Vulcan

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Sisemen

Vulcan

#1 Post by Sisemen » Thu Apr 18, 2019 1:18 am

For Alison and Pontius and any other ex-Vulcaneer.


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Re: Vulcan

#2 Post by Slasher » Thu Apr 18, 2019 1:44 am

Aww...can one who's not ex-Vulc watch it too Sise? 😟

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Re: Vulcan

#3 Post by boing » Thu Apr 18, 2019 1:53 am

Which shows exactly the problem for the rear crew in abandoning the aircraft with the gear down. The yellow ladder was attached to the slide for access on the ground but then stowed for flight and the rear crew were supposed to use the door as an escape slide. Fine at 25,000 feet but a bit tricky with the gear down at 1,000 feet in the circuit.

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Re: Vulcan

#4 Post by Alisoncc » Thu Apr 18, 2019 3:31 am

boing wrote:
Thu Apr 18, 2019 1:53 am
The yellow ladder was attached to the slide for access on the ground but then stowed for flight and the rear crew were supposed to use the door as an escape slide.
IIRC the top of the access ladder was "hooked" into slots on the door itself, allowing it to be easily disengaged in it's entirety and dumped out of the aircraft. The door itself then became an exit slide. Also vaguely remember seeing a practise session when we had an aircraft up on jacks. With ladder removed, the aircrew were supposed to slide down the door, and grab one of the hydraulic struts to enable them to swing around the nosewheel gear. Think there was an inflated fuel tank on the hangar floor to break their fall.

Listen to the Vulcan "Howl" 47 seconds in on this video. A string of Vulcans howling at some stoopid o-clock was a good indication that something was up. Everyone within a fifty mile radius would have known. Out on QRA the concrete of the pans would vibrate. :D




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Re: Vulcan

#5 Post by boing » Thu Apr 18, 2019 4:02 am

You couldn't actually hear the "howl" in the cockpit but you knew it was happening because there was a distinct change in the vibration and what little noise was transmitted through the airframe.

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Re: Vulcan

#6 Post by Alisoncc » Thu Apr 18, 2019 4:44 am

Appreciate your concerns Boing about disembarking from a Vulcan in in a hurry whilst in flight. Was once playing about with the radios and radar at the front of a Shackleburger, when requested to leave - like in a hurry. A rigger with his divining rods had detected a stream of fuel under the floor. Somewhere where there wasn't supposed to be fuel. I kid you not, it's a long way from the front to the back of a Shack when you're in a hurry. I would like to feel that I broke all records in getting to the rear exit. Believe there was another exit, but didn't have time to check the manual for it's location.

Learnt later that a rarely used fuel cock or pump had become disconnected, and had been spewing fuel for quite some time. Crew had complained about a smell of fuel, but what did they know. ;)))

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Re: Vulcan

#7 Post by Pontius Navigator » Thu Apr 18, 2019 7:30 am

Alison, in the Shackkeburger, down the nose, best used with a parachute or a trampoline beneath. Mid upper, but that is an even longer way down. Over wings, a la Lanc, where on one occasion some one ran straight down the wing to the tip and kept running. Never noticed the drop.

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Re: Vulcan

#8 Post by ian16th » Thu Apr 18, 2019 8:10 am

Why were all the aircrew in best blue?
Why didn't they do at least a walk around and sign the F700? They got off the crew bus and straight up the ladder!

Re Shacklebomber, when being serviced was there only one entrance being used? On its predecessor, the Lincoln, there was a hatch in the nose behind the Bomb Aimers position. It was easier to get to the Pilot or Nav's position that way, if you weren't carrying anything heavy.
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Re: Vulcan

#9 Post by Pontius Navigator » Thu Apr 18, 2019 8:28 am

Ian, as you will remember the alternative was barathea No2s for officers but and public appearance required No1s. Regarding walk round, later there was a line hut at the dispersal. If an aircraft was cocked the 700 would already have been signed and might have been done at the sqn. Not sure about a walk around which might have been left to the crew chief.

Looking at the film again, only 2 were carrying nav bags. There was no ration box. The captain and co would also have had nav bags and the AEO would have had the biggest heaviest of all. That implies either a simple staged shoot or the aircraft had been accepted earlier.

Did you notice the Vulcan ashtray in the feeder? I wonder where they all went.

