RE: Vulcan to be grounded

Author
Discussion

dr_gn

16,140 posts

183 months

Friday 12th October 2012
quotequote all
It was pretty much shafted once and for all when someone left a silica bag in the air intake earlier this year. It was almost certain to be grounded after one more full season anyway due to the huge cost of a major inspection/maintenance programme(as predicted on here months ago).

bad company

18,484 posts

265 months

Friday 12th October 2012
quotequote all
CambsBill said:
My old man was flying them out of Waddington in those days - my formative years were spent watching them fly overhead virtually every day, with the occasional treat of the Lancaster that was based there at that time as well.

Seen 558 a number of times over the years, most memorably flying over the house a couple of summers ago at very low level. I shall miss her frown
Ah yes the Lancaster, that was a real treat. As they say ' you don't know what you've got till its gone'.

Aizle

12,429 posts

174 months

Friday 12th October 2012
quotequote all
IanMorewood said:
To quote a news paper cartoon of the time, 'if thats the size of the bombers imagine the size of the aircraft carrier'
hehe

DamienB

1,189 posts

218 months

Friday 12th October 2012
quotequote all
Skodaku said:
Of course, driving up or down the A15, (Lincs), past RAF Waddington you can see XM607 - the actual Falklands Vulcan. clap Considering she's the only Vulcan to have delivered a bomb in aggression, not much is made of her.
Thought XM597 (now at East Fortune) fired Shrike missiles in the Falklands too.

ADM06

1,077 posts

171 months

Friday 12th October 2012
quotequote all
Imagine that the last thing you would see is that plane blocking out the sun. I would st a brick.
I saw it a few years ago at Brafield country fair, my mrs took some pictures only last month at Sywell aerodrome.

Rs2oo

2,195 posts

197 months

Friday 12th October 2012
quotequote all
All is not lost if I win the Euro Lottery. I will save this spectacular beautiful aircraft.

davepoth

29,395 posts

198 months

Friday 12th October 2012
quotequote all
The problem is the engines more than anything. Once they're expired there's no way of getting the plane into the air without incredible expense and a paperwork hell I can't even imagine.

snotrag

14,446 posts

210 months

Friday 12th October 2012
quotequote all
Too young to remember this in 'period'. As another poster said though, for my Father it conjures up some very mixed emotions. I absolutely love it, as I do Concorde. Both are absolutely breathtaking in real life, both on the ground and in the air. A real shame. Some of mine from Fairford a couple of years ago.


DSCF2188 by simonholehan, on Flickr


DSCF2192 by simonholehan, on Flickr


DSCF2195 by simonholehan, on Flickr

j_s14a

863 posts

177 months

Friday 12th October 2012
quotequote all
To those wondering about lottery funding, a large lottery heritage grant made her airworthiness possible in the first place. Unfortunately, I believe the sums of money required to keep her flying are just too much to overcome.

There are however, many other deserving types that some funding would see airworthy again.

kiteless

11,683 posts

203 months

Friday 12th October 2012
quotequote all
ApexJimi said:
bow XH558 and all who made it possible for us to see her over the past few years
Seconded.

In my early teenage years, my Dad used to take me to RAF St Athan for the air show every year and during one visit there was a Vulcan parked up after its display. I queued for nearly an hour to clamber up the ladder into the cockpit. I remember thinking, 'how the hell do the pilots see out to fly this thing?' It really was like sitting in a coal bunker.

Many years later, during a Cosford air show, I was with Mrs k at the end of the runway in her air field Landy. It's not the best clip of XH558 out there, but you get the "howl":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hscxMhnIIcg&fea...


ewolg

1,678 posts

278 months

Friday 12th October 2012
quotequote all
Rs2oo said:
All is not lost if I win the Euro Lottery. I will save this spectacular beautiful aircraft.
Ditto, I pledge I will do this if I win a huge wedge!

central

16,744 posts

216 months

Friday 12th October 2012
quotequote all
@ Sywell -


059 by Fast an' Bulbous, on Flickr


299 by Fast an' Bulbous, on Flickr

VeeDub Geezer

461 posts

153 months

Friday 12th October 2012
quotequote all
A fantastic bird that'll be sorely missed from our skies.

