vulcan bomber

[brightspark]

Are you sure?, first flight of Avro Vulcan was August 1952

Nice sounds. but my favourite was the EE Lightning, shame there's none flying now.

Did you see the documentary on what it took to get a Vulcan down to the Falklands in 1982 to bomb the runway?

i was probably wrong on the date 1st flown i was born 1954 and can remember them when i was about 5

 

[ronan]

There is a chap in the gunclub who was an officer in our air corps, he is obviously big into aircraft, he was telling me that the vulcan used around 1,000 litres of fuel just to get airborne. Enough fuel to heat your house for months and its gone in a few mins getting a plane off the ground.

 

[bill_gj]

Sick - No, you don't. Apparently, the inside of the mask was lined with some sort of textured material and it was a job to clean them up properly. I'm sure the Lighnings were all single seat aircraft, so I don't suppose it was someone under instruction or a 'passenger'.

 

[ford34/2]

we have a Vulcan and a Lightening as part of the collection in Sunderland Aviation Land and Sea Museum, Just a wee bit North of Nissan,
http://www.nelsam.org.uk/default.htm

Aircraft History
The Avro Vulcan was a British delta wing subsonic bomber operated by the Royal Air Force from 1953 until 1984. The Vulcan was part of the RAF's V bomber force, which fulfilled the role of nuclear deterrence against the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It was also used in a conventional bombing role during the Falklands conflict with Argentina.

Design work began at A. V. Roe in 1947 under Roy Chadwick. The Air Ministry specification B.35/46 required a bomber with a top speed of 500 knots (930 km/h), an operating ceiling of 50,000 ft (15,000 m), a range of 3,000 nautical miles (5500 km) and a bomb load of 10,000 lb (approx 4,550 kg); intended to permit delivery of nuclear missiles deep into Soviet territory.

The Vulcan name was not chosen until 1953 after the Valiant had already been named. The first prototype had a straight leading edge this was subsequently modified to have a kink further out towards the wingtip. The Vulcan bomber in service was not fitted with pure delta wings; but the prototypes models were the first jet bomber design to use a wing of that shape, which was modified in development to give the service machines better flying characteristics than a pure delta can supply.

Despite its large size, it had a relatively small radar cross-section (RCS). It is now known that it had a fortuitously stealthy shape apart from the tail fin. Avro test pilot Wing Commander (retired) Roly Falk demonstrated the aircraft's high performance in the second production Vulcan, XA890, by performing a barrel-roll immediately after takeoff at the 1955 Farnborough Air Show. The Vulcan used entirely powered control surfaces, this combined with the relatively small space for the pilots meant that a fighter-like stick could be used instead of a control column with the added benefit that ejection could be quicker in an emergency.

XL319 History
XL319 was aircraft number three from a batch of twenty-four Vulcan B.2's (XL317-XL321, XL359-XL361, XL384-XL392, XL425-XL427 & XL443-XL446) ordered under contract 6/Air/13145/CB.6(a) and the 28th production aircraft from a total of 89.

It was completed by 19th October 1961 and delivered to RAF Scampton for 617 Squadron (Dambusters) in an all white anti-flash colour scheme on 23th October 1961. It later served with 83 Squadron before the introduction of centralised servicing discontinued the allocation of individual aircraft to specific units put the aircraft under the control of Scampton Wing (27Sqn, 83Sqn & 617Sqn).

When unit marks came back into vogue in 1969 the markings of 230OCU at Finningley appeared on the aircraft (the aircraft moved with the unit to Scampton). When 35 Squadron returned from Akrotiri, Cyprus in January 1979, XL319 was transferred to their charge. Prior to disbanding of 35Sqn on 28th February 1982, it was transferred to Waddington for use by 44Sqn, in whose markings it appeared in by 13th April 1982. 44Sqn disbanded on 21st December 1982.

During the Falklands war in 1982 XL319 was one of three Vulcan's which embarked on a good-will tour of the USA, eventually returning home via Goose Bay, Canada. It was acquired by the museum for £5,000 and flown to Sunderland Airport by Sqn Ldr R J Reeve and Sqn Ldr N McDougall DFC on 21 January 1983 to join the NEAM and was the first of its type to be released to an independent collection in the UK.
E.E. Lightning F.53 (ZF594)
NAHR category - Noteworthy
Aircraft History
The Lightning F.53 was the model exported to the Royal Saudi Air Force and used in the fighter-ground attack-reconnaissance role. A number of F.53's were returned to Britain as part of the Tornado deal. It became apparent that the airframes had little sales potential and were offered to museums for a nominal fee.

