Vulcan production & re-engining

[Tim McLelland]

As discussed on the big Vulcan thread (which I've lost doh!) there's some question as to which Vulcans were retrofitted with Olypus 300 series engines after having been delivered with 200 series.

As far as I can determine, it was:-

XL384
XL385
XL386
XL387
XL388
XL389
XL390

All delivered with 201's but fitted with 301's, supposedly when modified for Blue Steel although I still wonder if the engine moda came later.

XL391 was delivered with 301's

The following aircraft in the production sequence (XL392 onwards) remained with 201's until we get up to XM574 which was delivered with 301's and all subsequent aircraft were completed likewise.

Think that's how it goes, so if anyone can add anything to this (or suggest where I've gone wrong) do let me know!

Confusing eh?!

[Pontius Navigator]

As discussed on the big Vulcan thread (which I've lost doh!)

Confusing eh?!

Indeed Tim, too much wood and not sight of the trees. I found your original post in a few seconds. Unless of course there is more than one.

[Exrigger]

TM:

Another few links you might find interesting, it would appear that there is conflicting views about any aircraft being converted, that includes links I put on the other thread:

http://www.vectorsite.net/avvulcan_1.html

http://www.thevulcancollection.co.uk/xh537.htm

http://plane-crazy.purplecloud.net/Aircraft/Jets/Vulcan/avro_vulcan.htm

Additonally I got this from a forum discussing the destruction of the Blackpool vulcan:

Vulcan B2 XL391 was the first Mk2 built from new with Olympus 301 engines. It came between a batch of 201-engined free-fall aircraft XL384-390 (which were subsequently retrofitted to Blue Steel/Olympus 301) and 201-engined Mk2 Blue Steels XL392, XL425 etc. Because of the extensive changes to the engine bays, 391 was not delivered to Boscombe Down until May 1963, some ten months after 392 was delivered to the RAF. 391 was completed with the full Skybolt attachment pods. 391 entered service with the Cottesmore Wing in July 1968 and moved with the Wing to RAF Akrotiri in February 1969. In January 1975, IX Squadron (including 391) transferred from Akrotiri to Waddington. 391 transferred to 101 Squadron in June 1980 and to 44 (Rhodesia) Squadron in July 1982. Wearing 44(R) markings, 391 was flown to Blackpool in February 1983 where it was left to rot and corrode to an unsafe condition.

[The Helpful Stacker]

What a different RAF it was back then eh?

A whole wing of Vulcans based at Akrotiri.

[Tim McLelland]

Tis a right old saga! As you can see, you can't rely on any information - one of those links Exrigger mentions, states that no 102-series aircraft were re-engined. Likewise, I have a documnet here from Avro which says the same, and yet, now it's been drawn to my attention, some clearly were.
Looks like the above list is correct though, unless anyone comes-up with a piccie to throw it all into confusion - again!:)

PS - apologies Pontious, you're obviously better at navigating the web than I am. It's a miracle I can even open a page - I never quite progressed from typewriters!

PPS - anyone have any thoughts on whether the re-engined aircraft were done when they were modified for Blue Steel or afterwards? I have a feeling they were probably re-engined at a later stage but maybe someone can recall flying (or flying in) a 301-engined BS aircraft?

[Pontius Navigator]

Tim,

Apologies for the wind-up. All I did was an advanced search in pprune for XL391 looking for posts rather than threads. Your post was there near the top.

As for 301/201, not being a pilot it was really only of passing interest.

In 1964 the last wing to build up was the Coningsby Wing with nice sequential numbers all the way to 657. IIRC 597 was the earliest. In Jun 64 some aircraft were still white overall. I don't recall actually flying in a white aircraft.

Then as a casual observer Scampton had XLs. The OCU had had XH560, XJ782, 783, 823, 824, 825. Some of the OCU aircraft had Gee 3. I guess that it must have been 560 as thereafter we flew in a Tacan equipped aircraft.

I flew in XM599 in Feb 65 after I returned to the Cottesmore Wing, XM598 in Apr 65 and XM597 in May 65.

In Feb 66 I recorded my first flight in a non-301 aircraft, XH562. We took 562 to Cyprus and flying over Libya in low level turbulence at 350 kts the RAT fell out and instantly failed. At the end of the month we flew in 825. It was not until May 66 that I flew in 560 and 825 the following month. My final flight on the Cottesmore Wing was in 825 in Jan 67.

I thought at first that these changes might have been when we started to transfer our aircraft to the Waddington Wing. On reflection it is perhaps more likely that 560, 562, and 825 were attrition replacements for the one lost at Coningsby and the one lost in Wales and may be one other.

At Waddington I flew in 569 and XL445 in Mar 67 with the Mk 2 conversion for 50 Sqn well under way. I flew in 824 the following month and in 446 in Jul. I next flew with 44 Sqn in Oct 67 in 824. 44 Sqns conversion was underway and you can see a pattern in aircraft circulation. In Dec 67 I flew in 824 again this time with 101 Sqn.

In Mar 68 I flew in 610 so clearly the Cottesmore-Waddington aircraft swap was underway.

In May 70, back on the OCU I flew in 555 and 559. The following month in 573 and 446.

The OCU had early models. Later, in Cyprus we flew in a mixed bag of 201/301 ac.

In 1968 I recall that the Bomber Command Stats listed the location of all the aircraft - wing, CWP, Major and one location that I was never able to work out ADA.

At some point a large number or aircraft were rotated through mod programmes to have the BS removed and their stored bomb doors refitted.

[Exrigger]

PN: I was a young airman on the OCU between 70-72. I got a flight in one of the aircraft after an interview with the Station Cdr during my attempt to go for AEO. I did not get past my new Flt Cdr after the 6 month deferral (apparently I should have gone straight back to the Station Cdr, but he decided that he wanted me to go through the selection interviews again), but I did not ever regret my unsuccesful attempt at becoming aircrew.

[XL391]

Some 102 engines were converted to 104's during major servicing but what this entails I wouldn't know... :confused: