Vulcan survival fund

[Deskpilot]

You may or may not not interested in saving old planes but I think this is a worth while quest.

 

Would you help keep this old girl flying, please.

 

 

 

[facthunter]

Vulcan Book.

 

There is a book out detailing the operation of a number of Vulcan bombers that allowed a mission to be carried out in the Faulkland Islands using fuel Tankering. The aircraft were virtually brought out of mothballs to do the job. I don't have the name of the book to hand. It is a great read especially regarding the flight planning criticality,(which they got wrong). Does anybody know the title of the book? Nev.

 

Later Comment... Thanks Crezzi ... Nev

 

 

[Guest Crezzi]

Vulcan 607 by Roland White. I loved the bit about finding part of the refueling system they need being used as an ashtray in the Sgts mess !

 

For an alternative view of the Black Buck missions try Sea Harrier over the Falklands by Sharkey Ward.

 

Cheers

 

John

 

 

[Neil_S]

Hi DeskPilot,

 

Yes - a worthwhile cause!

 

When I was in the UK last year I went to see another Vulcan restoration project at Southend Airport in Essex. They are not planning to get it flying as that would cost too much, but they want to get it to taxi condition so they can take it up and down the runway at Southend. On the day I went we were lucky enough to have a flypast by the Battle of Britain Memorial Spitfire and Hurricane on their way back from an event on the south coast to their base in Lincoln too.

 

We were able to go into the cockpit and have a look around as well as hear some interesting Vulcan history from one of the restoration team. Remarkable stuff!

 

Cheers

 

Neil

 

 

[Deskpilot]

Hi Neil

 

Last time I was at Southend (once lived very close) it was to visit the Beverley. Sadly that is now only a cockpit in a museum somewhere. I guess the Vulcan makes up for it's demise. There is only one Beverley left now and that is at Fort Paulli, near Beverley in Yorkshire.

 

As for the Spit and Hurri, I used to polish them when they were at Coltishall.

 

 

[Guest Sharp End]

Hmmm, so the not-so-sharp end needs funding eh? During training at RAF Valley in 1979 (Hawks) we were taught to pretend to be violently ill at the first sign (huge plumes of black smoke in the far distance) of a "Tin Triangle". Posting as a V#lcan :yuk: or, even worse, VictOR tanker-w*nker co-jo was the ultimate threat to keep us baby-knucks in line.

 

Seriously, I hope the ex-V-Force world digs deep, it is a magnificently monstrous and LOUD thing to see flying.

 

 

[Neil_S]

Hi Doug,

 

So where did you live "close by" Southend? I used to live in Leigh-on-sea, and used to go flying from Southend with a mate in various Pipers/Cessnas (he is now an A330 pilot).

 

Cheers

 

Neil

 

 

[Exadios]

You may or may not not interested in saving old planes but I think this is a worth while quest.Would you help keep this old girl flying, please.

 

Will those who contribute be able to take the plane out for a spin from time to time?

 

 

[RKW]

Exadios, I'm sure if you were to make a reasonable donation, they would be more than happy for you to borrow it, provided you pay for the fuel. Seriously though, I remember seeing the prototype vulcan, I think it was 1957. We heard this thunderous roar and raced out the back yard to see this huge bomber fly right over our home. Perhaps it was heading to Amberley. I remember also how terrible I felt when dad told me that it crashed upon returning to England. Does anybody else remember this awsome aircraft. (perhaps I'm showing my age, I would have been five at the time!) Regards to All, Bob

 

 

[Deskpilot]

Hi Doug,So where did you live "close by" Southend? I used to live in Leigh-on-sea, and used to go flying from Southend with a mate in various Pipers/Cessnas (he is now an A330 pilot).

 

Cheers

 

Neil[/quote

 

Ullswater Road, Thundersley. A quiet grass road where electricity, water and sewage were non existant. For light we used Alladin lamps (parafin and a fragile mantle) or a thumping great single cylinder diesel driving a generator via a belt. Only problem was, it didn't work more often than it did, and when it did, the lights pulsated horribly. Water was hand pumped from our own well. Sewage was bucket and bury it in the orchard. At about 9yo I was expected to carry my weight in the burying part. not pleasant, believe me, but we had the most delicious fruit bushes and such. That, my friends, was living the hard way.