ZF594 History
On 14. November 1968 test pilot John Cockburn lifted Lightning F.53, 53-696, from the runway at Samlesbury on its maiden flight under its B class markings G-27-66. Upon landing at Warton, the aircraft began a series of shake-down flights that were to culminate in its ferry trip to Saudi Arabia. The pilot on this occasion was R. Ingham and as before, the aircraft staged via Akrotiri supported by RAF Victor tankers. Arriving at Jeddah on 3. June 1969 the Lightning joined the LCS with whom it was serving when they moved to RSAF Riyadh on 26. November 1972. Unfortunately not long after arrival, on 9. July, the aircraft suffered Category 3 fire damage which grounded it for the next few months.

A tour at Dharan with 2 Squadron followed the repair work, the aircraft remaining with them until transfering to 6 Sqdn at Khamis Mushayt in May 1975. No. 6 Sqdn was to move to King Abdul Aziz AB in June 1976, taking ‘696 with them, although this state of affairs only lasted until 23 January 1977 when ‘696 joined 2 Sqdn again, this time at King Faisal / Tabuk AB in the north of the country. A short tour on the strength of 13 Sqdn as 1308 began on 18 April 1978 and continued until 1982 when the aircraft returned again to 2 Sqdn. Initially coded 226 the aircraft later assumed the code ‘Y’.

It was still wearing this code when it made its last RSAF flight on 13 January 1986. The next day, painted as ZF594, the aircraft headed for Warton where it was to enter long-term storage whilst awaiting possible resale.

During its working life 53-696 had flown a total of 2.057,06 hours. With no market forthcoming, 53-696 was put up for disposal, being purchased by the NEAM for a token sum during 1988. In November of the following year 53-696 was moved to the Museum’s premises near Sunderland to join the rest of this burgeoning collection

 

[wingnut1]

we have a Vulcan and a Lightening as part of the collection in Sunderland Aviation Land and Sea Museum, Just a wee bit North of Nissan,
http://www.nelsam.org.uk/default.htm

Aircraft History
The Avro Vulcan was a British delta wing subsonic bomber operated by the Royal Air Force from 1953 until 1984. The Vulcan was part of the RAF's V bomber force, which fulfilled the role of nuclear deterrence against the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It was also used in a conventional bombing role during the Falklands conflict with Argentina.

Design work began at A. V. Roe in 1947 under Roy Chadwick. The Air Ministry specification B.35/46 required a bomber with a top speed of 500 knots (930 km/h), an operating ceiling of 50,000 ft (15,000 m), a range of 3,000 nautical miles (5500 km) and a bomb load of 10,000 lb (approx 4,550 kg); intended to permit delivery of nuclear missiles deep into Soviet territory.

The Vulcan name was not chosen until 1953 after the Valiant had already been named. The first prototype had a straight leading edge this was subsequently modified to have a kink further out towards the wingtip. The Vulcan bomber in service was not fitted with pure delta wings; but the prototypes models were the first jet bomber design to use a wing of that shape, which was modified in development to give the service machines better flying characteristics than a pure delta can supply.

Despite its large size, it had a relatively small radar cross-section (RCS). It is now known that it had a fortuitously stealthy shape apart from the tail fin. Avro test pilot Wing Commander (retired) Roly Falk demonstrated the aircraft's high performance in the second production Vulcan, XA890, by performing a barrel-roll immediately after takeoff at the 1955 Farnborough Air Show. The Vulcan used entirely powered control surfaces, this combined with the relatively small space for the pilots meant that a fighter-like stick could be used instead of a control column with the added benefit that ejection could be quicker in an emergency.

XL319 History
XL319 was aircraft number three from a batch of twenty-four Vulcan B.2's (XL317-XL321, XL359-XL361, XL384-XL392, XL425-XL427 & XL443-XL446) ordered under contract 6/Air/13145/CB.6(a) and the 28th production aircraft from a total of 89.

It was completed by 19th October 1961 and delivered to RAF Scampton for 617 Squadron (Dambusters) in an all white anti-flash colour scheme on 23th October 1961. It later served with 83 Squadron before the introduction of centralised servicing discontinued the allocation of individual aircraft to specific units put the aircraft under the control of Scampton Wing (27Sqn, 83Sqn & 617Sqn).

When unit marks came back into vogue in 1969 the markings of 230OCU at Finningley appeared on the aircraft (the aircraft moved with the unit to Scampton). When 35 Squadron returned from Akrotiri, Cyprus in January 1979, XL319 was transferred to their charge. Prior to disbanding of 35Sqn on 28th February 1982, it was transferred to Waddington for use by 44Sqn, in whose markings it appeared in by 13th April 1982. 44Sqn disbanded on 21st December 1982.

