XH558...

Author
Discussion

Elroy Blue

8,686 posts

191 months

Sunday 14th October 2012
quotequote all
I's not really about money, it's about the design authority. Concorde was withdrawn because Bae and Airbus would no longer provide the engineering support. There aren't going to be any more Olympus parts made by BAE and they can't be made by anyone else.

slartibartfast

4,014 posts

200 months

Sunday 14th October 2012
quotequote all
Elroy Blue said:
I's not really about money, it's about the design authority. Concorde was withdrawn because Bae and Airbus would no longer provide the engineering support. There aren't going to be any more Olympus parts made by BAE and they can't be made by anyone else.
Get MR evans to pay for engine upgrades i.e. from another aircraft

mybrainhurts

90,809 posts

254 months

Sunday 14th October 2012
quotequote all
All that effort and expense for such a short life.

Absolutely tragic. Can't they stick some TVR engines in her?

eccles

13,721 posts

221 months

Sunday 14th October 2012
quotequote all
Elroy Blue said:
I's not really about money, it's about the design authority. Concorde was withdrawn because Bae and Airbus would no longer provide the engineering support. There aren't going to be any more Olympus parts made by BAE and they can't be made by anyone else.
With enough money anything can be done.
I'm sure BAE would be flattered to think that they'd been making parts for the Olympus, however Rolls Royce might be a bit miffed!
I'd have thought Rolls would certainly re manufacture parts at a price, but what price, and would anyone be willing to pay?
Design authority was subbed out to Marshall Aerospace, and I'm sure they'd be on board.....again at a price.

Ian Lancs

1,126 posts

165 months

Sunday 14th October 2012
quotequote all
Elroy Blue said:
I's not really about money, it's about the design authority. Concorde was withdrawn because Bae and Airbus would no longer provide the engineering support. There aren't going to be any more Olympus parts made by BAE and they can't be made by anyone else.
BAe had no authority over Concorde once they sold their share in Airbus.

onyx39

11,109 posts

149 months

Monday 15th October 2012
quotequote all
HoHoHo said:
Huntsman said:
Apparently Chris Evans has twittered that he's going to look into keeing 558 flying and to save the Muppets....

Its time to start the engines, its time to light the lights....
probably nothing more than publicity but if he can spent £15m on a car (or whatever if was) , he can afford to spend a few quid on 558!
slartibartfast said:
Elroy Blue said:
I's not really about money, it's about the design authority. Concorde was withdrawn because Bae and Airbus would no longer provide the engineering support. There aren't going to be any more Olympus parts made by BAE and they can't be made by anyone else.
Get MR evans to pay for engine upgrades i.e. from another aircraft
I think that is a little harsh, if Mr Evans is prepared to use his media skills / massive Radio 2 audience to get the trust a shed load of money, how is that a bad thing?

Hooli

32,278 posts

199 months

Monday 15th October 2012
quotequote all
slartibartfast said:
Elroy Blue said:
I's not really about money, it's about the design authority. Concorde was withdrawn because Bae and Airbus would no longer provide the engineering support. There aren't going to be any more Olympus parts made by BAE and they can't be made by anyone else.
Get MR evans to pay for engine upgrades i.e. from another aircraft
301s from the upgraded Vulcans, I think there are more of those left. It's just a hugely expensive mod, from memory or figures mentioned on here the cost makes the wing mod look like pocket change.

FourWheelDrift

88,382 posts

283 months

Monday 15th October 2012
quotequote all
If they fit 301s and do all the necessary conversion work then it won't howl like it does now. 301 engined Vulcans didn't do it and the howl is a big part of it's draw.

XM655 at Wellesbourne has 301s - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoGBtuDqqrU

LukeSi

5,753 posts

160 months

Monday 15th October 2012
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But surely the loss of the howl in return for keeping it flying is a fair trade?

Dr Jekyll

23,820 posts

260 months

Monday 15th October 2012
quotequote all
Th relevant point is that there aren't any more engines with the relevant paperwork to be airworthy.

Unless someone can A) find some airworthy Olympus engines in a shed somewhere, B) persuade RR to overhaul the engines or C) persuade the CAA to allow them to be used past the 600 hour mark without an RR overhaul then it has to stop flying when the existing engines are lifed out.

