Building a Vulcan from new

[I Love Cake]

Could a private company or suitably wealthy individual, build their own Vulcan for use on the display circuit?

It wouldn't require weapon systems and the publicity generated would be worth it alone.

[davepoth]

No, sadly.

Two things will stop you. Firstly, the design authority for the Vulcan lies with BAE Systems and they won't agree to have another one made.

Secondly there are no airworthy engines left, and Rolls Royce won't make any.

So you'd need to make a new design with new engines, and that wouldn't be a Vulcan at all.

[AndrewEH1]

Not sure the CAA would let it fly even if you had it built anyway?

[CanAm]

Well there's a "replica" Me262 flying; it's only a matter of scale

[Dr Jekyll]

It would be a replica, not a Vulcan, legally speaking.

It's been done with a Vickers Vimy, and there was a plan for an HP42 but that seems to have disappeared.

It's also been done in the 80s with a Sopwith Camel (maybe a Pup, not sure), but then Sir Tommy Sopwith looked at it and deemed it to be a 'late production' rather than a replica. And who are we to argue?

[GIYess]

Not sure if its true but I remember hearing that individuals aren't allowed to own a "pure jet" engine aircraft in UK. But then the Vulcan trust own and flew a Vulcan so that cant be true

[Eric Mc]

GIYess said:

Not sure if its true but I remember hearing that individuals aren't allowed to own a "pure jet" engine aircraft in UK. But then the Vulcan trust own and flew a Vulcan so that cant be true

100% not true.

[Krikkit]

davepoth said:

No, sadly.

Two things will stop you. Firstly, the design authority for the Vulcan lies with BAE Systems and they won't agree to have another one made.

Secondly there are no airworthy engines left, and Rolls Royce won't make any.

So you'd need to make a new design with new engines, and that wouldn't be a Vulcan at all.

With enough money you could get around it. I'm sure BAE would be prepared to sell their knowledge and rights etc for the right sum, and I'm sure you could commission Rolls Royce to build an updated Olympus engine.

Of course you're probably talking about spending £1b, but it could be done...

[Eric Mc]

But it won't.

If you are going to spend that kind of money, do something really new and adventurous, like sending a Tesla to Mars

[ianrb]

Eric Mc said:

But it won't.

If you are going to spend that kind of money, do something really new and adventurous, like sending a Tesla to Mars

For some reason I managed to read that as "Send Theresa May to Mars". That would be a worthwhile endeavor.

[aeropilot]

CanAm said:

Well there's a "replica" Me262 flying

Indeed, but not in the UK on a G-reg, as the CAA won't allow it.

[DrDeAtH]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

That would take some doing, there is a pressure bulkhead in the way,. Not to mention the amount of electrical panels and rear nav desk in the way....

[Eric Mc]

Well, they did it with the B-29.

[Mave]

Krikkit said:

With enough money you could get around it. I'm sure BAE would be prepared to sell their knowledge and rights etc for the right sum, and I'm sure you could commission Rolls Royce to build an updated Olympus engine.

Of course you're probably talking about spending £1b, but it could be done...

I think the £1Bn would probably cover the costs, but not the incentive to get those companies interested in taking on a pretty significant programme without any follow on business case.

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

You could never hope to build one...

[Krikkit]

Mave said:

Krikkit said:

With enough money you could get around it. I'm sure BAE would be prepared to sell their knowledge and rights etc for the right sum, and I'm sure you could commission Rolls Royce to build an updated Olympus engine.

Of course you're probably talking about spending £1b, but it could be done...

I think the £1Bn would probably cover the costs, but not the incentive to get those companies interested in taking on a pretty significant programme without any follow on business case.

I suspect £100m profit would turn many heads, especially if it was an easy job.

That's before you get to the PR coup of helping create a continuation of a historic aircraft that'll be displayed for many years.

[williamp]

with enough cash and time you could build a "tool room" copy of anything. But you'd never be allowed to fly.

You could taxi it, however. But its a very small return on investment. You'd have more fun funding your own F1 team with you as the driver, on your circuit,

[Taita]

I've read across a good variety of threads that the CAA won't allow xyz etc.

Stepping aside the likely very good reasons why they would refuse to allow it, how would they stop you. Police?

If I built a complex plane with some third party engines / frame from BAE in a hangar and rolled it onto a runway - how do they stop me?

In theory I could just take off and fly away (glossing over the issue of trials etc)

[toastyhamster]

Well I suppose if you had enough land for an airstrip, but any pilot subject to CAA regs isn't going to go there. I imagine taking off would be do-able but a go around and a landing with no prior? Good luck (as per the Lightning tech who actually managed it).

[ghost83]

You could go kit build though and design a very similar aircraft