During the Falklands war in 1982 XL319 was one of three Vulcan's which embarked on a good-will tour of the USA, eventually returning home via Goose Bay, Canada. It was acquired by the museum for £5,000 and flown to Sunderland Airport by Sqn Ldr R J Reeve and Sqn Ldr N McDougall DFC on 21 January 1983 to join the NEAM and was the first of its type to be released to an independent collection in the UK.
E.E. Lightning F.53 (ZF594)
NAHR category - Noteworthy
Aircraft History
The Lightning F.53 was the model exported to the Royal Saudi Air Force and used in the fighter-ground attack-reconnaissance role. A number of F.53's were returned to Britain as part of the Tornado deal. It became apparent that the airframes had little sales potential and were offered to museums for a nominal fee.

ZF594 History
On 14. November 1968 test pilot John Cockburn lifted Lightning F.53, 53-696, from the runway at Samlesbury on its maiden flight under its B class markings G-27-66. Upon landing at Warton, the aircraft began a series of shake-down flights that were to culminate in its ferry trip to Saudi Arabia. The pilot on this occasion was R. Ingham and as before, the aircraft staged via Akrotiri supported by RAF Victor tankers. Arriving at Jeddah on 3. June 1969 the Lightning joined the LCS with whom it was serving when they moved to RSAF Riyadh on 26. November 1972. Unfortunately not long after arrival, on 9. July, the aircraft suffered Category 3 fire damage which grounded it for the next few months.

A tour at Dharan with 2 Squadron followed the repair work, the aircraft remaining with them until transfering to 6 Sqdn at Khamis Mushayt in May 1975. No. 6 Sqdn was to move to King Abdul Aziz AB in June 1976, taking ‘696 with them, although this state of affairs only lasted until 23 January 1977 when ‘696 joined 2 Sqdn again, this time at King Faisal / Tabuk AB in the north of the country. A short tour on the strength of 13 Sqdn as 1308 began on 18 April 1978 and continued until 1982 when the aircraft returned again to 2 Sqdn. Initially coded 226 the aircraft later assumed the code ‘Y’.

It was still wearing this code when it made its last RSAF flight on 13 January 1986. The next day, painted as ZF594, the aircraft headed for Warton where it was to enter long-term storage whilst awaiting possible resale.

During its working life 53-696 had flown a total of 2.057,06 hours. With no market forthcoming, 53-696 was put up for disposal, being purchased by the NEAM for a token sum during 1988. In November of the following year 53-696 was moved to the Museum’s premises near Sunderland to join the rest of this burgeoning collection

Some

 

[wingnut1]

Some say in bristol that a vulcan was used as a test bed for concordes engines,
It hung from the bomb bay.
As the story goes, the vulcan was returning from a testing session.
It was on its final approach when something happened on the airfeld , the vulcan was told to abort, it did using all five engines.
It blew the cars from a garage through the showroom windows,

 

[ford34/2]

I Can believe that, battle of Britain days the Vulcan paid a visit to RAF Acklington aerodrome, and man was it LOUD when it skimmed the runway and then climbed very steeply, reminds me I should have some black and white pics of them days, suppose very very late 50s or very early 60s. watched them down at Finningley as well and I think there was a Vulcan Airborne and armed 24 Hrs a day.
Stan

Stan

 

[Shox Dr]

I do a lot of work on a local Airfield, whenever there is a plane of note in the area it will always do a few passes. There was a Spitfire over a few weeks ago, did around 4-6 passes and disappear.

 

[Cyberprog]

In 2008 I was lucky enough to be out on the apron the day after Kemble Air Day, when these two lunatics took off, then came back over and buzzed us...

They're Gloster Meteors, WL419 and WA638. Flown by guys from Martin Baker, who make ejector seats!

 

[norlander]

I got close up to some Vulcs some years ago when I was a young crow not having worn out me first pair of issued boots. I found them really spooky-I had seen the film Dr Strangelove a few years earlier as an even younger and spottier yoof-patrolling around the things at daft o clock am gave me the creeps. The soviet bloc/Warsaw pact etc was in existence then so you felt a serious menace about the whole thing when you got up close.
Nothing to do with Vulcans-but on a historical aspect of the Lancaster in WW2-I saw this on youtube.
Its narrated by someone who had been involved and mentions the various technical aspects used on missions and the roles of the crew members better than most documentaries.
The strange role of the aircrews-going from normality to war and back to normality on your home turf.He makes a reference that they were of course aware that civilians would be casualties-but of course that was the nature of that war (and still happens in todays limited wars of course even with precison guided aerial delivery).
Going back to the Vulcan, I bet those crews involved in the Falklands raid felt the same emotions as their forefathers did in earlier times.

