CANBERRA – TT.18 – WK128

TT.18 – WK128

WK128 at Fairford (Nick Challoner) WK128 taking off at RIAT – RAF Fairford (Nick Challoner) WK128 taxying (Unknown)	WK128 flies no more, it has been broken up at Llanbder. Hopefully someone saved the cockpit, if so please let me know. Thanks Awaiting collection in June 1954 this B.2 converted to TT.18 is the second oldest Canberra still flying – 45 years in service! The oldest Canberra, by a month, seems to be 39 Sqd’s T.4, WH847, currently (1999) flying around painted blue and dressed as VN799, it was awaiting collection in May 1954. WK128 was allocated to the Radar Research Establishment and served from 1958 as a jamming aircraft for “window” launching trials. In 1959 it was struck off RAF charge to become a purely trials aircraft with RRE taking part in various guided weapons fusing research programs as well as laser designation trials. Withdrawn from use in 1975, WK128 languished for two years until it was dismantled and sent by road to Flight Refuelling’s Tarrant Rushton facility in February 1977. At this facility it was overhauled and underwent a modification program for Beech AQM-37A “Stilletto” trails. In 1978, WK128 moved to Royal Aircraft Establishment/Flight Refuelling charge at Llanbedr. During its stay with RAE (latterly DRA) this long-lived Canberra has been converted to TT.18 configuration. It still regularly flies out of Llanbedr as evidenced by its presence at the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford in 1999. There are a great many extant pictures of this Canberra in its distictive “raspberry ripple” colour scheme and a few of them have been reproduce here. My gratefull thanks goes to all those aircraft enthusiasts who, over the years, have photographed WK128 and have kindly let me show some of their work. WK128 at Fairford 1999(Kev Darling)
This dramatic angle shows WK128 in the sun on static display at RIAT, RAF Fairford, 1999 (Garry Lakin) Click in the picture for a larger reproduction.
Dominated by the yellow tip tank – and the ubiquitous barrier! (Nick Challoner)	WK128 taking part in the tribute flypast at the closing of RAF Manston in 1999 (Graham Salt)