Author Topic: AVRO Vulcan XH558 (Read 78160 times)

PaulF · « **Reply #200 on:** 04 November, 2015, 01:26:38 pm »

If the Captain had decided to perform the roll with little or no prior discussion with the co-pilot (a total assumption on my part) is there much that the co-pilot could have safely done to prevent it? He'd have had to wrestle for control with the Captain which could have had worse consequences?

TimC · « **Reply #201 on:** 04 November, 2015, 01:38:27 pm »

Not much, but given that these very few guys fly together a great deal and have to trust each other implicitly, I very much doubt that this was done (allegedly!) under protest! I'm sure the other crew members were also not unhappy with the situation. And I doubt any of them would hang the Captain out to dry.

Edit: the Vulcan wasn't allowed to roll even in RAF service, but I've heard many tales of it being rolled. And not just Vulcans of the big tin...

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #202 on:** 04 November, 2015, 04:15:04 pm »

I have read a tale of, IIRC, a BCal pilot on a flight home from Brazil with no passengers aboard indulging in a little aerobatic naughtiness viz. rolling a VC10. Unfortunately he forgot to inform the stewardess making coffee somewhere up the back. Hilarity ensued.

Torslanda · « **Reply #203 on:** 05 November, 2015, 12:02:44 am »

Boeing's test pilot, Tex Johnson, turned the 707 prototype umop 3p1sdn over Seattle...

...when it was full of journos! YEEEEE HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Torslanda · « **Reply #204 on:** 05 November, 2015, 12:05:47 am »

Quote from: Vince on 03 November, 2015, 11:53:14 pm

Who's been a bit naughty then?
Although the video looks a little dubious.

Downright bloody dodgy if you ask me. If it rolled and someone filmed it then why not post the footage?

That just looks like stop frame animation.

spesh · « **Reply #205 on:** 05 November, 2015, 12:31:58 am »

Quote from: Torslanda on 05 November, 2015, 12:05:47 am

Quote from: Vince on 03 November, 2015, 11:53:14 pm
Who's been a bit naughty then?
Although the video looks a little dubious.

Downright bloody dodgy if you ask me. If it rolled and someone filmed it then why not post the footage?

That just looks like stop frame animation.

I went to the source: https://youtu.be/5kDPqElQGwo

Quote from: BDP Aviation@YouTube

Photographed in time-lapse, as video camera not available.

The thing is, if your camera can shoot in time lapse/burst mode, it ought to be able to shoot video... So if I was going to give "BPD Aviation" the benefit of the doubt, he might have set up his camera to shoot in burst mode in the hope of getting a few good frames, and once he realised the pilot was feeling frisky, he had to keep shooting. If he'd tried to change camera settings to shoot video, he would have missed the first barrel roll while fiddling with the camera.

Torslanda · « **Reply #206 on:** 06 November, 2015, 12:50:53 pm »

Many years ago I read a book by Saburo Sakai called Samurai. He was a Zero pilot in New Guinea and told a story of chatting with a bomber crew whose pilot stated an ambition to do a loop in a Mitsubishi G4M, known to the allies as a 'Betty'.

Sakai flew fighter escort on the subsequent mission and a Betty was hit by anti-aircraft. It caught fire and was obviously doomed. Sakai recognised it as the aeroplane flown by the pilot he had spoken to. The bomber (Sakai described it as 'like flying a truck') nosed down and picked up speed as the fire raged on board. He was amazed to see it pull up and almost complete a loop before it broke apart and crashed into the jungle below.

andyoxon · « **Reply #207 on:** 23 November, 2015, 07:14:59 pm »

Heads up!

Guy Martin: Last Flight of the Vulcan Bomber Sun 29th Nov @ 7.30pm
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/guy-martin-last-flight-of-the-vulcan-bomber

robgul · « **Reply #208 on:** 23 November, 2015, 08:48:49 pm »

Quote from: andyoxon on 23 November, 2015, 07:14:59 pm

Heads up!

Guy Martin: Last Flight of the Vulcan Bomber Sun 29th Nov @ 7.30pm
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/guy-martin-last-flight-of-the-vulcan-bomber

Ah shall have to watch that (we're going to see The Lady in the Van in the afternoon but should be home in time)

When XH558 flew over Wellesbourne (near Stratford-upon-Avon) on a Sunday back inn the summer we were there and they had pulled out XM655 that is parked there - we stood just under the port wingtip as XH588 did a couple of circuits. Fantastic sound - added to by being next to the real thing.

