Which Notable Aviation Records Did The English Electric Canberra Bomber Set?

The English Electric Canberra bomber was a versatile military jet plane and set altitude and distance records.
The Canberra originated from the de Haviland Mosquito and was designed to be a long-range jet with the same capabilities.
The Canberra had a long service life but was eventually replaced by more advanced aircraft.

The English Electric Canberra bomber was not just a long-range jet bomber but also a capable spy plane in its own right. As such, the Canberra set altitude and distance records.

Origins

The English Electric Canberra originated from the legend that is the de Haviland Mosquito. The latter type, of course, was a long-range multi-role fighter-bomber with two Merlin piston engines and a famous wooden construction. However, as 1944 rolled through, the age of jets was inbound, and the Royal Air Force wanted similar capabilities but in a jet aircraft.

“Teddy” Petter’s original design would embed two jet engines into the wing and create an aircraft 65 feet, 6 inches (19.964 meters) long with a wingspan of 64 feet (19.507 meters) and height of 15 feet, 7 inches (4.750 meters). However, making a jet required several concepts and mockups and five years until a Canberra prototype lifted off on May 13th, 1949. Even though it was a Friday the 13th, the Canberra flew well according to a history by the British aviation history website Thunder & Lightnings. Its early performance impressed many Britons but worried airshow managers. The name Canberra would come from a desire to advertise the British Commonwealth, and Canberra, Australia, was one of the farthest Commonwealth capitals from London. Eventually, alongside 900 built in the UK, 49 would be made by Australia.
Photo: Richard P Long | Shutterstock
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Finally, the Canberra was also built by the US’s Martin Aircraft Company. 403 Martin-built Canberras would roll off the factory between 1951 and 1959 for the US Air Force. Canberras would go on to do everything from bombing to high-altitude reconnaissance, aviation test support, electronic warfare, and weather reconnaissance.

Canberra sets records

The Canberra would set several records of service. For instance, the UK Royal Air Force had the Canberra on hand for 55 years, concluding its service, according to FlightGlobal, flying photographic reconnaissance over Afghanistan in 2006. The Canberra was too costly to fly for a modern military at 55 years, so she was replaced by Raytheon Sentinel R1s, whose synthetic radar can cut through the clouds and operate more efficiently.
Photo: Tim Felce (Airwolfhound) | Wikimedia Commons
Canberra would not just set records for length of service but also for speed for traveling distances. For instance, according to This Day in Aviation and Key.Aero, a Canberra, went 2,072 miles from Aldergrove, Northern Ireland, to Gander, Newfoundland, in 4 hours and 37 minutes on February 22nd, 1951. On this trip, the Canberra had an average ground speed of 450 mph (724 kph) with a cruise altitude of 40,000 feet above sea level. Additionally, as mentioned in the Key.Aero report, quoting “The Aeroplane,” this flight also tested new high-altitude clothing from the Institute of Aviation Medicine made of “barathea-type material” meant to protect the aircrew from the extreme temperatures. Additionally, in the event of depressurization, partial-pressure waistcoats were issued. How do they work? Quoting from “The Aeroplane” hosted on Key.Aero:

“If the cabin pressure should fail above 40,000 ft., at which heights 100 percent. Oxygen is not sufficient unless it is supplied at a slight positive pressure. In the new waistcoat, it is actually fed through the walls of the garment, so that as a reversal of normal conditions, inspiration is passive and expiration active, and the lungs have an increased ambient pressure.”

Finally, new floatation devices that were smaller than before and dependent on a CO2 bottle were issued. Good preparations were made for a flight, bringing about today’s technology.
Photo: NYC Russ | Shutterstock

Additionally, a Canberra would set altitude records. According to a December 19th, 2016, BBC report, the Canberra would carry a Napier Double Scorpion rocket in the bomb bay to test flying higher than it should have. The pilots, Mike Randrup and Walter Shirley, would take the Canberra to 44,000 feet on its jets and then light the rocket. Flying in a tight performance window, Randrup took the Canberra to 70,308ft (21km) with the help of the Double Scorpion rocket.

Canberra goes racing

The Canberra was also used as a racing aircraft – according to a May 23rd, 2023 Key.Aero report – a Canberra by the Government Aircraft Factory based in Melbourne, Australia, participated in an October 1953 London, UK to Christchurch, NZ air race. Yes, the Australians ferried their Canberras to London to start the race. Ultimately, five Canberras – two of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and two of the UK’s Royal Air Force (RAF) – would race to New Zealand. Refueling would have to occur in Bahrain, Sri Lanka, Cocos Island, and at some point in Australia.
Photo: aussiejeff | Wikimedia Commons
Along the way, one Canberra would drop out of the race due to a tire bursting. Another A84-201 would catch a jetstream to help it along. But that same Canberra had its nose gear fail at Woomera, South Australia, and it took 79 minutes to fix. It helped that the RAF’s PR.7 WH773 photo reconnaissance Canberra had mechanical trouble.

But the Brits had Canberra PR.3 WE139, which didn’t break down and proved that being steady & reliable can win long races with a time of 23 hours, 51 minutes at 515 miles per hour (829 km/h) to make the 11,813-mile flight.