PR.9 Canberras

thank you stormbird

Top Stuff Can the Man mate!:dev2:

Don’t know your name as yet!

The tail section cut off, went to a shoppping centre display I THINK!! over Doncaster way :rolleyes:

Not sure what the guy was up to after all this time.

I know a book you would like mate, IF you have not done it already.

Life story of one of our top boy’s in the RAAF, would have been one hundred last year if still kickin, Great dude what he did for the RAAF.

Air marshall Vernon………….. some thing I think!! 😮

Right now can see face in mind, but not name, Buggger this MS Cr@P:dev2: GRRRRRRRR:o , I read the Damnn thing over about 10 time’s aswell.

It’s a classic story of the RAAF from go to finish, nasty bunch of pretender’s trying stuff it up during WW2 :rolleyes:

Marshmellow Jone’s for One!, not a great fan of our best Killer Ace a Mr Clive, who wanted to just to neck Jone’s and be done with the shining Bum.

Even after the War Clive still wanted tooo 😀 :p

Never got over the so called Mutiny at Moriaty :rolleyes:

Bit you would be likely to know about Mr Can mate, Vernon ran Singapore for a few year’s and flew the great Canberras very well, from what I read only EVEN bent one.

He was in charge when all three Canberras sent out for first time all crashed 😮 , terrible hey, got all the way down, then crashed before landing after a flawless flight from ole Blighty.

Weather kill’s that part of the world, and ALL CREW’S HAD BEEN WARNED before hand, a few did survive I think??

I think it was a bit like when you drive home, last few mile’s to go, and we start to get slack!! :rolleyes:

All that planning, almost home……… then all three just dissapeared of Radar 😮

Boss man Vern flipped his lid!! and yes he admit’s crying he eye’s out, he was very well known to first hand looking after our Lad’s.

He also went out on the search, after Fuel time was UP!! Bingo and know one arrived!!!!!

Secret as the boss man he never stopped flyin, even when based over in Pommie land as well, they gave him a few Vamp’s to have fun with but he noticed a lot less poke on their model’s at the time :p .

That gear bizzo was nasty on those blooody Vamp’s, and lost us a few with the young rev head pilot’s in charge of the little beast’s :rolleyes: . I’ve been past the spot where one drilled a hole, after leaving Cooky or Lav base 😮 .

Okey dokey must be off again,

Ooooo Roooo for now 😉 .

Can’s, a Cat and what else was in the old graveyard, think a near dead DC-3, but forgotten the rest.

I must bring up there story on the DC-6 that dropped it’s prop in me yard way back then.

90 Second’s from disaster, what a ride for the passenger’s hey!

Noticed they found the donk in the end, Radar caught it on the way down to the Bay.

Local’s here tell me there was oil everywhere over house’s and the women’s washing in this area got splattered too, they were not happy.

Some prop bit’s went though roof’s, and a bit of the boss landed 20 feet from my Flat, was not here back then Built 77/78.

Local’s knew the Pilot, Ex WW2 Raaf Lancaster and other pilot, forgot his name right now. BIG hero of the DAY!!;)

Anyway rabbiting:rolleyes: on again I MUST GO!! 😮

Ok heres the list and a little background on them each

Peter Hookway bought 12 Canberras from the RAAF, most being struck off charge on the day of sale 12/04/1972, although some had been in storage for up to 4 years prior to the sale, he returned 5 aircraft to flight status at Amberley and had them flown down to Essendon by former ARDU test pilot and Canberra veteran Barry Wilson, two examples were donated to Amberley for display and the remaining 5 non-flyers broken down for road transport to Essendon, where at least two were re-assembled, the rest being cannibalised for spares.

Peter Hookway apparently intended originally to onsell the flyable aurcraft and spares to the Bolivian AF but for unknown reasons this never came to fruition and the aircraft languished at Essendon with the first being scrapped in the early 1980’s and the last gone by 1989.

Flying examples were all B.Mk20’s:

A84-209, First Flight 21/09/54, Delivered 11/54, Storage from 12/68, Struck Off Charge 12/04/1972,
This was apparently the 1st to fly to Essendon sometime between 1972 and 1975, all Canberras that flew to Essendon used call sign VH-PTQ, Scrapped but cockpit still extant at Camden Aviation Museum.

A84-212, FF 22/11/54, Delivered 08/12/54, SOC 19/11/71, Sold 12/04/72,
Flew in sometime between 1972 an 1975, this was the one that had the Hookway Aviation logo on the tail and “Hookway Aviation” on the nose in blue, Scrapped but components reported to have ended up in the UK.

A84-217, FF 04/04/55, Delivered 27/04/55, SOC 19/11/71, Sold 12/04/72, Flew in sometime between 1972 and 1975, Scrapped 11/1981.

A84-218, FF 25/05/55, Delivered 21/06/55, SOC 19/11/71. Sold 12/04/72, Scrapped.

A84-227, FF 23/03/56 after extensive rework to repair faulty mainplane, Delivered 27/04/56, Storage 18/12/68, SOC 19/11/71, This was the last Canberra to be built with Avon Mk.1’s prior to the upgrade to RA.7/Mk.109’s, it was part of the 5 Canberra goodwill trip to the USA in May/June 1956, where it suffered an engine failure on takeoff from Hickman AFB resulting in a wheels-up landing shortly afterward, was dismantled in situ and shipped back to Australia for major repairs and did not flay again until 1959, it had corrosion work in late 1965 before going into storage, flew into Essendon between 1972 and 1975, Scrapped.

