I've never seen Vulcan fly, but can imagine it must be a breath taking sight.
AB
We had the Vulcan attend our Barton airshows back in the days we held such events. It didn't touch down, of course. The ground literally shook, as did ones rib cage, with the mighty thunder of it. The beast would climb very steeply to about 1500 feet, then execute a wing over.
It positioned into Manchester for an overnight stay while the crew were ferried back to Barton for the post-show festivities. I remember talking to one of the back seaters about being in there during the show - "...near the top of those steep climbs you can feel the airframe start to buffet before the wing-over". Rather him than me.
He told me they were due out of Manch at 10:00 next morning, so I took no. 1 daughter (then about 5 years old) down to the 06 end of 24, by the old brickworks (now under 24L/06R). We heard the Vulcan (directly, and on the RT) taxying out but couldn't see it due the famous Manchester 'hump' in the runway. He had to use Tower frequency rather than Ground since he only had a 360 channel radio.
Cleared for take off, a vast cloud of smoke rose into the air beyond the hump, shortly followed by that Olympus roar and the unique and eerie howl (blood curdling - I've never heard anything like it from any other aeroplane) of a Vulcan accelerating hard. Then it appeared over the hump, going fast with 4 plumes of exhaust, it rotated *very* nose-high exposing that magnificent massive planform, and rose into the air like some almighty bat, going up at
an angle of about 70 degrees. The sound and vibration were stupendous. We stood spellbound, blattered by this incredible show of power, as the Vulcan reached his wing-over point almost directly above us.
On her wall to this day, amid all the horsy and other girly pictures and posters, No. 1 daughter still has a small photo of a Vulcan in planform.
It must have made some sort of an impression ;~)
SSD
Last edited by Shaggy Sheep Driver; 13th Apr 2003 at 02:44.