I recorded this of her memorial flight in September.

http://youtu.be/VehXHXuvZwk

ChrisP T5

15 posts

151 months

Friday 12th October 2012
quotequote all
Absolutely none taken 'Heisthegaffer' - just didnt know that, infact I think it was PH who originally got me involved a few years ago.

I kinda know what the replies are going to be - but when you consider the Americans and their 'Confederate air force' - the guys who are running all sorts of old WW2 planes, still seems to be wrong that we in the UK seem to put most of our preservation resources into 19th century Industrial Revolution and before, technology - BoBF excepted...

(..just add in 'Flight..' technology...before anyone mentions...cars & bikes!...its geting late...I should be tucked up in bed :-))

Edited by ChrisP T5 on Friday 12th October 23:22

Mr_B

10,480 posts

242 months

Friday 12th October 2012
quotequote all
As much as I love the Vulcan and backed it when they were talking of restoration to flying and the later ' we need more ' cash, if it's natural time is up, while that may be sad, I think we should look back ( OK, perhaps not just yet ) and marvel just how against all the odds, they got her back and did what many thought impossible.

How about using those millions raised and some lottery funding to focus on another type, getting something else back into the air , or maybe recreating a type that's on the missing list, even if for static display.

longshot

3,286 posts

197 months

Friday 12th October 2012
quotequote all
Real shame.

Saw one flying as a kid and didn't know what it was and a few years ago got to sit in the pilot's seat in one. (couldn't see a thing through the windscreen because it was so high).

I must make an effort to see it flying in the coming year.

I'm curious to know what repairs the engines need.
I assume that some of the group A parts will time expire soon or will need expensive SBs to extend their cyclic lives.
Anyone now the details?

boardinscotland

1,219 posts

195 months

Saturday 13th October 2012
quotequote all
Heres a couple of the Leuchars airshow last month plus a few extra. Some stunning machines there.












G

Edited by boardinscotland on Saturday 13th October 00:15

Jasper Gilder

2,166 posts

272 months

Saturday 13th October 2012
quotequote all
Looks to me as though a bit of thinking out of the box is required. I bet a friendly college doing apprenticeships in aero engineering would jump at the chance of doing half the work, especially getting the drawings done. How about finding a sponsor for the engines - great project for Rolls Royce apprentices, same for BAE and the wings.

New starters in the industry need something to work on - what more worthwhils ( other than a Concorde and that would be just daft!)

wooooody

918 posts

236 months

Saturday 13th October 2012
quotequote all
Jasper Gilder said:
Looks to me as though a bit of thinking out of the box is required. I bet a friendly college doing apprenticeships in aero engineering would jump at the chance of doing half the work, especially getting the drawings done. How about finding a sponsor for the engines - great project for Rolls Royce apprentices, same for BAE and the wings.

New starters in the industry need something to work on - what more worthwhils ( other than a Concorde and that would be just daft!)
It's way beyond any of that sadly. Engine overhaul is neither cheap nor simple at the best of times. If the life limited parts are expired and there are no more, then that's it. RR I'm sure have zero interest in making the parts.

That's before you get to the paperwork.

Apprentices tend to be better off learning on up to date tech anyway.

Edited by wooooody on Saturday 13th October 00:48

Swervin_Mervin

4,429 posts

237 months

Saturday 13th October 2012
quotequote all
William is the patron of the BBMF is he not? Sure he could stump up a few ££. As fot convincing the public over spending their taxes, that's easy. Fly it over as many areas as possible, with a voting exercise immediately after. I'm sure if people saw it flying they sign up to the idea without much coercion.

As an aside, we took my uncle to see XH558 at Brunters back in '09, when he was over from the US for m wedding. He retired from flying just before the Vulcans came in, so it was great to see his face light up as he didn't have a clue what was going on! However, we went to a local public house afterwards, where the publican was a keen aviator - he had a couple of ejector seats in the dining room! He was incredibly disparaging, however, about the trust with regard to their professionalism and economic controls.