Rob

Jurek · « **Reply #209 on:** 23 November, 2015, 09:11:35 pm »

Quote

Guy restores a Vulcan, reveals its story... and gets to try and wheelie one along a runway

Really?
Srsly?
Does he?
Shirley the work of A.N.Other(s)

tonyh · « **Reply #210 on:** 23 November, 2015, 09:12:43 pm »

Good heads-up Andy, Thanks!

Moleman76 · « **Reply #211 on:** 27 November, 2015, 07:47:51 am »

Quote from: Torslanda on 05 November, 2015, 12:02:44 am

Boeing's test pilot, Tex Johnson, turned the 707 prototype umop 3p1sdn over Seattle...

no journalists on board, actually --

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaA7kPfC5Hk

Exit Stage Left · « **Reply #212 on:** 22 January, 2016, 12:54:29 pm »

An interesting story on BBC Future.

Quote

The aircraft was very ‘stealthy’ front-on, the smooth lines and small engine inlets making it difficult to detect on radar at low-level, but its fuel-hungry Olympus engines rather spoiled the effect. “We were out in Oman one time, and we were doing exercises off the southern coast of Iran back when we were friends with them, and we decided to come back to the airfield at Masirah and do a dummy attack,” he says. “We were flying really low, about 300ft. And then suddenly we get this message from the control tower at Masirah, when we were still about 25 miles away: ‘I can see you, I can see you.’ They could see the smoke from our engines from 25 miles away.”

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20151023-how-the-cold-war-vulcan-bomber-flew-again

clarion · « **Reply #213 on:** 22 January, 2016, 01:49:03 pm »

To be fair, that wasn't really what it was designed for, but, yeah

TimC · « **Reply #214 on:** 22 January, 2016, 03:59:06 pm »

Quote from: Exit Stage Left on 22 January, 2016, 12:54:29 pm

An interesting story on BBC Future.

Quote
The aircraft was very ‘stealthy’ front-on, the smooth lines and small engine inlets making it difficult to detect on radar at low-level, but its fuel-hungry Olympus engines rather spoiled the effect. “We were out in Oman one time, and we were doing exercises off the southern coast of Iran back when we were friends with them, and we decided to come back to the airfield at Masirah and do a dummy attack,” he says. “We were flying really low, about 300ft. And then suddenly we get this message from the control tower at Masirah, when we were still about 25 miles away: ‘I can see you, I can see you.’ They could see the smoke from our engines from 25 miles away.”

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20151023-how-the-cold-war-vulcan-bomber-flew-again

It was a bugbear of most military aircraft of the era - the RR Spey-powered Phantom being probably the worst offender. The Herc (Allison T56 powered K model, not the later RR2100 J model) was also pretty bad, regularly prompting accident reports in Wales and Scotland as it crested ridges (and so effectively two lots of exhaust smoke were observed). My favourite was the excited gentleman near Bala who reported 'a six engined bomber' going down.

Exit Stage Left · « **Reply #215 on:** 22 January, 2016, 04:38:12 pm »

I remember going from Moffat to the Gordon Arms on my motorbike while filming LEL 2013. I saw lights at the end of valley, and assumed it was a transmitter. It messed with my head when it moved, and flew very low over me. Those Hercules' do hug the ground somewhat.

spesh · « **Reply #216 on:** 22 January, 2016, 05:56:05 pm »

Quote from: TimC on 22 January, 2016, 03:59:06 pm

Quote from: Exit Stage Left on 22 January, 2016, 12:54:29 pm
An interesting story on BBC Future.

Quote
The aircraft was very ‘stealthy’ front-on, the smooth lines and small engine inlets making it difficult to detect on radar at low-level, but its fuel-hungry Olympus engines rather spoiled the effect. “We were out in Oman one time, and we were doing exercises off the southern coast of Iran back when we were friends with them, and we decided to come back to the airfield at Masirah and do a dummy attack,” he says. “We were flying really low, about 300ft. And then suddenly we get this message from the control tower at Masirah, when we were still about 25 miles away: ‘I can see you, I can see you.’ They could see the smoke from our engines from 25 miles away.”

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20151023-how-the-cold-war-vulcan-bomber-flew-again

It was a bugbear of most military aircraft of the era - the RR Spey-powered Phantom being probably the worst offender.

