Bloody Good Show!!! I was born & brought up not far from Woodford and the Vulcan was part of my growing up. During my spotter days, we were standing around on the south side at MAN one summer evening, waiting for Something to Happen. An usual, but obviously military, call sign was heard on the radio. 'Be with you in three minutes', said the voice. We all looked out to the 24 approach, but nothing was in sight.... '30 seconds' said the voice. Still no sign of anything. 30 seconds later, from behind the hangars, from the south, with no audible warning, appeared a Vulcan at about 1,000 feet. The ground shook (really!) as it initiated a climbing turn to the east, loads of black smoke... Wonderful!
Apparently MAN was one of many dispersal airfields during the cold war and this was a regular exercise, but one which I'd not seen before - or since. Roll on the 2008 show season...