 

Power and water were eventually laid on, and Dad dug a blood great cesspit. I was in the RAF by then but went home the day he was to cap it off. With the last barrow load of cement being applied, the internal supports gave a shudder, dropped in the middle by about 6" and fine cracks appeared everywhere. Dad swore and walked away, expecting the whole thing to collapse. I stayed and prayed. Gingerly smoothed and filled the cracks. To my knowledge, it's still in ues today and the road is still un-adopted by council. Unfortunately, townies have taken over all that area and it in now, to my mind, an un-cared for part of the once beautiful countryside.

 

The only time I flew in those days, was on my home made bike, without brakes. Often landed in a Blackberry or Hawthorn bush in undignitied ways. Ah, the memories.

[Chrisso]

I have also just finished reading Vulcan 607, and have passed it to my father who is ex RAF (not on Vulcans though). Amazed that they had to go to SGT's Mess, Museum's and RAF Fire Training Dumps for parts needed for the mission. Agree that they writer did get some parts wrong. Also thought that one of the three Vulcans that were initially on the mission (as back ups), had to divert to Brazil as the refuelling probe broke off during transfer if fuel. But still worth the read.

 

 

[GraemeK]

That, my friends, was living the hard way.

You were lucky! There were a hundred and fifty of us living in t' shoebox in t' middle o' road.

 

 

[Guest Crezzi]

Also thought that one of the three Vulcans that were initially on the mission (as back ups), had to divert to Brazil as the refuelling probe broke off during transfer if fuel. But still worth the read.

The book only describes the first Black Buck mission - there were several subsequent ones including one where a Vulcan had to divert to Rio for the reasons you describe

 

Cheers

 

John

 

 

[cosmicray]

There is a good video on You Tube covering the first Black Buck mission.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40knj0qg_Us

 

 

[cooperplace]

Exadios, I'm sure if you were to make a reasonable donation, they would be more than happy for you to borrow it, provided you pay for the fuel. Seriously though, I remember seeing the prototype vulcan, I think it was 1957. We heard this thunderous roar and raced out the back yard to see this huge bomber fly right over our home. Perhaps it was heading to Amberley. I remember also how terrible I felt when dad told me that it crashed upon returning to England. Does anybody else remember this awsome aircraft. (perhaps I'm showing my age, I would have been five at the time!) Regards to All, Bob

I remember being in the backyard of our house in Adelaide, it would have been in the late fifties, and this loud white delta wing plane flew over, and my dad said it was a vulcan.

 

 

[Bernie]

Yep some time back in the late fifties at school in Kinsgrove NSW.

 

 

[flyvulcan]

I was based at RAF Scampton in 1988 when XH558 was based there. During the summer air show season, it would generally practise once a week and disappear on the weekends for the air shows. It was an amazing display to watch. The first time I saw it practising was when I was having a hit of tennis at the O's mess. There was a roar, the earth started shaking and 20 seconds later, the Vulcan appeared out from behind the hangars at an attitude of around 30 degrees nose up. It was just huge. At around 1500', it rolled into a reversal turn and then came down low along the runway. Absolutely amazing to watch!

 

I still have nightmares about potentially bringing it down one weekend. On the weekends, we were allowed to conduct model aircraft flying on the airfield. With the Red Arrows, the Vulcan and the Bulldog display aircraft all being based at Scampton, it could be busy on the weekends. Anyway, the protocol for flying models was to first contact the duty ATC officer who would clear you to fly on the airfield. If there were any planned arrivals or departures, the ATCO would come down onto the field and let you know about 15 minutes before the movement to get you out of the way. On this occasion, I was anticipating the return of the Vulcan while I was flying my models. I had my aircraft up at around 500' doing some aeros when I heard the approaching roar of the Vulcan. I glanced over my shoulder to see the Vulcan around half a mile out coming across the airfield at 200' and at breakneck speed! I promptly dived my model to the deck and had the Vulcan fly over the top of me around 5 seconds later... Needless to say, I hightailed it to the airfield perimeter. The ATCO turned up around 15 minutes later and rather sheepishly apologised for forgetting that I was flying my models on the airfield.

 

I for one would like to see this aircraft continue to be flown. It is an awesome aircraft and is a great advertisement for the RAF. It certainly left an impression on me.

 

Anyway, without it, my username wouldn't be Flyvulcan...

 

 

[Guernsey]

I never got to see one close up (we didn't have any in Guernsey), however, I did have a very strongly built model which we used to launch from a very long bungee style catapult. We managed to trim it so that it maintained level flight for around 200 metres.

 

Alan.