The end for Vulcan Bomber XL391

The end for Vulcan Bomber XL391

Author
Discussion

NHyde

1,427 posts

247 months

Thursday 12th January 2006
quotequote all
This one is still very well preserved .

www.avrovulcan.org.uk/603/pull.htm

eharding

13,600 posts

283 months

Thursday 12th January 2006
quotequote all
I've probably posted this before, but arguably part of the
Vulcan heritage is this thread on Pprune...

www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?threadid=111797

...worth a couple of hours to read.

cessna152towser

5 posts

218 months

Thursday 12th January 2006
quotequote all
_Dave_ said:
There is one a carlisle airport that you can get up close to / walk around, I used to deliver there several times a month and always had a quick butchers at it, a serious bit of kit.

I can remember seeing one at an airshow as a kid, very very loud! Made my younger brother cry 1

Carlisle Airport's gate guardian, XJ823, is privately owned but cared for by the nearby Solway Aviation Museum. Its interior fittings, seats, instruments etcetera are still there and the navigator's periscope still works. As a volunteer at the museum I can say that we are looking into either moving the Vulcan up to the museum area, or getting a power source down to the Vulcan, so that we can give more public access. The difficulty about giving public access at present is that once the entrance hatch has been lowered it is very difficult to re-close as this involves pushing the very heavy hatch against not only gravity but also the resistance of its hydraulic retracting arms. It's very sad to see what's become of Blackpool's Vulcan but I'm happy to say Carlisle's Vulcan is in much better condition.

yertis

18,016 posts

265 months

Thursday 12th January 2006
quotequote all
eharding said:
I've probably posted this before, but arguably part of the
Vulcan heritage is this thread on Pprune...

www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?threadid=111797

...worth a couple of hours to read.


There was talk of making that thread into a book - don't know if it got anywhere.

eharding

13,600 posts

283 months

Thursday 12th January 2006
quotequote all
Reading through it, you certainly get an indication for how
you would feel, standing QRA, when the klaxon goes off.
End of the world. I was having dinner with an ex-RAF
couple of 60's cold-war vintage last year, and the mention
of QRA (in the context post 9-11) came up..
..the wife went a little pale and said something
like 'Oh God, I thought I'd never hear that phrase again".

NHyde

1,427 posts

247 months

Thursday 12th January 2006
quotequote all
Southern QRA at Binbrook in the late 70's and early 80's was fun too !!Getting undressed for bed so the trousers and shoes just needed legs inserting then hoisting vertically ! I still do it now , and the current wife doesn't understand it .

eharding

13,600 posts

283 months

Thursday 12th January 2006
quotequote all
NHyde said:
Southern QRA at Binbrook in the late 70's and early 80's was fun too !!Getting undressed for bed so the trousers and shoes just needed legs inserting then hoisting vertically ! I still do it now , and the current wife doesn't understand it .


Frightnings?

iandbeech

2,709 posts

257 months

Thursday 12th January 2006
quotequote all
ledaig said:
Sad to see another one bite the dust, but given the poor condition and lack of support it was in maybe it was better to see it broken up now rather than deteriorate further.

telecat said:
The Victor at Elvington is quite a sight too when they taxi it at "speed".


The Vulcan at Wellesbourne is also pretty impresive during its 'Thunder run'

Pic's from 2005:













Great pics!

monkey boy 1

2,063 posts

230 months

Thursday 12th January 2006
quotequote all
someone posted a video of one at an air show, Awesome sight & sound

mojocvh

16,837 posts

261 months

Thursday 12th January 2006
quotequote all
iandbeech said:
ledaig said:
Sad to see another one bite the dust, but given the poor condition and lack of support it was in maybe it was better to see it broken up now rather than deteriorate further.

telecat said:
The Victor at Elvington is quite a sight too when they taxi it at "speed".


The Vulcan at Wellesbourne is also pretty impresive during its 'Thunder run'

Pic's from 2005:













Great pics!


I take it they didn't bother to de-inhibit the engines prior to going for a blast

MoJo

deltafox

3,839 posts

231 months

Thursday 12th January 2006
quotequote all
When i was but a mere nipper i was lucky enough to have one of these do a flyover our old house.
It did a wide slow circle and seemed to just hang in the air, it looked like it was gonna just drop out of the sky at one point....and then the engines were throttled up....what an awesome sight and sound, rattled the windows and scared the hell outa me.


One of my favourite planes, that and Concorde.

cazzer

8,883 posts

247 months

Friday 13th January 2006
quotequote all
slightly off topic but are their any Lightnings still flying?
(btw the bloke who bought the Vulcan for his pub beer garden settled for a Sea Harrier instead)

eharding

13,600 posts

283 months

Friday 13th January 2006
quotequote all
cazzer said:
slightly off topic but are their any Lightnings still flying?
(btw the bloke who bought the Vulcan for his pub beer garden settled for a Sea Harrier instead)


www.thundercity.com/

tombaron

766 posts

238 months

Friday 13th January 2006
quotequote all
If they ever raise enought money to get XJ558 flying again, how the hell do they go about getting pilots that are current on the Vulcan?? Not like new aircraft today when they can build a sim to start the test pilots off on.

Eric Mc

121,783 posts

264 months

Friday 13th January 2006
quotequote all
Ut's only ten years or so since the last Vulcan flew and just over twenty since they were withdrawn from RAF service. There are still some Vulcan pilots around who will be available to fly the restored one and, when appropriate, instruct any younger pilots on the type when the time comes.

After all, none of the pilots who currently fly the Lancaster ever flew them on active service.

Pat H

8,056 posts

255 months

Friday 13th January 2006
quotequote all
Eric Mc said:
After all, none of the pilots who currently fly the Lancaster ever flew them on active service.
True, but you could always find a Shackleton pilot and get him to squint a bit.

ledaig

1,694 posts

261 months

Friday 13th January 2006
quotequote all
iandbeech said:
Great pics!


Cheers

tombaron said:
If they ever raise enought money to get XJ558 flying again, how the hell do they go about getting pilots that are current on the Vulcan?? Not like new aircraft today when they can build a sim to start the test pilots off on


Apparently there is an agreement for the crew(s) to train/refresh on the Wellesbourne aircraft, this should bring them back up to speed before XH558 is ready. Not sure what they will have to do to attain CAA clearance for display purposes though.

I just hope the EU insurance issue is not now going to try to cripple this aircraft - or has this been resolved?

Eric Mc

121,783 posts

264 months

Friday 13th January 2006
quotequote all
True - although you have to remember that the Shackeltons were withdrwn slightly before the last Vulcan was grounded so there's not much in it when it comes to available pilots.

It is also difficult to remember that the Lancaster and Vulcan are not that far apart time wise and indeed were designed by the same person, Roy Chadwick who also designed the Anson, Manchester, Lincoln and the ill-fated Tudor (in which he died).

Pat H

8,056 posts

255 months

Friday 13th January 2006
quotequote all
Eric Mc said:
....and indeed were designed by the same person, Roy Chadwick who also designed the Anson, Manchester, Lincoln and the ill-fated Tudor (in which he died).
By Gum, I didn't know that.

Takes a leap of imagination to get from an Anson to a Vulcan....

anonymous-user

53 months

Friday 13th January 2006
quotequote all
I know a few former Vulcan pilots. It allways makes me laugh when they talk about dropping "buckets of sunshine" on the Russians.

Beautifull aircraft I still look at them an shudder a bit when I think what they were built for.