 

[octo0072000]

The only airworthy one left is stationed (Lincs) not far from me, I could be wrong but they cannot fly very high with it, because of air regs? So when it flies over head it's Low, Slow AND LOUD

Dave
only airworthy Vulcan is at robin hood airport Doncaster last i herd lack of money so may not be flying much longer
web site http://www.vulcantothesky.org/
little vid of the howling

video from inside the cockpit ignore the first bit

 

[Shox Dr]

Not sure Octo' It was over Goole, and Brieghton many a time last yr, and I'm sure I heard it Jan this year as well. You can't mistake the sound, its as though it gets into your bones.

 

[octo0072000]

Not sure Octo' It was over Goole, and Brieghton many a time last yr, and I'm sure I heard it Jan this year as well. You can't mistake the sound, its as though it gets into your bones.

hanger tours at donny here on the web site
nothing is listed for 2014 for displays as yet

http://www.vulcantothesky.org/appearances/aircraft-tours.html

 

[cardiffrob]

I had a sit inside the Vulcan at Bournemouth some years ago. It helped that I'd just finished some instructing with one of the pilots on the Falklands "Blackbuck" raid so was able to bull*** my way up the stairs for a lookee. Just a few weeks earlier I was overtaken by the Vulcan whilst pottering across country in a small 4-seater. I saw the unique shadow and had a look above me to see it. Silly boy...


Thunder City in SA used to sell seat rides in their 2-seater E.E. Lighning until a 'fatal' a few years ago.

 

[octo0072000]

video of the Falklands raid was a only just made due to lack of fuel and parts
all done on a wing and a prayer best bit one of the parts needed for the refuelling system was being used as a ashtray in the mess
ironic as only one bomb hit the runway worth a watch

 

[brightspark]

I had a sit inside the Vulcan at Bournemouth some years ago. It helped that I'd just finished some instructing with one of the pilots on the Falklands "Blackbuck" raid so was able to bull*** my way up the stairs for a lookee. Just a few weeks earlier I was overtaken by the Vulcan whilst pottering across country in a small 4-seater. I saw the unique shadow and had a look above me to see it. Silly boy...

i wouldnt fancy being 2 close to one of them flying over me , nearest ive been was hangliding and the tornadoes used to fly under us but theres hardly any wash and vortexes of there wings . was just the sudden blast and the shock of the noise that put the sh ,.,..,ts up u

 

[Wedg1e]

In 2008 I was lucky enough to be out on the apron the day after Kemble Air Day, when these two lunatics took off, then came back over and buzzed us...

They're Gloster Meteors, WL419 and WA638. Flown by guys from Martin Baker, who make ejector seats!

I've been up the cockpit steps on those; they're based at an airfield in Oxon. and I was down there installing some new equipment (not on the planes). One (or both, not sure) of the planes has an empty rear cockpit into which they install ejection seats for testing.
One of MBs directors has a bit of a collection of old military hardware, some of which is also kept on the base, including a DUKW.
Word is that the US military is converting all its planes to MB seats (I think the Marines use them but the Air Force doesn't or the other way around) which will keep them in xmas bonuses for a few years yet...

 

[HMB]

Some say in bristol that a vulcan was used as a test bed for concordes engines,
It hung from the bomb bay.
As the story goes, the vulcan was returning from a testing session.
It was on its final approach when something happened on the airfeld , the vulcan was told to abort, it did using all five engines.
It blew the cars from a garage through the showroom windows,

They was used as a rest bed for the Olympus IV engines I believe

 

[Rrunnach]

There is one on show a Scotland's Museum of Flight. It too, was en-route to Falklands, but due to technical problem, made head lines else where.....see link.

http://www.nms.ac.uk/our_museums/mu...and_do/aircraft/post_war_military/vulcan.aspx

 

[Benthosboy]

Have just finished reading "Vulcan 607". It's the story of the Vulcan that bombed Port Stanley in the Falklands and is one of the best books I've ever read. It was basically a Vulcan that was refuelled in mid-air by a Victor tanker that was refuelled by another Victor tanker that was refuelled by another Victor, and so on. Fabulous read, well worth looking out for.

And it brought back great memories of the 70's and 80's when my big sis was in the Air Force. Me and big bro used to get personal tours of where ever she was based. Scampton, Waddington, and tops for me, Conningsby!! And by coincedence, in the laast couple of weeks I've made deliveries to Stafford, now an MOD base, and Lossiemouth, two more of her postings. And I recently delivered, and spent the night at North Weald, where the M11 meets the M25. Had a great afternoon wandering around taking in the history, looking at 2 Douglas Dakotas (or possibly DC3's, not sure) had my dinner in the flying club's HQ, an original WW2 wooden hut , fully restored to it's former glory. And, had a pint in the bar, a converted nissen hut, next to the original slit trenches where the Norwegian Air Force were stationed during WW2.

Most days I enjoy driving a wagon, but some days are even better!