Guy Martin and the Vulcan

[dr_gn]

Max_Torque said:

aeropilot said:

Simpo Two said:

An interesting observation was how Spitfires etc could be kept flying almost indefinitely because the technology was simpler. I wondered if a simpler Vulcan could have been built.

It was.....


It was called the Lancaster (or even the Lincoln if you want something a tad newer)

And as far as jets go, the Canberra qualifies as well, hence the CAA being happy (relatively speaking) with these on the civvie register.
Pretty much everything designed after the Hunter/Canberra era is 'complex'

A Vulcan is not cheap or easy to maintain to a realistic required standard. Added with which a lot of its subsystems come from a period in the development of aircraft where those systems were evolving rapidly, and where technology and production limitations results in rather non-optimum solutions.

For example, the laser ring gyro, developed in the late 1960's is effectively a solid state device, and is highly robust. Compare that to an early 1960's mechanical inertial gyro, full of bearings, motors, slip rings, rheostats and miles of wiring and supporting analogue electronics. Keeping these "mid evolution" subsystems running is a LOT harder than with more complex, but more modern stuff!

How much of these bits of equipment are relevant to flight, rather than redundant navigation or radar systems though? AFAIK even the elevon mixing is 100% mechanical/hydraulic on the Vulcan, with no artificial stabilisation.

[williamp]

aeropilot said:

Russia is over here....

...no its this way....

...I bet its this way...

[eharding]

williamp said:

aeropilot said:

Russia is over here....

...no its this way....

...I bet its this way...

...or, if everyone scatters then there is more chance of at least one not being vapourised by the incoming warhead.

[Robertj21a]

Well I'm not much of a plane fan, though the Vulcan is well known to most people. I just happened to see that the programme was coming on and that it was Guy Martin involved. He's always such an enthusiastic chap that I decided to watch it and I'm just so pleased that I did. An excellent piece of quality entertainment for a Sunday evening and GM deserves to go on to greater things on TV.

[HairyMaclary]

She is beautiful. Not guy!

I really enjoyed the 90 odd minutes of telly last night. Lots of Billy basic Vulcan stuff I didn't know.

Been researching stealth stuff today. Why do the yanks have bomber capability similar to the Vulcan in the b52h given they have ballistic missiles? Seems redundant tech at an incredible cost. Looks cool though!

[anonymous-user]

HairyMaclary said:

She is beautiful. Not guy!

I really enjoyed the 90 odd minutes of telly last night. Lots of Billy basic Vulcan stuff I didn't know.

Been researching stealth stuff today. Why do the yanks have bomber capability similar to the Vulcan in the b52h given they have ballistic missiles? Seems redundant tech at an incredible cost. Looks cool though!

The B52 is great for bombing places like Iraq or Afghanistan etc with conventional weapons from a long way away. Afghanistan has lots of mountains and weather to contend with which the B52s are well above. The aircraft can circle around for long missions high above the enemy which in Afghanistan can't shoot back.

[Eric Mc]

Nigel_O said:

great to see the footage of the testing barrel-roll

The old video footage was not the incident being relayed by teh interviewee. It was from the BBC video archives and shows Roly Falk rolling the Vulcan at the 1955 Farnborough Air Show.

I thoroughly enjoyed the programme. I thought the in-cockpit footage was excellent.

[jamieduff1981]

dr_gn said:

Max_Torque said:

aeropilot said:

Simpo Two said:

An interesting observation was how Spitfires etc could be kept flying almost indefinitely because the technology was simpler. I wondered if a simpler Vulcan could have been built.

It was.....


It was called the Lancaster (or even the Lincoln if you want something a tad newer)

And as far as jets go, the Canberra qualifies as well, hence the CAA being happy (relatively speaking) with these on the civvie register.
Pretty much everything designed after the Hunter/Canberra era is 'complex'

A Vulcan is not cheap or easy to maintain to a realistic required standard. Added with which a lot of its subsystems come from a period in the development of aircraft where those systems were evolving rapidly, and where technology and production limitations results in rather non-optimum solutions.

