Hi,
I've just joined the forum having been fascinated by it for a couple of years ever since I googled my Dad and his name came up in one post. I must apologise for the number of questions I'm about throw out.
Firstly, the thread says there are 87 pages but I can't seem to get past page 82. Are the remaining ones locked out or there are actually only 82 pages?
I'm interested in any stories anyone might have about having served with Dad or interesting tidbits. (obviously, if there are things that should only be Pm'd then I'm happy to receive them that way)
My initial search turned up a picture of him with a winning crew in one of the competitions but I can't remember which one. I know I'd spotted it and sent him a link but can't find either now. I'd like to collect any pictures there may be out there as I only have a couple including the Queen's birthday flight crew picture where they were the leading plane. It would be nice for my son to have pictures of Grandpa during his service years if they can be found.
Dad is Adrian 'Taff' Traylor AEO who was Flying Officer at Waddington on 101 and Instructor on OCU at Scampton. We were posted to Malta '72 to '74 and he was then posted to 51SQN RAF Wyton onto Nimrods (for anyone interested, one of his OCU Vulcans, XM575, is the one at East Midlands Aeropark where I am a member of the volunteers association and one of his Nimrods from Wyton is flying into NEMA on Tuesday and following decommissioning will be living with us shortly). Dad is still hale and hearty and living just outside Cognac. He's over occasionally, was at the last V-Force reunion and I have told him about the next. He'll also be over with us the first weekend in september if anyone would like to catch up. PM me if interested.
I'm also wondering if the Vulcan that was mentioned having gone down in Northumberland (VERY early in the thread and been watched by a forum member whilst at school) is the one that is mentioned in Vulcan 607 at the beginning where a crew bails out?
I'm amazingly grateful to everyone who has had anything to do with getting XH558 back into the sky because it has not only brought me misty-eyed memories of being very young and hearing that amazing sound, but it has meant that my 5 year old son has had a couple of chances to experience some of my childhood memories. In fact, at RAF waddington Airshow last sunday (3rd July) it was him who leapt up and shouted 'It's the Vulcan Daddy' almost the second that she powered her engines for take off. That wonderful howl hadn't even started at that point. Guess who was a VERY proud daddy at that moment!
Thanks for your help in advance all and thanks for the awesone recollections I have so far read.