Potentially controversial - Is the Vulcan REALLY that noisy?

[Kitchski]

FourWheelDrift said:

Kitchski said:

FourWheelDrift said:

Kitchski said:

So going by the responses of this thread, it looks like I'm yet to experience the Vulcan on full chat

Just means I'm going to have to make sure I'm there for the last ever flight!

Possibly the best take off noise/howl recorded I have heard, after the B52 eventually gets off the ground - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYOgsgnZ8dw

I could watch that over and over! Seeing the B-52 lazily lumbering off the ground and then followed by that evil howling....I was willing the Vulcan to suddenly dart into the air like a fighter, but for a split second was disappointed it seemed to carry on.....until the cameraman realised he'd missed it!

How about this one too, from further away - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqA6bgFPGWI

Also good, especially from a distance. Is that at RH? I think Damien B's one is the best for me though

[eccles]

FourWheelDrift said:

Possibly the best take off noise/howl recorded I have heard, after the B52 eventually gets off the ground - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYOgsgnZ8dw

I was working there that year with our Tornado's and watched both of those from airside. It still amuses me how the B-52's wingtips take off ages before the rest of it!

[chris116]

DamienB said:

1. Turn volume on PC to absolute maximum
2. Warn neighbours
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Djd1pPQZ_LE

I saw a Vulcan do something very similar at Cosford a long time ago, that's probably still the loudest I have experienced. Awesome.

[H100S]

The Vulcan has just taken off. I knew because I heard it over the tv while watching F1 qualifying. I live 6miles southeast of the airfield. I just checked their twitter feed and it confirmed what I already knew!

[ATTAK Z]

H100S said:

... I live 6miles southeast of the airfield ...

That'll be Gringley on the Hill then ... Nice ! I watched from the comfort of my car at Walkers Nurseries in Blaxton

[princealbert23]

bigfoot7 said:

The B-1B Lancer does it for me. Saw it a few years ago and has to be in the top 10 for noise

This- the only one I have heard that actually hurt

[Ayahuasca]

I believe the SR71 could annoy the neighbours a bit.

[Dr JonboyG]

Ayahuasca said:

I believe the SR71 could annoy the neighbours a bit.

One took off at Farnborough in 87 or 89; it's still the loudest thing I've ever heard (including a space shuttle take off 3 miles away and a grid full of F1 cars when they still had big engines).

[Civpilot]

princealbert23 said:

bigfoot7 said:

The B-1B Lancer does it for me. Saw it a few years ago and has to be in the top 10 for noise

This- the only one I have heard that actually hurt

I was living in Church Crookham a few years back when the Lancer did her fly pasts on the Farnbrough air show. By the time she flew over me (a couple of miles from the air field) she was on full burners and climbing out wings swept. How the pilot kept it below the sound barrier I will never know as she was really shifting.

After the sound had dropped to a level that was no longer gloriously loud (as in "can't hear your own voice but can hear your own ribcage vibrating" loud) all you could hear were the car alarms.... seemingly every single car alarm for a couple of miles. Still one of my favourite Air show memories of all time.

Vulcan makes a truly lovely sound... but by comparison she is not 'loud'. Not even in the same vicinity as 'LOUD'.

[Eric Mc]

I'd still put the TU-22M/26 as top of my loudness list.

Edited by Eric Mc on Tuesday 13th October 08:47

[DrDeAtH]

Loud? Typhoon is LOUD, like a mobile thunderstorm....

[Eric Mc]

DrDeAtH said:

Loud? Typhoon is LOUD, like a mobile thunderstorm....

It's loud in an "average" sort of way - in that all afterburning jet fighters are, by their nature, very loud when full burners are engaged - especially on take off.

Put four even bigger and more powerful engines with afterburners on an aeroplane (such as the TU-22/26 or B1, and they are going to be VERY loud.

Edited by Eric Mc on Tuesday 13th October 09:04

[Yertis]

I always found the Harrier painfully loud when it was hovering nearby, because it was sustained loudness, not 'going-past' loudness.

[RicksAlfas]

I remember seeing a four Vulcan "scramble" at either Finningley or Waddington in the early 80s. That was noisy!

[slybynight]

Vulcan can be loudish when she wants to be - very quiet on Sundays flypast. I'm glad she doesn't have afterbuurners because they might drown out that glorious howl, which really is unique, and I'm so glad I've heard twice. Eurofighter (very much a part of my Lego life at the moment) Is awesome for me when she arrives at an airshow, sliding in silently at near mach 1, followed by the noise, beautiful noise - the gap leaves you just enough time to cover the ears of the very young if you happen to spot her coming! I've never seen the B1 and am a bit too young for the Lightnings and SR-71's, but I was at rotate point for a Concorde launch at Farnborough a few years back - right next to the barriers. That was the loudest thing I've ever witnessed. That tickling you get in your ears which is your body's way of telling you that you are being irreparably damaged! The only time in my life I've put my fingers in for fear of my hearing. People at work have mentioned that sometime I talk a bit loud and sometimes I accuse them of mumbling instead of talking normally. I'd love to think the Conc might be responsible.

[Ayahuasca]

I believe the SR71 could annoy the neighbours a bit.

[slybynight]

Ayahuasca said:

I believe the SR71 could annoy the neighbours a bit.

Ayahuasca said:

I believe the SR71 could annoy the neighbours a bit.

Beg your pardon - speak up

Edited by slybynight on Tuesday 13th October 12:10

[Z06George]

princealbert23 said:

bigfoot7 said:

The B-1B Lancer does it for me. Saw it a few years ago and has to be in the top 10 for noise

This- the only one I have heard that actually hurt

I was fortunate enough to see 4 take off one after the other a couple of times, they made the stream of fighters and other large aircraft that took off after them sound awfully quiet haha.

Whilst the Vulcan is relatively loud, as others have said it's more a unique howl that is the cool factor. In the same way B52s have a cool sound but aren't really loud.

[NM62]

RicksAlfas said:

I remember seeing a four Vulcan "scramble" at either Finningley or Waddington in the early 80s. That was noisy!

1977 Finningley Queen's Silver Jubilee - I was with ATC and was at the practise and display days so saw it a few times, seems like a long time ago now.

Spent many days at Scampton / Waddington as a spotter when they were operational, you could always tell a Vulcan doing a 'go around' by the scream.

As for similarly noisy SR-71 - YES , Concorde YES ( was at Hatton Cross Tube station and saw the plate glass windows go on three separate occasions just after Concorde went over - the quote from the Tube Workers "Oh that's another £5/£10 grand British Airways owe us" ).

Also the Lightning was particularly noisy - At RAF Binbrook one day during a NATO Exercise and we got buzzed on the Fire Access road by a Lightning at about 50-100 foot, he announced he was going to do it to finish his gun film off - would have liked to have seen that as it's only the second time I felt the heat from engines whilst on the ground ( after the Aussie F-111 did the fuel dump thing at Finningley in 1977 )

[williamp]

don't forget at Bruntingthorpe a few times every year you can see fast taxi runs (ie almost take off) from a lightning, buccaneer, victor and others