O/T: Vulcan ready!

XH558 link to funding press release

I find it sad that they post a press release and fail to check the appearance on the web.

I know that quite a few TNFrs folow the aircraft preservation scene and many will know that the Avro Vulcan, XH558, is facing another winter of crisis.

Following her display at the Coventry Fly-In last Sunday, 26th September, the Vulcan is now back at RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire. A press release has been issued and there has been a good deal of coverage in the general media as to whether or not this will have been her last flying appearance. The Vulcan to the Sky Trust is aiming to raise £400,000 to kee the aircraft flying into at least 2012 - the type's 60th anniversary - in which it is intended to take part in the opening ceremony for the Olympics. The link below gives details.

XH558 link to funding press release

Don't know it you'r a member, Pullman, but this snippet sent in the last newsletter to those of us that are (members of the Trust) might shed some light on the current flurry of news items:

"As mentioned in earlier updates on our main Web Site, our current Cash Reserves run out next month.

As part of our 2010 initiatives, we have now contracted a professional PR company to follow up the large advertsing campaign that has been running through the summer.

They are convinced they can grab the headlines & bring us even more supporters. They want to sell "doom & gloom" stressing how important our aircraft is to the Nation's heritage. and frankly, this grabs headlines - so they are almost certainly on the right track (PLUS they have some really useful contacts and might just get us national coverage!) Certainly, when the Mail on Sunday ran the story last time around then that's when our fortunes turned for the better.

It is the aim of these newsletters to give you the latest “inside track” on what we are trying to achieve and the progress we are making. Some very exciting developments are in planning, but that does not alleviate the impending need for cash.

You, our core supporter base, will play a very pivotal role in our ultimate success.

So, don't be too surprised if you see some 'doom & gloom' reports over the coming week. In fact, if you do, then be very excited because it would mean the PR company was right & has some very useful contacts! It will also mean even more supporters coming our way ..."

Let's keep the old girl flying.

The biggest problem it seems with this type of aircraft is that it costs huge ammounts of money to keep them flying, otherwise they become museum pieces [if lucky]
Compared with second WW planes that will still be flying in 50 years time for a very small percentage of the operating costs.And maybe we can save the world crisis by an international arms reduction by having no more than a 4 piston engined aluminium military aircraft. And no nukes!!
Sad but true, I hope you can find some funds to keep it operating as it is nostalgia now

Did I hear something over last weekend to the effect that they've raised the cash to keep it flying for a while longer?

Did I hear something over last weekend to the effect that they've raised the cash to keep it flying for a while longer?

Not so good. See

http://mxm.mxmfb.com...16/r/39468/e/85

The Vulcan trust has reached its target of £400,000 in its latest appeal according to the trusts facebook page.

The Vulcan trust has reached its target of £400,000 in its latest appeal according to the trusts facebook page.

And those who contributed will have received a nice 'thank you' mailing, with some interesting Christmas gift ideas.

I got an e-mail with an attachment that won't open!

I got an e-mail with an attachment that won't open!

Odd. Mrs Odseybod and I each contributed, but separately. Mrs O had her acknowledgement and gift ideas thingy in the post on Friday, I'm still awaiting mine (so naturally, she assumes I'm a cheapskate who didn't actually contribute, despite claiming I had).

This call for funds failed...

CLICK HERE...

http://cgi.ebay.co.u...=item19c145f92b

what a christmas present!

http://cgi.ebay.co.u...=item19c145f92b

what a christmas present!

Quite an expensive way of blowing the wax out of the lucky winner's ears.

I just popped over to Woodford to see if any of the Nimrods were still down by the flight sheds but they have been tugged over to the factory, out of sight of their owners- i.e. you and me, prior to their being cut up (the aircraft that is; the owners are already feeling cut up!).

The airfield is due to close and turn into a housing development, no doubt Bae Systems will make more profit from this than from building aircraft. I can't find any info on what will happen to the big white bird, which has not moved for some time. Perhaps it will finish up in a pub garden (unlike the Blackpool one, sold on e-Bay to a Manchester landlord but then chopped up when he could not complete the deal). With the closure of the site, a chapter in aviation history also closes.

Edited by elansprint72, 16 July 2011 - 16:36.

In a cunning plot to bump this thread up a little, a pic of the Vulcan arriving at the Bruntingthorpe 'Cold War Jets' gathering on Saturday ...




... and in company with a flyer from the other side of the Curtain, as well as some of the local residents.





Current projection is that the Vulcan has enough funding to keep her flying until about mid-July - after that, who knows? More details at www.vulcantothesky.org

Tatra, Tony?
RL

Tatra, Tony?
RL

Correct, Roger - 613 to be precise (not be confused with the squardon of that number, of course ).