I would have thought that the GE J79-powered F-4s were sootier:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/gerbenwessels/9170632870/
http://forum.scramble.nl/viewtopic.php?p=639468&sid=d6d8a78583c788806c40480c1fcc5d31#p639468

Though that pales into insignificance compared with a bunch of B-52s or KC-135s doing a Minimum Interval Take-Off exercise.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/B-52Gs_taking_off_from_Barksdale_AFB_1986.JPEG

TimC · « **Reply #217 on:** 22 January, 2016, 06:05:43 pm »

The J79 F4s were worse, but we didn't have any of them until the F4J briefly entered service in the late '80s. And I think, by then, they'd been cleaned up somewhat! They were also a lot quicker than the fat old Spey F4K/M, or the Tornado F2/3, for that matter (as was the Lightning).

The B52s and KC135s were awful, it's true!

I think perhaps the worst I saw was a 36-ship C130K scramble at Lyneham. The visibility on the ATIS went down with every new broadcast as more and more Allsion smog was created.

andyoxon · « **Reply #218 on:** 02 May, 2016, 06:17:08 pm »

Good to see the Vulcan watching the TdY go by, from the end of RobinH airport runway on Sat... Not sure if it was XH558.

Martin · « **Reply #219 on:** 20 July, 2016, 12:54:57 pm »

Quote from: Oranj on 23 May, 2016, 09:15:32 pm

I read that the team's next project is to restore a Canberra to flying service. A bomber of even older vintage, they should do well with it. It was the first jet plane Airfix kit I made, mainly because I loved the Mosquito and this seemed to be the natural successor

The BBC have published this interesting snippet about NASA still flying them: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160309-why-nasa-still-flies-an-old-british-bomber-design

Midair squadron have a beautiful pair of Canberra / Hunter; haven't seen them for a couple of years though.

Now XH558 is grounded what's everyone's fave?

Sea Vixen FTW

TimO · « **Reply #220 on:** 20 July, 2016, 02:00:12 pm »

Quote from: Oranj on 23 May, 2016, 09:15:32 pm

I read that the team's next project is to restore a Canberra to flying service. A bomber of even older vintage, they should do well with it. ...

The Canberra PR9 last flew in 2006, which was a lot more recently than the Vulcan, although I believe the Canberra they're considering is G-CTTS / WK163, which was B.2, so would be somewhat different (eg the engines are RA24 Avons on the PR9 vs RA3 Avons used on the Canberra B.2)

TimC · « **Reply #221 on:** 20 July, 2016, 02:47:32 pm »

I thought WK163 had the civil registration G-BVWC? Last flew in 2007 with the Air Atlantique Classic Flight at Coventry, but took a bird down an engine and hasn't flown since. The PR9, XH134, which was flying in 2013-14 was auctioned off this year after Midair Squadron collapsed.I'd rather see the PR9 than the B2, as it had a much longer and more interesting service life. It would be good to see my old mate Dave Piper displaying a Cranberry Bomber again!

spesh · « **Reply #222 on:** 20 July, 2016, 09:25:07 pm »

Quote from: TimC on 20 July, 2016, 02:47:32 pm

I thought WK163 had the civil registration G-BVWC? Last flew in 2007 with the Air Atlantique Classic Flight at Coventry, but took a bird down an engine and hasn't flown since.

Correct -see: http://www.vulcantothesky.org/canberra-wk163.html

TimO · « **Reply #223 on:** 20 July, 2016, 09:30:48 pm »

Quote from: TimC on 20 July, 2016, 02:47:32 pm

I thought WK163 had the civil registration G-BVWC? Last flew in 2007 with the Air Atlantique Classic Flight at Coventry, but took a bird down an engine and hasn't flown since. ...

The aircraft which they're talking about restoring does appear to be WK163, which was registered as G-BVWC, but is now registered as G-CTTS.

If you search either registration on the CAA's G-INFO database, they both come up as G-CTTS.

I'm not sure why it was changed. Whilst G-BVWC automagically pops up the G-CTTS results, there's no mention of G-BVWC there, and a cursory Google around doesn't provide any sort of explanation.

TimO · « **Reply #224 on:** 20 July, 2016, 09:45:26 pm »

Quote from: TimO on 20 July, 2016, 09:30:48 pm

... I'm not sure why it was changed. ...

G-CTTS : Canberra To The Sky

<doh>