What a great thread about a great aircraft. Was on 32 Squadron, Akrotiri 63-65, one of the best tours ever. About this time there was a lot of talk about the coming Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) for short, which,I suppose eventually came along as the Tornado. We knew however it really meant Must Refurbish Canberra Again!
And we were Multi Role. The Akrotiri wing, 6,32,73,and249, were part of the UK nuclear deterrent force, as our primary, but least likely role, and with level and dive conventional iron bombing, and air to ground 2inch rocket pods, for conventional tasks. We didn't have the gunpacks on our B15/16s. 13Squadron PR9s did the recce bit.
So we had a high old time lobbing 25lb practice bombs into Episcopi Bay from LABS manoeuvres, 50ft level rocketting at the Larnaca range, 'right,left left,back a bit ' medium level bombing on El Adem range, and both dive rocket and iron bombing as well. Quite apart from the detachments to Idris (lovely photo!), and Shajah to use the nearby ranges. And all the low level over the desert one could wish for.
I remember the 13Squadron bang seat incident; I was doing the walk round inspection of my aircraft on our dispersal, next to theirs, heard a bang and saw the seat doing a gentle arc, luckily with no one attached. Talking of bang seats and drogue guns in particular, I had a drogue gun fire in a Vamp T11 while adjusting the seat for height. Turned out the bottom latch had not been engaged, and to cap it , I got in trouble with the Command Flight Safety people for not checking the seat properly! Seemed a bit hard having been frightened out of my wits, expecting to end up 60ft or so high with no visible means of support! Ashen faced PAI (me) and student climb very gently out of aircraft, and as is customary in these situations,repair to the bar.
Back to Canberras, having left Her Majesties employ, I flew a couple of German registered B2 s, based in Cologne, on photo survey and radar calibration duties, not quite as exciting as the Cyprus tour, but still a lovely aeroplane,and a gentle introduction to civil life for a couple of years.