How high did the Canberra PR9 get to
 

I worked on PR9s in the 60s & 70s. Some years later at Newark Air Museum I was told by a member of 13 Sqdn from Marham the a PR9 had exceeded 70,000 ft. Can anyone corroborate this please?

Wikipedia says; 28 August 1957 – altitude record, 70,310 ft (21,430 m): Canberra B2 (WK163) with a Napier Double Scorpion rocket motor.
29 August 1955 – altitude record, 65,889 ft (20,083 m)[

I remember reading about this record as a schoolboy. One day a classmate was bragging that he had been in an aircraft when the captain had announced that they were now flying at a height of one million feet! My protestations that this was more than ten times the world altitude record were ignored, the rest of the class preferring his version as being more exciting than the boring truth!

Several reference to Canberra high altitude flights, with reference to the pressure suits worn, on this old U2 thread

http://www.pprune.org/military-aviat...-pilots-2.html

Go to post #37 and after.

The OP is asking about the PR9 with only its installed engines and no assistance.

IIRC it had the same oxygen limit at the V-bombers at 56k. However with additional breathing equipment such as the Taylor partial pressure helmet it would certainly have been cleared higher. I know the Lightning had the Taylor helmet in 1964 but don't know about the Canberra.

I cannot verify 70K plus, but one came very close to that trying to out-climb a line of very active Cu Nims in the Far East.

This same question was discussed here in 2008 - and no one provided an answer then - just thread drift.

I too have heard of the PR9 managing 70,000 ft and I assumed the Taylor helmet was used although whether it was routinely used on type, I don't know.

Previously debated hereabouts in 2008, enjoy.


http://www.pprune.org/military-aviat...t-records.html

I know of one young strutter who claimed 63,000ft in the late 1970's I only managed 45,600 in a B6 a bit too cold to hang around up there for too long, I never saw a Taylor helmet in all my time on Mr Petters finest.

I was on PR9s in Malta. We certainly had Taylor helmets and went well above 50,000. Covered the Turkish landings on Cyprus from somewhere up there - until advised of the imminent arrival of two Turkish F4s from the mainland! Happy days.

When I had the Green Satin bench at Akrotiri, 1962-4, 13 sqdn were on some exercise where the crew got dressed up in funny suits.

They started sending GS Tx/Rx's in to me claiming that they 'unlocked at height'.

These all tested out OK and after a couple of days my presence was requested on the line to speak to the crews.
When I pointed out that the operational spec of the kit was up to 60,000 feet, they said 'Oh!' and stopped snagging the GS.

I had a friend (say deceased) who was a nav on PR9s. They called downwind at Malta. ATC said they couldn't see them. "Oh sorry, FL630"

Coffin Corner
 

In the 60s I flew the Canberra and on one occasion got to 53,000ft dressed in the same kit I flew in at 250Ft. It was definitely designed for 250ft.

At that great height MCrit and stalling speed were close neighbours and the biggest problem was not staying up there but getting down. If you moved the throttles you risked a surge, if you turned you encountered compressibility. I was so busy thinking I was going to fall off the knife edge it never occurred to me what would happen if we lost the canopy.

Thank God theTornado could only go to upper twenties - and only to get more petrol.

Saw a really good photo during GW1 of a U2 being on topped -at height- by a PR9 doing its thing

It looks as though I wasn't the only silly boy after all!

I do not expect to see a post appear on here that says "Bin there done that, got the T-shirt"

Neither confirm nor deny....

IG

I know that the PR9 could get to FL550 because I did a Look Down VID on one in a Tornado F3 having been up to FL570 at M1.6.

17nm rollout with lots of closure.

Why were we there - Don't ask!!

FL 600 plus, I can confirm. Ex 58 Sqn. (long ago!!)

Bill