Hand buit
Canberras were “hand built” –
On an air test a T17 without tip tanks was flown to the approach stall ie power on uc down, as it stalled it rapidly rotated, not a flick but fast enough to end up nose down inverted. No engine surge, wings were level ball in the middle on entry. Next air test was with tip tanks on, predictions were for a more interesting reaction at the stall – crew had very tight harnesses but it was totally benign!
After a major a T17 just would not trim out laterally. Riggers did everything possible including changing the ailerons. Test after test and still it would not trim out. Then a chief took a piece of string from the nose to the port wing tip and when he tried to take it from the nose to the starboard tip it wouldn’t reach. After much research in ancient paper work it was discovered that as a B2 it had been fitted with 2 wings both within spec but outside the difference spec and the tail plane had been bent to compensate – on the major a new tail plane hade been fitted!