with BS.
The first squadron to have BS fitted was 109 ,sending a/c to TRE Defford in jan 1953,the first a/c returned to 109 in june.The overall conclusion seemed to be that it was of limited value and should only be used for 'target marking'.
However KD goes on to say that this good advice was ignored and that most of the later period bomber sqdns had BS fitted.
Click to expand...

and if you look here at the entry for Blue Shadow --> http://www.skomer.u-net.com/projects/radar.htm

you'll see a familiar squadron numberplate quoted; although back then it wasn't the only squadron engaging in that kind of work;
192 and 540 I've also seen mentioned, so I'm surmising that Ken Delve just wrote up the 'official' line on the radar at publication.

Maybe once the official archives are declassified things will make sense, but until then its all detective work!

Then, of course, there's Project Robin...
http://www.spyflight.co.uk/robin.htm


Could be right with the PR Blue/Grey colours; according to caption this is a 540 Sqn machine at Heathrow.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:E.Electric_Canberra_PR.3_WE140_540_Sqn_LAP_02.06.53_edited-2.jpg


ttfn

Pete
 
Yep, things will be a lot clearer once, well, things are made clearer! Can't wait for the big declassification. Good info there Pete, whatever the case, overflying Moscow, radar recon or otherwise must have been a dodgy feeling for those crews.
 
I sure wish those books weren't packed away on the mainland, but they are. There are so many details in there about who flew the mission, what base was utilized, routes taken, etc. One thing that did stay in my mind was the pilot's comments. Our intrepid pilot was a WWII Bomber Command veteran with some experience at night over Germany. He reported they were briefed to expect weather on the flight and they were not disappointed - there was a great deal of cloud. Of course this made no difference to the radar, and as Soviet night-fighter development was thought to lag behind that of the West the cloud was actually sought as extra insurance against visually-directed NFs (such as the Wilde Sau, I guess). I recall him saying that as they drew near to Moscow there were periodic flashes in the cloud, which he took to be lightning. He said they were not briefed to expect thunderstorms on this flight. At the same time there was something vaguely familiar about those flashes in the cloud, which were very brief. All doubts were removed when a series of these "lightning flashes" appeared in a string across the Canberra's nose, at precisely the aircraft's altitude but somewhat ahead. Obviously this meant the flak batteries were radar-guided, had solved the altitude problem and were now working on lead. The pilot wasted no more time but stood the aircraft on its wingtip and executed an immediate sharp turn away from the problem area. This came as a surprise to the planners (not to say the crew) as the Soviets were not thought to have had radar-directed anti-aircraft fire available, nor were the guns supposed to be capable of reaching the Canberra's altitude. Wrong on both counts. I can't recall if the book said this, and it's only a guess on my part, but I suspect the powers that be figured if the back-room types could be wrong about the radar and flak, they might be wrong about Soviet airborne intercept radar as well. I don't think any more flights were made after this incident. These exploits reflect a very high order of courage on the part of the crews, who were risking disappearing into the Soviet Gulag forever if caught. I hope they were properly recognized for their achievements.
 
SSI01 said:
I sure wish those books weren't packed away on the mainland, but they are. There are so many details in there about who flew the mission, what base was utilized, routes taken, etc. One thing that did stay in my mind was the pilot's comments. Our intrepid pilot was a WWII Bomber Command veteran with some experience at night over Germany. He reported they were briefed to expect weather on the flight and they were not disappointed - there was a great deal of cloud. Of course this made no difference to the radar, and as Soviet night-fighter development was thought to lag behind that of the West the cloud was actually sought as extra insurance against visually-directed NFs (such as the Wilde Sau, I guess). I recall him saying that as they drew near to Moscow there were periodic flashes in the cloud, which he took to be lightning. He said they were not briefed to expect thunderstorms on this flight. At the same time there was something vaguely familiar about those flashes in the cloud, which were very brief. All doubts were removed when a series of these "lightning flashes" appeared in a string across the Canberra's nose, at precisely the aircraft's altitude but somewhat ahead. Obviously this meant the flak batteries were radar-guided, had solved the altitude problem and were now working on lead. The pilot wasted no more time but stood the aircraft on its wingtip and executed an immediate sharp turn away from the problem area. This came as a surprise to the planners (not to say the crew) as the Soviets were not thought to have had radar-directed anti-aircraft fire available, nor were the guns supposed to be capable of reaching the Canberra's altitude. Wrong on both counts. I can't recall if the book said this, and it's only a guess on my part, but I suspect the powers that be figured if the back-room types could be wrong about the radar and flak, they might be wrong about Soviet airborne intercept radar as well. I don't think any more flights were made after this incident. These exploits reflect a very high order of courage on the part of the crews, who were risking disappearing into the Soviet Gulag forever if caught. I hope they were properly recognized for their achievements.
Click to expand...

Half a mo.... you're not thinking about Operation Jiu Jitsu are you; when the RAF 'borrowed' some RB-45's because US crews had been banned from overflights by
Pres. Truman?

http://www.spyflight.co.uk/scul.htm

The aircraft were 'loaned' from USAF and even painted in RAF markings.

I'm using terms 'borrowed' and 'loaned' rather loosely here; as it was all to do with the subterfuge of the time...

ttfn

Pete
 
I don't have the ref materials in front of me (I sure wish I did, they make for fascinating reading) so can't provide any more material. I remember Jiu Jitsu because that's the one where the RAF were provided USAF RB-45s for recon flights, they had to wash off the U.S. markings w/solvent, then apply RAF markings (the fin flash went from the base of the vert stab all the way to the top, at least in one photo I've seen!). They then got changed right back to U.S. markings after the flights. If I remember right, I think Micky Martin (Dambusters) volunteered for this go but was disqualified during the flight physical.

At age 58 with a zillion things going on around here I may have the incidents mixed - don't know without the documents. I think the book was "Operation Overflight," the author may have been a man named Peebles. There is one other I recall - "By Any Means Necessary," another good read. I think that was more devoted to the Project Corona balloon program and the EC-130 that was shot down over Soviet Armenia back in the 50s or 60s.

I never knew retirement could be so busy!!
 
While we're talking PR Canberra's... Steve did you ever get round to painting up a B2 as a PR3? (yes I know a PR 3 was 14" longer than a B2)

ttfn

Pete
 
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