Canberra PR.9 operational questions

[TheyJammedKenny!]

All: I know that the Canberra PR.9 could operate well above 48K feet, and its real service ceiling likely remains classified.  My question is: did Canberra flight crews wear Lightning-style partial pressure jerkins, pressure helmets, and G-leggings for protection against rapid decompression at high altitudes?  Did they pre-breathe 100% oxygen for 45 minutes before flights?  If so, were the mission briefings conducted while they were pre-breathing, or before?  I ask because our U-2C pilots and RB-57 crews routinely pre-breathed O2 for an hour or so before their flights, and wore mission-continuation partial-pressure suits (as opposed to "get me down" partial-pressure suits).

 

[TheyJammedKenny!]

Got my answer.  Professional Pilots' Rumour Network (PPRuNe) to the rescue!

[Duncan B]

22 minutes ago, TheyJammedKenny! said:

Got my answer.  Professional Pilots' Rumour Network (PPRuNe) to the rescue!

So what was it?

 

Duncan B

[TheyJammedKenny!]

For high altitude flights, the crew members wore the same pressure jerkins, G-suit leggings, and fully enclosed/pressurized helmet Lighting crews did.  So if you decide to build a crewed PR.9 for high altitude ops, you'll want to suit them up appropriately.  There was no discussion about pre-breathing O2, but I can only assume they did as a precaution to purge nitrogen from their bodies (and avoid dangerous gas bubble formation at altitude).  

 

On performance: one PPRuNe member said Canberra crews would complain that their Green Satin radar would "unlock" above FL600, as this was beyond the radar's performance limit--so the pilots were up at least that high.  One of the folks on the PPRuNe board recalled at least one Canberra PR.9 pilot reporting his altitude to Malta ATC as "FL630 and descending," in response to a query as to his whereabouts (because ATC lacked his radar return) so you can draw your own conclusions.  

 

  

[Truro Model Builder]

The PR.9 could seemingly get up to 70,000ft.

 

My favourite story is the phone call one PR.9 crew made to a Phantom squadron:

 

"Hi, we've got some continuation training coming up and were wondering if you'd like some work against high altitude targets?"

 

"Yeah, that would be great!"

 

"Wonderful, we'll see you at FL600 then." [click]