The Victor is rather more interesting than the Tatra IMO. Not a Valiant in sight one assumes, as, of the "V-Bombers", they were scrapped first and very early by anyone's standards.

The Victor is rather more interesting than the Tatra IMO.

Victors were still in service as flying tankers not all that long ago, is that one still flyable? Probably not, as it would have been seen at displays.

Not a Valiant in sight one assumes, as, of the "V-Bombers", they were scrapped first and very early by anyone's standards.

"Corrosion traced to the use of an inappropriate type of aluminium alloy", less than years into its service life caused Valiant to be scrapped in 1965.
The Victor retired in 1993 but there's a couple that can do fast taxi runs but not licenced to fly. This one got very close last year & caused a lot of embarrassment.
http://www.youtube.c...feature=related

In a cunning plot to bump this thread up a little, a pic of the Vulcan arriving at the Bruntingthorpe 'Cold War Jets' gathering on Saturday ...




... and in company with a flyer from the other side of the Curtain, as well as some of the local residents.





Current projection is that the Vulcan has enough funding to keep her flying until about mid-July - after that, who knows? More details at www.vulcantothesky.org

I saw it taking off and wondered which show it was going to. It is now based at Robin Hood Airport - Doncaster which was the ex RAF Finningley site where they were stationed into the early 70's.
Tom Bradley

I saw it taking off and wondered which show it was going to. It is now based at Robin Hood Airport - Doncaster which was the ex RAF Finningley site where they were stationed into the early 70's.
Tom Bradley

Why not delete the photos from your post...please

The Victor is rather more interesting than the Tatra IMO. Not a Valiant in sight one assumes, as, of the "V-Bombers", they were scrapped first and very early by anyone's standards.

But I'm not sure that a rear-mounted dohc 4.3 litre air-cooled V8 and Vignale styling makes it THAT uninteresting, Allan (referring to the Tatra, of course).

I saw it taking off and wondered which show it was going to. It is now based at Robin Hood Airport - Doncaster which was the ex RAF Finningley site where they were stationed into the early 70's.
Tom Bradley

It displayed at Southend on its way to Bruntingthorpe, where it arrived early - some kind of first, Shirley?

But I'm not sure that a rear-mounted dohc 4.3 litre air-cooled V8 and Vignale styling makes it THAT uninteresting, Allan (referring to the Tatra, of course).

Well, no, and I had a soft spot for the T87 as a sort of Volkswagen for grown-ups, but as a former aeroplane professional whose current navigator worked for Page's when the Victor was designed/produced it was nice to see one in the photo.

Well, no, and I had a soft spot for the T87 as a sort of Volkswagen for grown-ups, but as a former aeroplane professional whose current navigator worked for Page's when the Victor was designed/produced it was nice to see one in the photo.

Don't forget that the Volkswagen owed a lot to Tatra designer Ledwinka! But yes, some of us feel that the versatility and design of the Victor make it at least as interesting as the Vulcan, so even more of a shame that it hasn't flown recently (at least, officially).

Victors were still in service as flying tankers not all that long ago, is that one still flyable? Probably not, as it would have been seen at displays.

It tried two years ago! Maybe it felt jealous of its cousin's exploits?

Pic of "nearly" flight

In a cunning plot to bump this thread up a little, a pic of the Vulcan arriving at the Bruntingthorpe 'Cold War Jets' gathering on Saturday ...
...

Looks like I was stood a few paces to your right on Saturday, my photos from the arrivals day here: Cold War Jets

This was the first time I'd seen the restored Vulcan in the air close-up, what a fantastic sight

RJ

A few pictures from Bruntingthorpe on Sunday.
http://www.flickr.co...57626710861607/

As many who frequent this Forum will know, XH558 has had a somewhat controversial and ongoing series of funding crises. The latest news is, however, encouraging as the Trust has announced yesterday that it has now passed the £200,000 mark on its way to a target of £350,000 by the 31st July.

Hopefully this ongoing appeal will be successful but, like many other transport preservation projects, funding will remain critical.

As children, my brother and I were sometimes treated by our parents to fish & chips whilst sat in the car at the end of a runway by the chippy at Hatfield, near Doncaster, before or after visiting our Rotherham-based Grandparents. Watching the Vulcans (and Victors) take-off and land was simply memorising as a kid - as it still is today, I'm sure!

So when, three weeks or so ago, I was stunned by a familiar sound from above [whilst driving my Wolseley!] I promptly pulled-up and - to my delight - saw the Vulcan banking a few miles away. And then again, but missed it the third time due to having moved-on and my subsequent view being denied by a large church.

