Canberra Man
Airman
One of our Canberra's is going on a Navex and I'm in front controlling things. I point to the port engine, thumbs up and she bursts into life and settles down to idle. Point to the starboard engine and all hell lets loose. The turbo starter explodes, red hot turbine blades go through the fuselage into No 1 tank and kerosene pours out on to the still burning fragments of the cartridge, the whole lot goes up! The crew are out in a shot and even get their chutes out, they had to, they would have had to pay for them otherwise. A phone call to the fire section has their brand new Rolls Royce fire engine charging round the peri track and screeches to a stop at the bonfire. An erk in gents natty asbestos suiting complete with a big helmet jumped down and pointed a huge pipe at the bonfire and shouted "Send it fru". The trouble was noffink came 'fru', they had been so busy polishing their new toy, no one had thought to fill it with foam!!! Then the wheel hubs and the cockpit coaming, which are magnesium alloy, went up with a bright flash, we just looked the other way. Then someone muttered "What about the ejector seats, we just backed off as few more yards and sure enough, there was a triple explosion and three steel tubes,with bits of the seats still attached shot a couple of hundred feet into the air. The next morning, there was a perfect silhouette of a Canberra, burnt into the tarmac, with two Avons still in situ. I dare say there were new faces at the fire section in the next few days.
Ken
Ken