I'm curious if anybody has figures for length, overall diameter, and inlet diameter for the early RR Avons, the versions that powered the first Canberras in particular?
When did they add electric starts to the Avon series of engines?
I have a 1954, Canberra B.6, with cart start and would like to convert into electric start.
In 1974 the EB57s of the 158th Defense Systems Evaluation Squadron pulled a surprise raid on our base, and caught us with our pants down. When they got ready to leave, their cartridge starters threw CFR into a panic, and despite having been briefed, they came within a split second of foaming a running engine. The squadron CO, wise to the ways of trigger happy firefighters, climbed right up the front of the pumper truck and got right in the nozzle gunner's face. I was sitting in the cab of my 9000 gallon JP4 truck a hundred yards away and seriously thinking of "gettin' outta Dodge"!