Thanks for that John, rounds out the background.
In my copy of Robert Jackson's
Canberra The Operational Record there's a tad more detail about VN850 itself. It was the 1st Canberra to be fitted with jettisonable wing-tip tanks; 1st to exceeed 500 KIAS; it was the airframe used to display the Canberra's flying capabilities to a US delegation at Boscombe Down (leading to the US interest in building the kite under licence). VN850 also carried out several more public demonstrations in 1950 - the Belgian International Air Show; twice at Farnborough and did the flight from Warton to the Paris, Orly demonstration in 54 mins!
Barry Jone's book on the Canberra however gives the pilot as a Mr R.B. Leach! Your gen is better though as, apart from being *official", aligns with local "memories" of the pilot in the newspaper.
Maybe someone else knows a bit more about the pilot?
Agree with your comment, but I would add that it was also a time of greatness and significance in British aviation history as we moved into the jet-age, the EE Canberra was but one element of that history (still flying in service though
)
OK, thanks again for your research John, I'll pass the gen along.
LesB
