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Vulcan XH558

Discussion in 'Everything Else Heritage' started by Victor, May 29, 2015.

  1. Victor

    Victor Nat Pres stalwart Friend

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    Seeing as it's been mentioned....the Vulcan flew from Finningley yesterday............bit of a fly round to warm the engines up.:)
     
  2. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    I went last year and it was pretty good even from the beach. Even with my box brownie, the photos were OK:

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamessquared/sets/72157645321325565

    Tom
     
  3. B1

    B1 Member

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  4. Footbridge

    Footbridge Member

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    No many hours left on the old bird. This will be the last year of flying so if you don't see it this season, you never will.
     
  5. Spamcan81

    Spamcan81 Nat Pres stalwart

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    Sadly it's engine availability rather than airframe hours. If they hadn't wrecked two a couple of seasons ago we may have got another year out of her. I went to see her "final flight" back in '93 when the RAF retired her so the past few years have been a real bonus. I suspect I'll be amongst the multitude to see her final flight this time round.
     
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  6. oddsocks

    oddsocks Well-Known Member

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    From the VULCAN e-mail newsletter.


    INITIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

    Salute to the V-Force
    – a major tour planned for late June.

    A few months ago, the Secretary of the British Aviation Preservation Council (BAPC), Brian Dixon, approached Trust Chief Executive, Dr Robert Pleming with an idea. He proposed that XH558 should visit all the surviving Vulcans in the UK and if possible perform a short display during our final year of flying as a special "goodbye". He also suggested that each of these Museums could also get involved by holding special events or talks in the week leading up to this final tribute. At the time, like us, he didn’t know that our final year of flight would be 2015.

    We liked the idea and gave it a lot of thought; “Salute to the V-Force” was born.

    Over the weekend of 27 and 28 June, XH558 will indeed overfly every complete Vulcan, Victor and Valiant in the UK. These two special flights will pay tribute to the unique and revolutionary group of aircraft that formed Britain’s nuclear deterrent for many years.

    It will allow us to display XH558 to a wider audience than usual – we will have never completed so many displays in a single weekend before – and working in partnership with the BAPC, the story of the V-Force can be told at each location by the Museums involved.

    There will be seventeen sites overflown during the tour, with a small display at many of them. If not a display, there will certainly be flypasts and steep-climb-outs as possible at each. We hope to include the RAF Museum at Hendon, but this will clearly require special permission from the CAA due to the built-up area of the location, which we are hopeful of obtaining.

    Given the distances involved, the tour will be split into two separate sorties, one covering a northerly route, then another with a southerly route, if possible both completed over the one weekend, reserved as Saturday June 27th and Sunday June 28th. We are pressing ahead with this earlier in the season, so we can hopefully do another major tour based on national landmarks later in the season.

    Here is a list of the remaining complete (UK based) V-Force airframes with their locations in North to South geographical order.

    15 Vulcans
    EAST FORTUNE
    CARLISLE
    SUNDERLAND
    DONCASTER
    WOODFORD
    WADDINGTON
    NEWARK
    COSFORD
    EAST MIDLANDS
    NORWICH
    COVENTRY
    WELLESBOURNE
    DUXFORD
    HENDON
    SOUTHEND
    4 Victors
    ELVINGTON
    COSFORD
    BRUNTINGTHORPE
    MARHAM

    1 Valiant
    COSFORD


    We will be involving all of the Museums and associations at each location with major publicity and all have been very supportive of our idea. We even hope to engage those associations and supporters who look after the few V-Force airframes that sit in the USA and Canada!
     
    Last edited: May 30, 2015
  7. spicer21

    spicer21 Guest

    Many thanks for posting that. Sounds very interesting, and well worth turning out for, :)
     
  8. Spamcan81

    Spamcan81 Nat Pres stalwart

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    If you go to http://www.vulcantothesky.org and sign up to their electronic newsletter, you get regular updates as to what's going on.
     
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  9. spicer21

    spicer21 Guest

    Thanks, yes I'll do that, :)
     
  10. ragl

    ragl Well-Known Member

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    Went to Welshpool International Airport and Rapid Transit Hub this afternoon to have a final look at a Vulcan in the air, I probably will not get another chance to see - and hear!! - this incredible piece of flying history. What an aircraft!! A shame that it was so overcast and cloudy; still, managed to get some pics:

    Vulcan 14-06-2015 034.JPG


    Vulcan 14-06-2015 030.JPG


    Vulcan 14-06-2015 040.JPG


    Vulcan 14-06-2015 033.JPG


    Vulcan 14-06-2015 050.JPG


    DON'T miss the last chance to see this spectacular machine in action.

    Cheers,

    Alan
     
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  11. NeilL

    NeilL Well-Known Member

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    P6063111a.jpg Yes a spectacular sight that brings back memories from 40+ years ago. Throckmorton was 558's first display of the year a week ago and was well worth the visit. P6063109a.jpg
     
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  12. 5944

    5944 Resident of Nat Pres

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    She was rather impressive there, wasn't she? Not as loud as the Typhoon though - wow! I'm glad I made the effort to go to Welshpool. I still can't believe it was only £7 for a ticket!
     
  13. ragl

    ragl Well-Known Member

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    Yes indeed, it was very impressive, a really incredible sight. I originally thought of going to Cosford, but at Welshpool, you are much closer to the action, as we saw with the Vulcan's spectacular display - you could almost reach out and touch it!! Glad that you enjoyed your afternoon.

    Cheers

    Alan
     
  14. Checkflaps

    Checkflaps New Member

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    Sadly, it is neither engine life or airframe fatigue. After a recent briefing by 'Dr Bob', its actually the OEMs who have 'collectively agreed' to withdraw support at the end of this flying season, and thus the CAA are duty bound to withdraw the 'Permit to Fly'. Sadly, it would seem that at the end of this season, we will have a serviceable aircraft with potential to carry on, but no manufacturer support. So she'll get to retire to Doncaster to be a ground runner - when the airport let her out to play.
     
  15. bakabung

    bakabung Well-Known Member

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    XH558 today, cruising towards Hendon on a thoroughly miserable afternoon. I had planned to go to Hendon but the Vulcan website warned that the flight may be off and didn't confirm until 12. Terrible traffic on M4, M25, A312, everywhere in fact...meant I just went over to just South of M25, jn 20. Quite a few locals out.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jun 28, 2015
  16. Duty Druid

    Duty Druid Resident of Nat Pres

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    She looked good for the few seconds she was over Hendon - turned up slightly early too! :)

    Place was busy, and needless to say, as soon as she'd gone, the car park emptied. :rolleyes:

    Still, had a pleasant afternoon wandering round the museum. :)

    As for the traffic.................:mad:
     
  17. MarkinDurham

    MarkinDurham Well-Known Member

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    I saw (and heard!) her at Scarborough on Saturday. Magnificent, as always. Thanks to all concerned.
     
  18. 5944

    5944 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Couple from the weekend, firstly at Elvington on Saturday...

    [​IMG]XH558 by Nigel Pitt, on Flickr

    ...and then at Duxford on Sunday.

    [​IMG]Duxford by Nigel Pitt, on Flickr
     
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  19. Spamcan81

    Spamcan81 Nat Pres stalwart

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    Take off from Finningley aka Doncaster Sheffield Airport on Sunday.
    XH558[1].jpg XH558[2].jpg XH558[3].jpg
     
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  20. bakabung

    bakabung Well-Known Member

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    I never knew that it carried a spare Airbus underneath!
     

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