Shack wise, I know we only used the rear door. I know at a German air show we had them in the back and down the ladder at the nose. H&S would never allow that today. It worked well until someone fired off an engine fire extinguisher. Rule was run the engine within an hour or so. In the middle of a static park that was a no-no so a potential engine change.

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Re: Vulcan

#10 Post by ian16th » Thu Apr 18, 2019 8:40 am

We had a co-pilot on 214, David Wright, who made a name as an artist, he produced a very evocative painting of the 700 being signed.

It was used in the book The Valiant Boys'
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Re: Vulcan

#11 Post by Sisemen » Thu Apr 18, 2019 12:52 pm

‘Twas a slide down the door as the ladder was stowed near the 7th seat position. When I did my crew drills I was told that if the gear was down then one slid down the door, made a grab for the nose gear, stand on the nose wheel, pivot and launch one’s self off to safety. Yeah right!
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Re: Vulcan

#12 Post by Pontius Navigator » Thu Apr 18, 2019 2:33 pm

Best you remove your visor cover, unless you're scared of heights :)

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Re: Vulcan

#13 Post by boing » Thu Apr 18, 2019 2:42 pm

I only knew one crewmember who had abandoned a Vulcan, one of the pilots. An engine exploded in flight causing airframe damage and low speed control problems so the decision was made to not to try to land the aircraft. Time was no problem so the aircraft was positioned at a suitable location and S&R helicopters and launches were moved into position. The rear crew then carried out a perfect departure down the chute leaving the pilots to enjoy the scenery.

For the pilots to eject the section of the airframe above the pilot's seats must be blown off, this was normally an automatic part of the ejection seat procedure since the first ejection sequence activated, pilot or co-pilot, will activate the canopy removal. The canopy could also be blown off manually by the use of a cockpit lever separate from the ejection seats. To reduce the possibility of a malfunction the pilots decided to blow the canopy first and after it was safely clear of the cockpit area they would then eject. My friend describes the unusual event, he said that blowing the canopy left you in the position of driving an open-top sports car. Apparently there was very little noise or slipstream and the pilots were able to look back along the wings and see the nasty skin damage that the exploding engine had caused. They also had a magnificent panoramic view but then it was off for a dip in the oggin.

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Re: Vulcan

#14 Post by Fox3WheresMyBanana » Thu Apr 18, 2019 3:03 pm

Best you remove your visor cover
Best you didn't, if you wanted your squipper to remain friends with you...and you did!

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Re: Vulcan

#15 Post by Pontius Navigator » Thu Apr 18, 2019 5:57 pm

Boing, was that the Mk 1 over Valley o r the Mk 2 over Yorkshire? The captain of the latter was the same captain at Malta.

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Re: Vulcan

#16 Post by Pontius Navigator » Thu Apr 18, 2019 6:15 pm


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Re: Vulcan

#17 Post by boing » Fri Apr 19, 2019 3:28 am

Valley. Some of the parts of the report are a little different to the verbal version. A well handled problem apparently, pity about the aircraft.

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Re: Vulcan

#18 Post by Pontius Navigator » Fri Apr 19, 2019 2:42 pm

And the low, 2 door cupboard, 4 draw filing cabinet and sundry other inventory items such as engine blanks, wheel spats etc.

What was your friend's name, Smith or Woods. I suspect it was Woods as the copilot, after an intermediate copilots course (ICC) was qualified to fly in the left hand seat.

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Re: Vulcan

#19 Post by boing » Fri Apr 19, 2019 10:32 pm

It was Colin PN. Our paths crossed several times in aviation. We were good flying friends and in the bar but I must admit I could not keep up with his energy and adventurism. Most sad to hear about his premature scramble.


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Re: Vulcan

#20 Post by Pontius Navigator » Sat Apr 20, 2019 8:41 am

Was he still rosey cheeked when you knew him?

He went through on the same course on our initial training. Always enthusiastic and cheerful. I am pretty sure he was in our group, freezing, sheltering under a wet tent (someone forgot the poles), in an old barn on Pen-y-Fan.

He did well to be left hand seat after only 3 years from joining.

The Mk 1 Vulcan used the G4B compass system. Only the pilot in the left hand seat could fly a bombing run. On the Mk 2, with the Smiths MFS, either pilot could fly the bombing run.

At that time one bomb run was an anti-SAM evasive manoeuvre. Good fun for a pilot but co's needed that left hand seat tick.

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