English Electric Canberra - Survivor 'A84-234', (VH-ZSQ, ex G-BURM, WJ680)
TT.18 A84-234', - RAAF 100 Squadron (flyer), Temora, New South Wales, Australia
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Canberra TT.18 A84-234', at Duxford, 4th May 2002; Damien Burke
Delivered to the RAF in 1955 as a B.2, this Canberra went first to 104 Sqd at RAFG Gutersloh. 104 Sqd shut down in July 1956 and WJ680 was transferred briefly to 103 Sqd before going to 59 Sqd at RAFG Bruggen. Damaged in February 1956 and grounded for a year as a result, she returned to 59 Sqd only to suffer more serious damage from a birdstrike, requiring an extensive rebuild. By the time this was complete, 59 Squadron were no more and so she went into storage until 1967 and converted to a TT.18 for the Target Tug role, but again once the work was done she had nowhere to go and went into storage.
In 1971 she was dusted off and joined 7 Sqd at RAF St Mawgan. WJ680 was the aircraft involved in the famous incident in 1972 when the rudder top hinge sheared on an air test. The navigator on that flight, Plt Off Geoff Burns, ejected safely and the pilot brought the TT.18 into a wheels-up landing. WJ680 took two and a half years to rebuild. Thankfully that was the last of her major incidents!
Following the sojurn on 7 Sqd, WJ680 is recorded as being on the strength of 100 Sqd with the identification of "CT". 100 Sqd was at RAF Wyton and operated TT.18s from Dec 1981, coincidental with 7 Sqd shutting down at St Mawgan. She flew until December 1991, and was retired to open storage at RAF Wyton. Sold in 1992 to Ron Mitchell, he operated her on the airshow circuit briefly before she was grounded again in 1996 and flown into storage at Kemble.
She stood in the open until mid-1999 when she was moved into the DevonAir hangar where owner Ron Mitchell got a team together to return her to the air and fly her back to Marham for further work, which happened in January 2000. Sadly efforts to gain sponsorship to fly her again on the UK airshow circuit failed, and she was put up for sale, being bought by the Temora Aviation Museum in Australia during May 2001.
It took a further year to complete the work necessary to get her airworthy again and she departed the UK in May 2002, flying a multi-hop trip to her new home at Temora. Once there she was swiftly repainted as an Australian Canberra (A84-234), registered as VH-ZSQ and kept in flying condition until she was grounded in June 2010 after NDT tests found she needed some significant work to keep her airworthy.
During her time on the deck she has been converted to electric rather than cartridge start, and in January 2021 the RAAF re-formed 100 Squadron as a heritage squadron to operate 11 assorted heritage types including A84-234, ownership of them having been transferred from the Temora museum. Thus there is now, once more, an EE Canberra on the books of an air force! She returned to the air on 28th June 2021 and is scheduled for several airshow appearances later in the year.
In 1971 she was dusted off and joined 7 Sqd at RAF St Mawgan. WJ680 was the aircraft involved in the famous incident in 1972 when the rudder top hinge sheared on an air test. The navigator on that flight, Plt Off Geoff Burns, ejected safely and the pilot brought the TT.18 into a wheels-up landing. WJ680 took two and a half years to rebuild. Thankfully that was the last of her major incidents!
Following the sojurn on 7 Sqd, WJ680 is recorded as being on the strength of 100 Sqd with the identification of "CT". 100 Sqd was at RAF Wyton and operated TT.18s from Dec 1981, coincidental with 7 Sqd shutting down at St Mawgan. She flew until December 1991, and was retired to open storage at RAF Wyton. Sold in 1992 to Ron Mitchell, he operated her on the airshow circuit briefly before she was grounded again in 1996 and flown into storage at Kemble.
She stood in the open until mid-1999 when she was moved into the DevonAir hangar where owner Ron Mitchell got a team together to return her to the air and fly her back to Marham for further work, which happened in January 2000. Sadly efforts to gain sponsorship to fly her again on the UK airshow circuit failed, and she was put up for sale, being bought by the Temora Aviation Museum in Australia during May 2001.
It took a further year to complete the work necessary to get her airworthy again and she departed the UK in May 2002, flying a multi-hop trip to her new home at Temora. Once there she was swiftly repainted as an Australian Canberra (A84-234), registered as VH-ZSQ and kept in flying condition until she was grounded in June 2010 after NDT tests found she needed some significant work to keep her airworthy.
During her time on the deck she has been converted to electric rather than cartridge start, and in January 2021 the RAAF re-formed 100 Squadron as a heritage squadron to operate 11 assorted heritage types including A84-234, ownership of them having been transferred from the Temora museum. Thus there is now, once more, an EE Canberra on the books of an air force! She returned to the air on 28th June 2021 and is scheduled for several airshow appearances later in the year.
Information on this page current as of 12/08/2021, last updated by Jake |
Find other photos of A84-234', on the following sites:
Air-Britain - Airliners.net - Airplane-Pictures.net - flickr.com - WorldAirPics.com - JetPhotos.net - PlanePictures.net