First civilian Canberra?

However, that said and done I always thought that the USAF/Americans only knew it as the B-57, as that is how they nearly always refer to it. Thought the ‘Canberra’ thing was just a Martin show to keep E.E.co. happy.

The official list of designations, DoD Document 4120.15-L ‘Model Designation of Military Aerospace Vehicles’, lists B-57 variants as Canberra.

http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/412015l.pdf

….Same thing. The -57’s were named ‘Canberras’ as well.

Thanks for answering the original question and providing pics – excellent!

Didn’t mean to start an argument here though, just meant was it American or British really.

However, that said and done I always thought that the USAF/Americans only knew it as the B-57, as that is how they nearly always refer to it. Thought the ‘Canberra’ thing was just a Martin show to keep E.E.co. happy.

Ooo, time in pedant corner coming up! 😀 Going the other way, A B-57 may (or may not) be a Canberra, but a Canberra is often not a B-57; something that has confused some folks at the US end of things. Rather like Aussie-built and used Mustangs aren’t P-51s as they weren’t US ordered or USAAF used.

Currently Australia has an ex-RAF EE Canberra painted and flying as an RAAF GAF built example, and there was an ex-RAAF GAF Canberra which was exchanged to a civilian owner in the US. See the discussion currently on WIX. Neither would be ‘first’, but they are civvie.

http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=21668&start=38

“Night Intruder”? Type, not name, distinguishes between recce and offensive. The RAF’s B(I)8s were called “Interdictors” and, sometimes, “Night Intruders” as well, but as with the US kites they were still Canberras. So, a marketing title or an old model kit is a good authorative source? Not really.
😉

I’d agree if we were just takling about the Revell kit, but to see the “Night Intruder” name on an official (and expensive) piece of Martin marketing (the metal desk model) gives my theory a bit of weight.

And if, as you assert, that they were contractually bound to call it the Canberra, it seems very odd thay they’d call it something different on a prominent piece of marketing.
Don’t you think?;)

BTW: somewhere I have an old Martin color litho poster of a B-57, I’m pretty sure it said “Night Intruder” on it too.

I’m sure the official name was Canberra…my official USAF history of the type says as much.
My point is, per my post that you took exception to, it was called other names by its maker
…and the USAF.
Here’s a NMUSAF Fact Sheet that gives its nickname as “Night Intruder”…
http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=2679

You’re correct, it was based a lot overseas, but later in its career it saw a lot of stateside service with ANG units.

“Night Intruder”? Type, not name, distinguishes between recce and offensive. The RAF’s B(I)8s were called “Interdictors” and, sometimes, “Night Intruders” as well, but as with the US kites they were still Canberras. So, a marketing title or an old model kit is a good authorative source? Not really.

I correspond with a couple of ex-Lt Cols who flew the things in Vietnam. They, and the current US Canberra Association, call them Canberras as a generic name giving their numeric designators to indicate the different and many roles.

No, I guess the USAF didn’t use their Canberras in the US of A, they were pretty much all in Europe (Laon, France), North Africa (Idris, Lybia) and the Far East. The US employed Canberras to a great extent from the outset in Vietnam. I can recommend Robert Mikesh’s Martin B-57 Canberra.

Also Pakistan used the US type Canberra during the Indo/Pakistan conflict, whereas India used the UK type – but that’s neither here nor there.

😉

Machts nichts, they were still Canberras. I believe the licence agreement required the US airframes were to be so called.

😉

Not always…they were also called “Night Intuders”…at least that is what it says on the stand of the metal desk model distributed by Martin, and the old Revell pastic model kit box.

http://www.oldmodelkits.com/index.php?detail=8127&manu=Revell&searchtext=b-57

What I don’t know is whether that was a meant as a formal name or just the mission of the aircraft.
I think the “Night Intruder” name on the official manufacturer’s desk model would be telling.

Either way, the name Canberra wasn’t used much in the US.

The name may have been the same, but that was about the only thing!:D

Machts nichts, they were still Canberras. I believe the licence agreement required the US airframes were to be so called.

😉

The name may have been the same, but that was about the only thing!:D

Shown –
United States Department of Commerce
United States Weather Bureau B-57As.

Haven’t seen any Oil Co Canberras though.

. . . is it a Canberra or a B-57?

Same thing. The -57’s were named ‘Canberras’ as well.

Best to clarify the question, is it a Canberra or a B-57? From the description it is a new one on me, would love to see the pic if you could scan it!

The A-26 pics sound familier and I think they show up quite regularly if they are the one Im thinking of.

Just done a little googling around,apparently the FAA used 2 B57’s for high altitude calibrations etc ?? and the weather service (NOAA ? ) also had 2 so there were at least 4 civvy reg B57’s floating around in the 50’s,60’s.
That is of course ignoring the NASA aircraft

one of the NASA a/c here
http://rides.webshots.com/photo/1154220398000631192AdRAPW

Edit.. in Robert Mikesh’s book B57 at war he gives the FAA B57A’s as N96 and N97,N96 lost in 1960 due to control problem,pilot ejected ok.

I am not saying that this is the Canberra you mention,but there was at least one ‘N’ reg WB57,N1005 used by ‘U S Dept of Commerce’ and ‘NOAA’ out of Miami.This a/c had a radar nose and was possibly used for anti drug ops as well as weather research.

Pics here
http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/brs/fyind2.htm
ended up at the G T Baker Aviation school in miami

I don’t think it would have been a USAF aircraft.
They were still in active service in the 50s..and not surplused for private sale.

In the U.S., the only way civilian titles could have been painted on one is if it were bailed by the government for some sort of test program in which case it may not have had an “N” number. Perhaps some fuel or fuel additive (usually anti-icing) research?

The only non-military Canberras I know of here (aside from a few recent ex-RAF warbirds) would be the Dept. of Commerce/NOAA weather aircraft and of course, the well known NASA planes.