Vulcan XH558 - almost the end of an era

[500N]

I didn't realise that the Vulcan's had made so many trips down under, including to NZ.

I believe from having read it before that a funny instance occurred in NZ with one of the Vulcans.

[Alisoncc]

Vulcans, , do not have "funny instances. New Zealand had a funny instance whilst a Vulcan was visiting.

[boing]

Well, I do not think the accident was actually funny but I know what you mean. It was 1959, well before my time on the aircraft. The main landing gear was damaged during a landing at Wellington. Subsequently it flew to a NZ airforce base where it went off the runway onto the grass after landing, being short of a gear leg tends to do that. I do not know if they fixed the aircraft or just wrote it off.

My own stupid mistake was funny after the incident but not at the time. The Vulcan's engine start panel was under the Captain's left elbow and required twisting around to see it properly, there were four starter buttons in a line, one for each engine. On my first trip in the left seat under training the Crew Chief cleared me to start, I think it was #4 engine. Well, as you sit in the cockpit #4 engine is the one on the extreme right of the four engines so I pressed the start button on the extreme right as I looked at them - in my stupidity forgetting that since I was now facing rearward the start button on the right was #1 engine. Following the usually healthy "whoomph" as the engine lit off there was an equally loud stream of invective from the Crew Chief who had been standing under the starter exhaust for #1 engine thinking he was in a safe position if I had started #4 as instructed.

The opinion offered by the Crew Chief lasted for several seconds. In a state of horror I turned to face my instructor in the right seat who looked at me squarely and told me I deserved everything the Crew Chief said and that he would add his own comments after the flight. My subsequent apology to the Crew Chief was suitably humble after which the Chief never let me forget the incident.

.

[500N]

Alison

I consider a Vulcan with Kiwi Roundel and a Kiwi Squadron sticker on the undercarriage doors
to be a funny instance. (But I get what you mean )

Especially when the Yanks who queried it were told it was the first of many !

[boing]

Opinion of a USAF pilot as he hears the rather loud roar of a Vulcan taking off and heading for the clouds.

"Goddam, only the Brits could build an aircraft with so much power and still keep it sub-sonic".

[sprintman]

Opinion of a USAF pilot as he hears the rather loud roar of a Vulcan taking off and heading for the clouds.

"Goddam, only the Brits could build an aircraft with so much power and still keep it sub-sonic".

I've always been told that was about a Buccaneer

[Blacksheep]

... the Crew Chief who had been standing under the starter exhaust for #1 engine ...

The hot exhaust is not nice but it is not unheard of for a starter to "let go" its blades, whereupon the hot sharp high velocity blades hurtle out of the exhaust. I never stood under or near ANY of the starter exhausts when on starter-crew duty.

I reckon your dumb crew chief learned a lesson on that day too. He must have been a newby...

[Ex-Ascot]

See the police are threatening to close Finningley for the last flight if too many people turn up to witness the take off. No one is going to pay any attention to this threat. Why can't they fly the aircraft to another airfield Friday evening and start from there on Saturday? Take the jet back in Monday or Tuesday.

Had the opportunity to fly the beast. Decided on a different career route. Sad but not sorry.

[Alisoncc]

Of all the Vulcan piccies on the web this is by far my favourite. Really shows the size of the beast. Don't know who the crew were.

vulcan8.jpg

[Tall Bird]

Saw and heard her briefly as I was driving towards Quorn, Leics on Sunday. Lucky folk walking around Swithland Reservoir had an impromptu display - a couple of laps around the pond.

[om15]

Her last flight today.

vulcan05_3485567b.jpg (11.57 KiB) Viewed 778 times

No link with the type other than carrying out structural repairs in 1973 at Akrotiri, but it really is the end of an era, congratulations to those who overcame the challenges to keep her airborne for the past few years.

[4mastacker]

Tried to watch it on the Planes TV live stream on You Tube. What a fiasco! The stream froze for much of the time, then when it came back it should have been called "Hi-vis vests live" or "The ramblings of a commentator". Very, very poor camera work. No doubt some-one will be plugging an expensive DVD of the event. I would have expected better in view of the fact that people were discouraged from going to Finningley and advised on the VTTS web-site to watch the live stream; any excuse that the number of people trying to watch the live stream came as a surprise should be treated with a very large dose of salt. Breweries and p!$$-ups come to mind.