English Electric Canberra PR.9 XH134 made two taxi-runs at Kemble, Gloucestershire, on January 12, a major step in its restoration to fly. Work is being undertaken by Vintage Flyers on behalf of owners Midair, and once completed the former 39 Sqn machine will be operated from Kemble by Canberra XH134 Ltd. The Canberra's Rolls-Royce Avon 206 engines have been fitted with an electric starter, replacing the Avpin system used on the type during RAF service. The aircraft was flown into Kemble from RAF Marham on July 31,2006. Retired 39 Sqn pilot Dave Piper was back the controls of XH134 for the taxi-runs, which also served as a valuable crew training and systems familiarisation session. He said: "Each system behaved just as it should - no mean feat given the complexity of the PR.9 and the time that XH134 has been on the ground."
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