CANBERRA – T.4, WJ865

Built at Preston this T.4 never went into RAF service. On 2 September 1954, it was ready for collection and issued to the charge of MoD. Its whole flying career was spent being used jointly by the Empire Test Pilots School (ETPS) and the Aircraft and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE).

WJ865’s final flight was on 15th November 1981 when, at the end of its fatique life, it was transferred to Farnbourgh to be used as a Ground Instructional airframe for apprentice training. It remained in this role for just over a year until it was declared surplus to requirements and struck off charge on 15 January 1982. It was bought by Hanningfield Metals, Stock, Essex as scrap.

The cockpit section however was purchased by an enthusiast and moved to Stamford. In 2001 Bob Dunn and Brian Bartlett of the Wolverhampton Aviation Group purchased the cockpit and moved it to Bromsgrove. In the photo above, WJ865 is seen on display at the Newark Air Museum’s Canberra Fest in May 2001.

Information from Tony Pryor-Jones says that the new owner of this T.4 cockpit is now the Boscombe Down Aviation Collection