Later that day I received an email from my brother, who lives roughly in the direction I saw the Vulcan pass over...



Jealous, moi?! Hahaha - what a great photo to have been able to capture right by your house!

As children, my brother and I were sometimes treated by our parents to fish & chips whilst sat in the car at the end of a runway by the chippy at Hatfield, near Doncaster, before or after visiting our Rotherham-based Grandparents. Watching the Vulcans (and Victors) take-off and land was simply memorising as a kid - as it still is today, I'm sure!

So when, three weeks or so ago, I was stunned by a familiar sound from above [whilst driving my Wolseley!] I promptly pulled-up and - to my delight - saw the Vulcan banking a few miles away. And then again, but missed it the third time due to having moved-on and my subsequent view being denied by a large church.

Later that day I received an email from my brother, who lives roughly in the direction I saw the Vulcan pass over...

]

Jealous, moi?! Hahaha - what a great photo to have been able to capture right by your house!

Twinny,
Thank goodness it had not been carrying the 'load' that it would have carried in the 70's. The doors were open so one would surmise that the load had been dropped.
Tom Bradley - Bawtry.

THANK.YOU Elan ,Odsey and Twin Window for the great pics.. I remember a Vulcan flying overhead when our family lived in Ashburton,
New Zealand..I believe that was the one that crashed on returning to the U.K.
On post 164..can someone explain the gear on top of the aircraft..Is that some sort of air brake ??

THANK.YOU Elan ,Odsey and Twin Window for the great pics.. I remember a Vulcan flying overhead when our family lived in Ashburton,
New Zealand..I believe that was the one that crashed on returning to the U.K.
On post 164..can someone explain the gear on top of the aircraft..Is that some sort of air brake ??

Last first, yes it's an airbrake.
Are you referring to the 1956 round-the-world tour by aircraft XA897, the first Vulcan delivered to the RAF?
That Vulcan crashed at Heathrow on its return having struck the ground short of the runway in poor visibility, regained the air as power was applied but had sustained damage in the impact so the pilot and acting co-pilot (Harry Broadhurst, Commander in Chief of RAF Bomber Command) ejected and the other crew members (having no ejection seats) were killed in the subsequent impact.

Thank you Allan for the information..Yes we were impressed to see the vulcan in New Zealand,,
But were sad to hear about the accident,,when it happened..

Flying at Yeovilton airday as I write

I was lucky enough to catch the Old Bird doing a filming day over Pitsford reservoir a few months back, got 11 fly by's in just over an hour and a half, and not much work done, and last sunday while commentating at a bike meeting , we got another one , straight down the A43 south of northampton, was cool to point it out.. sod the racing

She was at Goodwood FoS last weekend, sounding glorious!

Thanks to all who post updates and photos here. Amazing how evocative certain planes can be. Even the pictures give me shivers, just like the BoB, or an SR71. Luckily I do see a few B2 and Harriers to keep me going, the P51s are rather de-rigeur other than the exhaust note. I'll get me 'at.

Just a heads up that Vulcan left Yeovilton at 1.45 pm local -on its way home one assumes.If you are en route keep a look up.

Just a heads up that Vulcan left Yeovilton at 1.45 pm local -on its way home one assumes.If you are en route keep a look up.

Landed at Fairford for International Air Tattoo this weekend. Weather forecast is not all that good.

Bugger! Just realised that's where I'm going...

We had a boys day out to East fortune today, so here's a couple of snaps of the Vulcan there.




I think young Robin needs more time on this:



to prevent a recurence of this little incident on the other simulator:

A cow at 10,000 feet! Not what you expect to find... Although it explains the mess on my windscreen.

A cow at 10,000 feet! Not what you expect to find... Although it explains the mess on my windscreen.

The captain always says it was turbulence but you don't get a jolt like that without hitting something big like a cow.

A cow at 10,000 feet! Not what you expect to find... Although it explains the mess on my windscreen.

You can always fly udderneath...

You can always fly udderneath...

Quite easy if she was on her way to fly over the moon ...

You folks are really milking those puns.

...not to mention this hazard...

There was a brief piece about the Vulcan in the new series "Britain's Hidden Heritage" on BBC1 last night. I'm sure it will be on iPlayer.

David

There was a brief piece about the Vulcan in the new series "Britain's Hidden Heritage" on BBC1 last night. I'm sure it will be on iPlayer.

I may have been just common-or-garden mistaken, but I feel I was mislead into thinking our chubby hero (insert name here) was going up in the Vulcan. My wife and I both gave a groan when it transpired that he was not going to. However, the air-to-air shots were mostly stunning, if you love the Vulcan any footage is worth watching, and there were angles that I had not seen before.