For example, the laser ring gyro, developed in the late 1960's is effectively a solid state device, and is highly robust. Compare that to an early 1960's mechanical inertial gyro, full of bearings, motors, slip rings, rheostats and miles of wiring and supporting analogue electronics. Keeping these "mid evolution" subsystems running is a LOT harder than with more complex, but more modern stuff!

How much of these bits of equipment are relevant to flight, rather than redundant navigation or radar systems though? AFAIK even the elevon mixing is 100% mechanical/hydraulic on the Vulcan, with no artificial stabilisation.

Airworthniness works on the basis that if it's fitted, it has to work properly. Simply removing stuff is often harder than just maintaining it. XH558 already had a load of kit removed that didn't have tenticles into other essential systems during the restoration. Removing further stuff would require positive re-engineering (if for example a nominally redundant navigation equipment was integrated into gyro compasses on the pilots' instrument panel or similar)

[RicksAlfas]

Yertis said:

It's interesting how this "howl" has become 'a thing'. I don't remember it ever being commented upon back at the time.

I do. It was definitely a recognised feature of Vulcan flypasts at airshows in the 70s and 80s.

[Kitchski]

Eric Mc said:

I thoroughly enjoyed the programme. I thought the in-cockpit footage was excellent.

Same. The f/taxi in 655 was probably my favourite bit.

[aeropilot]

RicksAlfas said:

Yertis said:

It's interesting how this "howl" has become 'a thing'. I don't remember it ever being commented upon back at the time.

I do. It was definitely a recognised feature of Vulcan flypasts at airshows in the 70s and 80s.

Definitely.......even more so as most of the pre-VDF display a/c were usually the more powerful 301 engine a/c (although detuned) and the howl in the old days of vigorous RAF aero's displays was very much part of the act, as was that wonderful end of display spiral climbing turn on full power.......happy days

[NM62]

RicksAlfas said:

Yertis said:

It's interesting how this "howl" has become 'a thing'. I don't remember it ever being commented upon back at the time.

I do. It was definitely a recognised feature of Vulcan flypasts at airshows in the 70s and 80s.

+1 - I certainly remember the howl from seeing many touch and go's over the years.

We likened it to a bull elephant being castrated (not that we'd heard that happen).

We used to be able to identify a Vulcan even if we hadn't seen it.

[aeropilot]

NM62 said:

We likened it to a bull elephant being castrated (not that we'd heard that happen).

[GreatGranny]

Really enjoyed it and the quality of the footage taken from the Jet Provest (?) on the UK tour was superb. Wasn't it shot in 4K?

Glad I bought a new 48" TV the other week.

[dukeboy749r]

227bhp said:

He isn't Autistic ffs!

I stand corrected, but you might have been able to say so without the resorting to the expletive abbreviation.

[perdu]

The show?

Excellent, 10/10

Guy Martin?

Hmm I can take him or leave him but for this show he was far better suited than anyone else I can envisage getting the TV gig

Good and possibly great television

I wish I could record ALL of it on the 'watch tv later' setup

but at least I got the 655 footage and the end

[Kitchski]

dukeboy749r said:

227bhp said:

He isn't Autistic ffs!

I stand corrected, but you might have been able to say so without the resorting to the expletive abbreviation.

Won't somebody PLEASE think of the children!

[Simpo Two]

Yes, I'm utterly outraged at this blatant misuse of offensive acronyms. I shall be writing to my MP about the matter forthwith. On recycled paper, and delivering it by bicycle. Pah.

And now, 'Guy Martin and the Vulcan' and you have 12 seconds remaining...

[steveo3002]

enjoyed the show and ceertainly remember the noise from back in the day

dont mind guy martin but why do they have creep round him , oooh you did grand job there tightening that nut and pulling that lever , you could be a co pilot /chief mechanic here anytime lick lick

[lee_fr200]

Loved the program

Never heard of guy Martin till then,

Used to love going to church Fenton air show and watching the Vulcan! Was watching 588 just before her farewell tour over elvington and the amount of cars she stopped in their tracks including us!

I rly wish she could keep flying other aircraft far older do!

Why can't 655 fly?