Vulcan Memories
So having already grown tired of Chicago after a recent move, I decided to head back to blighty for Christmas and was treated to an excellent TV show about flying the Vulcan. The show featured some chap with mutton chop sideburns helping out with the maintenance (and flying in) the last flying Vulcan. By the way, why are the inboard throttles square and the outboard throttles round on the quadrant, do the inboards have some extra functionality or is it just a “tell by touch” affair ?
I’m a sucker for the old stories, and a few stood out from memory:
1. During the Cuban Missile Crisis the crews were all put on alert with live weapons loaded and one crew member told his wife that if she heard them taking off she was to put the children in the car and drive up to the island of Skye.
2. One old chap recalled that he signed for his first nuclear weapon at the age of 23.
3. When he asked what the E&E procedure was after weapons release, one pilot was told to “keep flying East and settle down with a nice warm Mongolian girl”.
4. Another recalled how in later life he met a Russian lady who lived in his primary target, he said he was so overcome that he had to walk away.
5. One rear seater said that they always told their pilots that if things were looking dire then there were to be no heroics and they were to use their ejection seats immediately, no point in 5 dying when only 3 were required.
Very difficult not to admire what an amazing piece of equipment that aircraft was, although the negative comments about flying characteristics from one of the test pilots were interesting and looked to have been somewhat trimmed off (forgive the pun). Maybe it was an early problem he was referring to.
All in all it was one of the highlights of the trip for me.