View Full Version : Victor air intakes?
AeroSpark
3rd Feb 2006, 21:52
Just watching a Discovery Wings docu on the Victor. During the programme they showed recently filmed footage of a mock scramble. As the aircraft began to taxi two large air intake like scoops opened up on the top rear of the fueslage, just in front of the tailplane. Anyone know what they actually are?:confused:
Thanks
windriver
3rd Feb 2006, 22:23
RAT's - Ram Air Turbines
Used to provide electrical and hydraulic services in case of power failure.
[nerd Mode ON]
I understand that these scoops open up at anytime both of the engines on one side are at less than 52% power.
[nerd mode OFF]
How many aircraft of that age look like they were designed tomorrow?
Conan the Librarian
4th Feb 2006, 16:10
Followiing on from Noisy, I read an account of the work up for Gulf War 1, where a USN Hornet driver was tasked to top off from the luvverly Victor. He was reputed to have asked "Who designed that thing? Jules Verne?"
Conan
jabberwok
4th Feb 2006, 16:22
How many aircraft of that age look like they were designed tomorrow?
The FD2 for one.
windriver
4th Feb 2006, 19:22
How many aircraft of that age look like they were designed tomorrow?
FD2 Agreed but don`t forget the TSR2.
For more info about a living breathing (though sadly not flying) Victor.
http://www.lustylindy.co.uk/ (K2 XL231)
The FD2 for one.
Hence my fetish for it! :ok:
Next month will be the 50th anniversary of Peter Twiss' World Speed Record.
Alas, I don't have access to anything other than run-of-the-mill publications, so maybe one or two of the more distinguished Ppruners could have a rustle through their archives and dig out some shots in commemoration? I believe there's a particular member who actually flew the bird... (Was it 777 or 774?)
Getting back on topic... With a Vulcan and a Bucc due to take to the air, what's the chances of seeing a Victor back in action? Would it be an engineering nightmare, or more-to-the-point, would there be an airframe left in sufficient condition to restore should an organisation with deep pockets be forthcoming?
The two prime candidates for an attempt to return a victor to the air would be XL321 at Elvington and XM715 at Bruntingthorpe which are both 'live'.
My understanding is that H-P used a rather sophisticated spot welding technique to join together the Victor's corrugated skins. This required a massive effort with respect to QA. The effort required to return a Victor to the air would therefore be even greater (more expensive) than the process currently under way on XH558.
My perception is that the Victor is lesser known and less popular than the Vulcan; I would therefore say that we are very unlikely to see the Victor fly again.
I'd be happy to see them all in out of the weather to be honest.
Georgeablelovehowindia
5th Feb 2006, 23:41
When I couldn't get a job airline flying, I kept the 'wolf from the door' air-taxi flying. I flew some people to Woodford one day, in connection with the programme to convert Victors to tankers. (By this stage Handley Page had gone bust, so the contract went to Avro, or Hawker Siddeley, or whatever they called themselves in the complicated process of amalgamation at the time.)
They were having problems, due (allegedly) to each each Victor being slightly different, having been virtually 'hand-built' - in contrast with the Vulcan, which was built on millimetre-perfect jigs ... at Woodford!
Was this a load of old codswallop, do you suppose?
Dan Winterland
6th Feb 2006, 08:20
No, the Victors were individually made. A flap from one wouldn't fir another, and so on. But I gather the Vulcan had similar problems but not to the same extent.
Wycombe
6th Feb 2006, 12:03
...allegedly, similar problems were encountered more recently during the upgrade of a well-known 4 jet Maritime Patrol Aircraft.
Krystal n chips
7th Feb 2006, 06:41
The organisation concerned clearly learned from the Victor and duly honed the concept to perfection in the form of the AT:mad: P---:rolleyes: