Vulcan flies again

Good grief! I really doubted they could do it. Now there's the huge task of keeping it airworthy/serviceable.

Well done to all involved!

Tony

I saw one at Leuchars a few years ago on its final tour and it was one of the most beautiful, graceful things I've ever seen in the air. It was also the loudest thing I've ever heard. Louder than Deep Purple or Led Zeppelin by far, my whole body seemed to vibrate from the feet up. It was quite scary.

I too saw one display at the British Aerospace Woodford air show in on of their last exhibitions. It came in low with bomb doors open then pulled up in a steep banking climb and the shrieking roar from its engines made me think it was tearing itself apart. I was quite frightened!

I thought this was about the new Star Trek series - nice plane though! One of my Airfix faves...


Stephen

When I was on my RAF recruit training passing-out parade at RAF Swinderby back in '81 we had a real treat.

At the end of the parade we were all lined up, facing our families on a little grandstand, when in the distance on the horizon I could just make out a trail of smoke. As the smoke got closer and closer I could just make out that it was a Vulcan. And BOY was it low. And pretty fast too. It stayed low and fast until it was just behind our families then pulled up violently and gave it max throttle. I think my grandad shat his pants! It was amazing, and I think we were all forgiven for looking up while we should have been at attention.

What a memory that is.



Tony

I wonder if it was this one:



It was over in one corner of Wellsbourne airfield near Warwick for a long time. You could actually climb up into it.

Ignore the ugly bloke in the foreground it was uuhh..I forget how many years ago (at least 20)

It used to be a great moment at airshows they would fly one over and open the bomb bay doors to show an enormous load carrying area. Then they would finish by standing it on it's tail with everything powered on and nearly burst your ear drums as everything shook around you.

Marvellous

They were lying around all over the place in Ascension Island! At the time I was more interested in the VC10 home. After the 14 hour flight from Port Stanley in a Hercules, the VC10 was pure luxury!

Regards

Nic

Obscene.

Fancy giving money to such a 'cause'.

I have little hope for humanity.

A strange comment to make on a forum where contributors are known to spends large sums of money on hobbies.

Tony

quote:

I have little hope for humanity.

True. but mankind didn't get to the top of evolution pyramid by being nice, so I think the "obscene" bit is hypocritical and ....well...err...obscene.

Cheers

Don

Correct me if I am wrong folks but didn't you have to be a set height to fly Vulcans. 6'ers couldn't because the cockpit was so small.

I have many happy memories of flying in Lightnings, Sioux helicopters, Nimrods, Chipmunks and Buccaneers. Always wished I flown in a Hawker Hunter which for me apart from the Spitfire was the most beatiful plane ever.

quote:

Originally posted by ewemon:
Always wished I flown in a Hawker Hunter which for me apart from the Spitfire was the most beatiful plane ever.

Save your pennies, go to Cape Town, and fly with Mike Beachyhead!

Tony

Awesome...

The last time I saw one of these babies fly was when I was 12 ('86 ish??) at an air display in Wilts.

It was (and I think still is) the loudest thing I have ever heard, as it took off.

I couldn't speak to the person next to me...

quote:

It was (and I think still is) the loudest thing I have ever heard, as it took off.

Concord did a fly past over Brands Hatch and that 4 BIGGER Olympus engines and it was F**king loud.
BTW the Olympus test Vulcan could fly on 1 Concord engine.
I have seen the Vulcan at many airshows and was missed when it was withdrawn.

As well as being weapons of war they also maintain a peace and should be maintained as memorial to those who fly and sometimes died in them.
Also they are amazing pieces of engineering and should be kept for that alone.

Howard

I was downwind of it at the time...

I thought a Hornet doing low passes pulling up on full afterburner at Farnborough last year was pretty loud. Managed to set off just about every car alarm in the process. Sadly I have never seen a Vulcan flying first hand.

quote:

Originally posted by joe90:
Obscene.

Fancy giving money to such a 'cause'.

I have little hope for humanity.

Best kill yourself now then, save all the worry.

I reckon the loudest for me was one particular Tornado ADV while I worked on the line at Dhahran. It had been delayed at endo-of-runway checks and was in a hurry to catch the others, so he selected 'combat' throttle setting for the take-off. This is reheat and a bit more, and requires a double engine change on return. Our van was about 150 metres diagonally behind the aircraft and we all instinctively knew what the pilot had done.... the van windows and seats were buzzing and the poor engine tech just dropped his head knowing what work was coming his way. It was a tottally different sound to max-reheat, much harsher.

Tony

A beautiful aircraft and a fine piece of engineering. I used to see them regularly - they were fitted out and test flown at Woodford, almost round the corner from my house.
One of the oddest sights on a Sunday morning was seeing Vulcan fuselages, made in Chadderton, North Manchester having to negotiate the narrow roads to Woodford. Traffic lights in the middle of the road in Stockport centre were hinged so as to allow them through.
Ken

quote:

Originally posted by Tony Lockhart:

..so he selected 'combat' throttle setting for the take-off. This is reheat and a bit more, and requires a double engine change on return.

Does the required engine change mean that a takeoff on the combat throttle setting actually damaged the engine? Or that it needed a complete check afterward but wasn't necessarily damaged?

I'll have a chat with one of the guys I now work with. He was an engine man on Tornados in Saudi.
But from what I remember it's to do with vibration. Although I might be a mile out!

Tony

quote:

Originally posted by bob mccluckie:
I too saw one display at the British Aerospace Woodford air show in on of their last exhibitions. It came in low with bomb doors open then pulled up in a steep banking climb and the shrieking roar from its engines made me think it was tearing itself apart. I was quite frightened!

I was impressed by one running in low over the Larkhill impact area on Salisbury Plain and gracefully leaving 21 1000lb bombs behind; countryside re-arrangement service!!

You can see the craters on this Googlearth pic

quote:

Originally posted by Deane F:

quote:

Originally posted by Tony Lockhart:

..so he selected 'combat' throttle setting for the take-off. This is reheat and a bit more, and requires a double engine change on return.

Does the required engine change mean that a takeoff on the combat throttle setting actually damaged the engine? Or that it needed a complete check afterward but wasn't necessarily damaged?

Ok, had a chat with my mate today. Combat increases TBT (turbine blade temperature) to the point where some of the turbine blades start to melt..... I reckon an engine change might be a good idea!

Tony

Jeez - that would make the fuel they use look cheap!

This stuff should go some way to helping reduce the melting!

Tony