English Electric Canberra - Survivor WJ574 (N77844)
TT.18 WJ574 - Valiant Air Command, Inc. Space Coast Regional Airport, Titusville, Florida
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Canberra TT.18 WJ574 at Space Coast Regional Airport, 7th July 2013; Simon Wallwork
Built as a B.2 by Handley Page, Radlett, in 1953, WJ574 was ready for collection on 4 June of that year. Taken into RAF service, she was initially issued to 540 Sqd at RAF Benson. 540 Sqd was a PR squadron equipped with PR.3s but at that time only four PR.3s were available on the squadron as production of these aircraft was delayed by English Electric due to a few minor snags. The squadron was loaned two B.2s to enable the crews to continue familiarisation and work-ups with the Canberra. After the PR.3 deliveries were re-started, the squadron held onto two or three B.2s until mid-1954 for crew training and limited PR duties, the B.2s being fitted with a forward facing F.95 camera. This means that WJ574 was actually a PR Canberra in the early days of her career.
In mid-1954, WJ574 was transferred to the charge of 57 Sqd - then just recently moved to RAF Cottesmore. This was a true bomber squadron so WJ574 would have had the F.95 camera removed. She stayed with 57 Sqd until they disbanded in December 1957 at RAF Coningsby and from there...? After hiding out somewhere for twelve years (anybody know where?) WJ574 was sold to BAC in December 1969 and allocated the civilian registration of G27-182.
A five-year sojurn at BAC followed before WJ574 was converted to TT.18 configuration and was issued to the Royal Navy's charge on 4 October 1979. For the next four years she flew as a target tug with the Fleet Requirements and Air Direction Unit (FRADU) out of Yeovilton.
In October 1978, this TT.18 was detached to the US Naval Air Station Key West in Florida where it no doubt gave a good account of herself before returning to FRADU. However, in May 1989, WJ574 was transferred to RAF St Athan and put into storage. It's unknown how long she stayed at St Athan but she did return for another stretch with FRADU before being retired and sold off again.
This time she was bought by Tom Foscue in the US and was given the US registration of N77844 for a ferry trip to her new home in California in 1994. N77844 then remained airworthy for some years after this. In the early 2000s, the airframe was sold to Aero Group Inc. based at Tulsa and was reportedly used for trial works for the US Military for some time. The airframe had not flown for a while at this point and unfortunately suffered some damage during a hurricane in 2005 when a Jet Provest swung into its starboard wing.
In 2012, the airframe moved to the Valiant Air Command Museum in Titusville, Florida where she can be seen today. Soon after her arrival, a restoration project began and by 2016 this was completed with a fresh coat of paint.
Today, the airframe looks very smart and in great condition, although the canopy has started to turn white with it being exposed to sunlight for several years.
In mid-1954, WJ574 was transferred to the charge of 57 Sqd - then just recently moved to RAF Cottesmore. This was a true bomber squadron so WJ574 would have had the F.95 camera removed. She stayed with 57 Sqd until they disbanded in December 1957 at RAF Coningsby and from there...? After hiding out somewhere for twelve years (anybody know where?) WJ574 was sold to BAC in December 1969 and allocated the civilian registration of G27-182.
A five-year sojurn at BAC followed before WJ574 was converted to TT.18 configuration and was issued to the Royal Navy's charge on 4 October 1979. For the next four years she flew as a target tug with the Fleet Requirements and Air Direction Unit (FRADU) out of Yeovilton.
In October 1978, this TT.18 was detached to the US Naval Air Station Key West in Florida where it no doubt gave a good account of herself before returning to FRADU. However, in May 1989, WJ574 was transferred to RAF St Athan and put into storage. It's unknown how long she stayed at St Athan but she did return for another stretch with FRADU before being retired and sold off again.
This time she was bought by Tom Foscue in the US and was given the US registration of N77844 for a ferry trip to her new home in California in 1994. N77844 then remained airworthy for some years after this. In the early 2000s, the airframe was sold to Aero Group Inc. based at Tulsa and was reportedly used for trial works for the US Military for some time. The airframe had not flown for a while at this point and unfortunately suffered some damage during a hurricane in 2005 when a Jet Provest swung into its starboard wing.
In 2012, the airframe moved to the Valiant Air Command Museum in Titusville, Florida where she can be seen today. Soon after her arrival, a restoration project began and by 2016 this was completed with a fresh coat of paint.
Today, the airframe looks very smart and in great condition, although the canopy has started to turn white with it being exposed to sunlight for several years.
Information on this page current as of 13/11/2021, last updated by Jake |
Find other photos of WJ574 on the following sites:
Air-Britain - Airliners.net - Airplane-Pictures.net - flickr.com - WorldAirPics.com - JetPhotos.net - PlanePictures.net