XH558...

[surveyor]

That noise.....

I wondered what it was up to...

[H100S]

fatboy69 said:

H100S said:

Spectacular return to Doncaster yesterday. The howl is really well captured here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cctq8BFIn7g

Spectacular?

That is awesome. The howl is the stuff of legend.

The aviation world will be a poorer place when 558's flying days are over.

Agreed.

[onyx39]

aeropilot said:

onyx39 said:

Id love them to paint her "anti flash" white for the end of her display life.

I think the '558 team would like to as well, they have said as much IIRC.......however, they repeatedly said that the cost to do so is prohibitive with their funding issues, so unless a sponsor is willing to stump up the £100k+ to fund the strip and repaint it sadly won't happen.

A couple of tins of dulux... Sorted! They could even sponsor it!

[Pesty]

Is it still at doncaster ? If so when is it taking off I'd like to go get a closer look.

[K50 DEL]

My ticket for Wings and Wheels has arrived.... am making the trip back to the UK purely to see 558 and I can't wait.

[aeropilot]

Pesty said:

Is it still at doncaster ? If so when is it taking off I'd like to go get a closer look.

'558 is based there.

It's next scheduled weekend display is June 22nd. so should be flying out and back in then.

They have a twitter feed for more accurate movements (for not display flights for crew training etc) so if you are local it's worth checking up on that.

[spitfire-ian]

olly22n said:

What is the twitter feed?

@XH558

[ktcanuck]

H100S said:

Spectacular return to Doncaster yesterday. The howl is really well captured here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cctq8BFIn7g

Oh, to have been there. Great clip!

[Pesty]

aeropilot said:

Pesty said:

Is it still at doncaster ? If so when is it taking off I'd like to go get a closer look.

'558 is based there.

It's next scheduled weekend display is June 22nd. so should be flying out and back in then.

They have a twitter feed for more accurate movements (for not display flights for crew training etc) so if you are local it's worth checking up on that.

Thanks. look forward to being a bit closer.

I used to love RAF Finingly air shows as a kid. The Vulcan was always a favorite.

[tdm34]

ktcanuck said:

H100S said:

Spectacular return to Doncaster yesterday. The howl is really well captured here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cctq8BFIn7g

Oh, to have been there. Great clip!

That's just encapsulated what the attraction to XH558 is, truly fantastic clip......

[SydneyBridge]

Just confirmed for Bournemouth

http://bournemouthair.co.uk/bournemouth-air-festiv...

[Jezzerh]

You know, you can book a ticket to go and have a look around the hangar, it's a worthwhile use of a few hours, trust me.

[Ossiantoad]

XH558 is displaying at Shoreham in August. Anyone know what the format is or where the best vantage points are?

TIA.

[V8LM]

They are working on an improved display currently as a consequence of the change from airframe-limiting to engine-limiting lifetime.

[aeropilot]

V8LM said:

They are working on an improved display currently as a consequence of the change from airframe-limiting to engine-limiting lifetime.

Hmmmmm..... that sounds like less howling perhaps, as that involves more engine cycles which is the engine life limiting factor.

Wouldn't be so much of an issue had they not carelessly fked up a couple of engines of course.....

[V8LM]

aeropilot said:

Hmmmmm..... that sounds like less howling perhaps, as that involves more engine cycles which is the engine life limiting factor.

Wouldn't be so much of an issue had they not carelessly fked up a couple of engines of course.....

Yes, it does but they acknowledge that a great part of the appeal and draw of the Vulcan is the unique howl so it will still be there in the display to some extent. The CAA have agreed to non-100% power take-offs from Doncaster so things around the base will be quieter, but as they no longer need to fly slowly to limit airframe stress, transits and arrivals at displays will be faster, up from 180 to 240 kts I believe.

[V8LM]

On the subject of engine throttle transits, I wondered whether lifetime could be increased by running the engines asymmetrically - i.e. Different power levels between inboard and outboard engines. I suppose the airframe has not been tested against such operation so no authorisation to do this.

[magpie215]

V8LM said:

On the subject of engine throttle transits, I wondered whether lifetime could be increased by running the engines asymmetrically - i.e. Different power levels between inboard and outboard engines. I suppose the airframe has not been tested against such operation so no authorisation to do this.

istr reading somewhere that the nimrod crews used to cruise on 2 with 2 idling to extend range?

[aeropilot]

V8LM said:

aeropilot said:

Hmmmmm..... that sounds like less howling perhaps, as that involves more engine cycles which is the engine life limiting factor.

Wouldn't be so much of an issue had they not carelessly fked up a couple of engines of course.....

as they no longer need to fly slowly to limit airframe stress, transits and arrivals at displays will be faster, up from 180 to 240 kts I believe.

They didn't need to fly slower to limit airframe stress, it was about flying a more constant speed to limit g-induced fatigue. With the FI 'reclocked' with the airframe mod, the need for a constant speed display is removed, so it can be 'chucked around' a bit more, but those engine cycles are critical given the engine situation.....so there still won't be a return to the type of display seen by '558 when flown by the RAF.

[Ginetta G15 Girl]

magpie215 said:

istr reading somewhere that the nimrod crews used to cruise on 2 with 2 idling to extend range?

That's not strictly true. The Crew would shut down 1 engine at top of drop into an operational area. When safe to do so a second engine would be shut down to increase the loiter time - the trade off between airspeed vs fuel burn would not increase range per sé but would increase endurance.