Others known to have been bought by Hookway and trucked to Essendon were:

A84-216, FF 15/03/55, Delivered 04/04/55, SOC 19/11/71, Sold 12/04/72,
trucked to Morwell and scrapped in 1989.

A84-221, FF 12/08/55, Delivered 30/08/55, SOC 19/11/71, Sold 12/04/72, another of the “Goodwill 5”, trucked to Morwell and scrapped in 1989.

A84-222, FF 16/08/55, Delivered 01/09/55, SOC 19/11/71, Sold 12/04/72,
trucked to Morwell and scrapped in 1989, Cockpit section bought by Moorabbin Air Museum.

A84-224, FF 19/10/55, Delivered 24/04/56, SOC 19/11/71, Sold 12/04/72,
Another of the “Goodwill 5”, this one had an orange band painted around the rear fuselage and a placard next to the crew door to signify a +2G limitation during its final months of service due to fatigue, trucked to Morwell and scrapped in 1989, cockpit still extant in Dennison.

Enjoy!

When I was a schoolboy we paid a visit to Essendon in the late 70’s and got to climb all over some ex military planes that were half stripped out, at the time I didn’t know what they were and have been wondering ever since, I think you have just answered that question. Does anyone have some photos. Thanks Paul

😀 Greeting’s too mate!

The guy who run’s the Gee bee shop STILL at the old terminal, is a great source of old and new goss about the drome.

Apparently Ross Nolan had a well known father, I may have even met him when I was helping restore two N.Z. Havard’s way back then with Ross and our other Essendon tarmac rat’s like myself.

Found out how Ross left the Drome, Punched the Airport manager in the nose 😮 one day in a blue about something, got escorted with all belonging’s to go as well off the ground’s, he has never send him again, oh well he alway’s was a coccky dude Ross.
IT HAPPEN’S

Rego’s wow that’s great mate 😎 , never took notice back then, Only had time for looking and crawling over aircraft and Sheilas, in that order!!:p

What else do real red blooded 16 year’s teen boy’s do 😮 .

I had no time for other number’s back then, twas hard enough time with the Sheilas phone number’s at the time, I also partyed a lot at 16 😀

We had planned to knock off one Avon mate, but proved to heavy for us teen’s and the pushbike trailer :p , Security was non existant back then really:rolleyes:

TIGHT AS now after 9/11, some curry tw@t reckoned he was gunna pinch a Cessna or what ever and run it in to the Rialto in the City.( the security give me dirty’s when I take Picture’s now, but they see my stick and stumble and just carry on so far.

But I had a vibe a few time’s, someone was taking a few shot’s of me, while I took shot’s of Aircraft.

1984 arrive’s hey, but i guess it must happen, Can not get over all the CCT coverage in the U.K. we are watching YOU!:eek:

And all of a sudden the time had come, and the graveyard was bare 🙁 twas a sad sad day for me, almost shed a tear:( , or was that my way too tight jock’s and jean’s at time!!:o

Ooooo Rooo for now!

Greetings Stormbird!

i know the Essendon Canberras quite well and ill post up theyre s/n’s here shortly, power is looking a bit dodgy at the moment so ill be signing off until later.

P.S love to know if and where any of those Avons might be now!

Also much thanks to buccsociety for the update on the PR.9s, hopefully at least one of them will fly again!

G’ day all.

You just pricked a memory of the 7 or 8 Canberras that sat up at Essendon Drome for year’s’ 😉

Forgot the model now, but all were in good nice nic, when they first got there:rolleyes:

I flew many a bombing and strafing mission in them, nearly died one summer, me and a mate tried a long mission, musta been 43c outside 100c under the now very much glassed over canopy 😮 , reckon we lost some weight!!:p

My much loved graveyard bit the dust one day, all aircraft and bit’s had to dissapear!!!:eek: 😡 🙁

I was doing work experience at Stillwell Aviation at the time, and noticed a mate of mine Ross Nolan, standing on a bombers wing doing something to an engine.

T thought coool maybe gunna try a start up, everyone alway’s talked about firing up a few Avon’s just for fun! May have at some point.

When I got there Ross was trying to un bolt an Avon, someone or other wanted one for a possible Jet Truck, we had a rash at the time of jet truck’s!

Cut the story BANG!! the Avon hit’s the ground:eek:

Someone out here did crash and die in a Avon Powered Truck, Homemade job:rolleyes:

Someone overseas wanted to by a few and use the bomber’s, but the deal fell through.

One dude wanted and bought a cut off tail whole asssend, for some display, looked weird, looked like it had gone in hard and that’s what stuck out of the ground!!

Rest became Coke Can’s I guess and scrap, Ross had a cash deal to remove them all, by hand, it took a while, mostly by himself it was MAD!, and went passed the dead line, but yes in the end all were gone!:(

Think most Avon’s just got dumped 🙁

Oooo Rooo 😉

None of them have flown since arriving at Kemble.

XH131 – External storage – Looks a bit of a state due to paintwork deterioration.
XH134 – Internal Storage – Excellent condition, capable of ground running.
XH135 – External Storage – Good condition – capable of ground running.

All are reported to be still up for sale through one of the other well known magazines.

Any idea how much for a PR9?

None of them have flown since arriving at Kemble.

XH131 – External storage – Looks a bit of a state due to paintwork deterioration.
XH134 – Internal Storage – Excellent condition, capable of ground running.
XH135 – External Storage – Good condition – capable of ground running.

All are reported to be still up for sale through one of the other well known magazines.