I'm quite sure all 3 possibilities have been fully explored.

HoHoHo

14,980 posts

249 months

Monday 15th October 2012
quotequote all
FourWheelDrift said:
If they fit 301s and do all the necessary conversion work then it won't howl like it does now. 301 engined Vulcans didn't do it and the howl is a big part of it's draw.

XM655 at Wellesbourne has 301s - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoGBtuDqqrU
Nice video yes

Must be really, really tempting to just open her up a little bit and get it off the ground!

Will be a shame when 558 is used for similar displays frown

psychoR1

1,069 posts

186 months

Monday 15th October 2012
quotequote all
So anyway - what about this fundraising Sunday service at Finingley - Garlick?

I have fond memories of the place - one of my first driving lessons was on the runway in my old mans mini staff car. He was engineering wing commander at the time.

Sadly I havent been back for many years but would gladly make the trip for a fundraiser.

psychoR1

1,069 posts

186 months

Monday 15th October 2012
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A taster of what Finingley used to look like - sadly not my photo though!

Ginetta G15 Girl

3,220 posts

183 months

Monday 15th October 2012
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That hangar is what later became either Hawk Sqn or 100 Sqn.

slartibartfast

4,014 posts

200 months

Monday 15th October 2012
quotequote all
FourWheelDrift said:
If they fit 301s and do all the necessary conversion work then it won't howl like it does now. 301 engined Vulcans didn't do it and the howl is a big part of it's draw.

XM655 at Wellesbourne has 301s - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoGBtuDqqrU
Sorry but I heard Vulcan howl, they only ran to 95% and she still sounded good

psychoR1

1,069 posts

186 months

Monday 15th October 2012
quotequote all
Ginetta G15 Girl said:
That hangar is what later became either Hawk Sqn or 100 Sqn.
We left long before the Hawk arrived - mostly JP4's, Dominies when we left.

Did any of the hangers at Finingley ever have two floors of offices on the front instead of the single floor shown in the picture?

Ginetta G15 Girl

3,220 posts

183 months

Monday 15th October 2012
quotequote all
Dominie Squadron had an upper floor of offices accessible via a stairway in the hangar front entrance. It was where OC Dominie Sqn's office was (to the left at the top of the stairs) along with OC OPTW's office (Wg Cdr OC Operations and Pilot Training Wing) and his PA to the right.

If you look at Google maps, then working from the far left the hangars were:

Jetstreams / Bulldogs / Rects

Tucanos (JPs in your day)

Dominies + Multi-Engined Standards Sqn

Hawks

100 Sqn

IIRC the Tucano (ex JP) hangar had upstairs offices as well. ISTR the recce room being upstairs.

Edited by Ginetta G15 Girl on Monday 15th October 23:25

psychoR1

1,069 posts

186 months

Monday 15th October 2012
quotequote all
Thanks for that - I remember my father had an office on the very end of the first floor LHS as you faced the hanger - I had the priveledge of watching a few air displays from up there.

radlet6

736 posts

173 months

Thursday 18th October 2012
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I know it is slightly off thread as I am not certain that the Vulcan pictured is XH558; but here is another photo of Finningley circa '67 or '68. It shows members of the various clubs active at the time.

My old man is the one in the whiter overalls next to the kart - as he ran the Karting Club.

Just as an aside, as he was in charge of the MT section he was tasked with fetching one of the 007 DB6's that featured in one of the Battle of Britain Airshows. I was fortunate enough to be given a 'joyride' in said car around the airbase and along one of the bases's access roads.

Anyway said picture



I have a larger version on Google at

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/2-H1kmSMdgRf...

FourWheelDrift

88,382 posts

283 months

Thursday 18th October 2012
quotequote all
slartibartfast said:
FourWheelDrift said:
If they fit 301s and do all the necessary conversion work then it won't howl like it does now. 301 engined Vulcans didn't do it and the howl is a big part of it's draw.

XM655 at Wellesbourne has 301s - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoGBtuDqqrU
Sorry but I heard Vulcan howl, they only ran to 95% and she still sounded good
It doesn't, that's just a normal jet engine sound you hear. This is a howl from a 201 engined Vulcan - from 46s onwards - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYOgsgnZ8dw It's caused by a difference in volume of air in the intake (due to the different sized engines) causing the air to resonate.