English Electric Canberra T4

The T.4 was a dual-control trainer variant of the Canberra, which was originally a twin-engined light bomber, with a crew of three, of all-metal stressed-skin construction, powered by two Rolls-Royce Avon 109 turbojets of 7,500 lb thrust each. It had an initial rate of climb of 3,800 feet per minute, with a service ceiling of 60,000 feet and a maximum speed of 620 mph (Mach 0.94) at 40,000 feet. The range was 4,500 miles.

The first Canberra flew at Warton on 13 May 1949, and entered service with the Royal Air Force in 1951. The prototype T.4 first flew on 6 June 1952. The type equipped 231 Operational Conversion Unit (OCU) at Bassingbourne, where it was used for the conversion of pilots destined for operational versions of the Canberra. Over seventy were built. In addition, some 250 Canberras were built by the Martin Aircraft Company in the USA, under licence, as the B-57A.

The Museum’s aircraft was with 231 OCU, then 3 Squadron at Geilenkirchen (2nd Tactical Air Force), on the Station Flight at Laarbruch and with 100 Squadron at Wyton, until storage at St Athan in 1977. It returned to British Aerospace on 29 January 1982 and was in storage at Samlesbury before coming to Elvington in May 1988.