Vulcan Pilot redeployment

[Simplythebeast]

What happened to the majority of Vulcan pilots on retirement of the aircraft from service? Could they go back and train for aircraft such as Buccaneer, Tornado etc?
I ask because Ive been told by a friend that his relative was a Vulcan pilot and eventually flew with the red arrows. Im interested to know how that would have been achieved.

[KiloB]

9 Vulcans, now that would have been a Display Team!
The White Arrows?

[Background Noise]

The usual dispersal I expect - both throughout its service and when it closed - to other types, to CFS and some from there to FJ. There were a couple of ex V-Force chaps at Valley when I was at AFT I think. This one fits the bill (haha) for a Vulcan to RAFAT story - Vulcan To The Sky - Memories of RAF Scampton (http://www.vulcantothesky.org/news/977/82/Memories-of-RAF-Scampton.html)

[212man]

What happened to the majority of Vulcan pilots on retirement of the aircraft from service? Could they go back and train for aircraft such as Buccaneer, Tornado etc?
I ask because Ive been told by a friend that his relative was a Vulcan pilot and eventually flew with the red arrows. Im interested to know how that would have been achieved.

Two of my UAS instructors were ex-Vulcan pilots. One went fighter control for a few years and then to CFS to become a Bulldog QHI, the other (my instructor) spent a number of years on C130s before moving to Bulldogs. He finally moved to Boscombe Down to become the ME QHI on B Sqn but suffered a massive hearth attack before finishing his training onto types and ceased flying.

[oldbeefer]

I also know of two who went Rotary.

[212man]

I also know of two who went Rotary.

Obviously the cream of the crop!

[charliecat14]

Some went to the Nimrod fleet

[ORAC]

One went fighter control for a few years One!! The crew room was full of them! IIRC we Lao picked up a fair few Britannia aircrew as well.

Many were here planned to do one or two tours then move on to Nimwacs. As it was a few moved on to the Shaklebomber, others transferred permanently and some just retired.

[OvertHawk]

I know of at least one ex V-Force Pilot who moved across to the F4 in the early 80's

[212man]

One!! The crew room was full of them! IIRC we Lao picked up a fair few Britannia aircrew as well.

Many were here planned to do one or two tours then move on to Nimwacs. As it was a few moved on to the Shaklebomber, others transferred permanently and some just retired.

I meant 'one' of the 'two' ex-Vulcans QHIs on my UAS - not 'one' of the entire Vulcan Force

[sitigeltfel]

I also know of two who went Rotary.

I knew one who went Rotary/SAR. He was one of the first on the scene at Piper Alpha, then a few months later at Lockerbie.

:(

[Specaircrew]

Well in my case it was Nimrod, VC10, then Tristar although the 'default' posting for a lot of my colleagues in '82 was CFS.

[threeputt]

I was an ex-Vulcan Nav Radar who transitioned onto Tornado and know of quite a few Vulcan pilots who also made the jump across.
3P:ok:

[rolling20]

I can confirm what 212 man states. We had one guy who came to instruct on Bulldogs. Caused some amusement that he couldn't fly them at night, but could the Vulcan. Another chap I came across was flying Andover's.

[wiggy]

A fair few ended up at CFS on either the JP or Bulldog and as has been mentioned by OvertHawk there was at least one who went F-4.

[Pontius Navigator]

Some copilots went to Valley as QFI. Our second then moved on to Cathy and became a training captain. Another on our sqn, also a QFI end up in Calf of Man.

A few years earlier many became sim instructors, another became a FAC.

Captains I know were medically discharged; became a taxi driver in Canada; became a yacht skipper in Caribbean; became a Victor sqn cdr; Buccaneer pilots; one of the Black Buck pilots went to 10s followed by Heavy lift.

In fact a fair number of V-Force Captains went VC10 and one, to his surprise made Air Cdre and OC Brize.

[ShyTorque]

This ex Vulcan chap certainly did alright for himself. I did his FHT on the Puma.
I still admit to rather admiring the bloke, despite him never liking me much, especially after I declined to take the 'C' exam while he was Stn Cdr!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Garden,_Baron_Garden

[Specaircrew]

I can confirm what 212 man states. We had one guy who came to instruct on Bulldogs. Caused some amusement that he couldn't fly them at night, but could the Vulcan. Another chap I came across was flying Andover's.

Hmmm well I seem to recall doing rather a lot of night low level TFR sorties but perhaps it was all a dream ;-)

[cheese bobcat]

I was a QFI on Vulcans and was posted to Canberras. Then the Falklands came up and I was held on the squadron until Port Stanley airfield was built.
I went to Canberras and when I went to the posters to have my palm read before retirement and they said that after a couple of tours on the Canberra and perhaps a tour on Jetstreams, I might go on to VC10s. By that time the VC10 would have been older than the Vulcan when I joined it in 1971! Needless to say, I left at 38.

CB

[teeteringhead]

This ex Vulcan chap certainly did alright for himself. I did his FHT on the Puma. And I did his on the Wessex at Shawbury! He was a bit good and a brain the size of a planet - Jupiter to be precise!

Taken far too soon as my mother would have said.......... younger than I am now....

[ShyTorque]

He was a bit good and a brain the size of a planet - Jupiter to be precise!

Taken far too soon as my mother would have said.......... younger than I am now....

Yes, he did die at a relatively young age.
He wasn't at all impressed when not one officer at Odiham passed the C exam under his stewardship. We were subsequently all commanded to attend evening classes in Defence Studies. More than a bit pointless in my case as I hadn't even registered to do the exam at that stage and had no intention of ever doing so. :\

[JENKINS]

And we were exact contemporaries, same college, same university. Teeters is very aware of the difference in career achievement between self and the late lamented Tim.

[NRU74]

C’mon Beagle - this thread needs your input !

[airpolice]

I met one who became an undertaker.

[Pontius Navigator]

C’mon Beagle - this thread needs your input !
What's to say? :)

[Skeleton]

One pilot who had ejected from a Vulcan went to Jaguars.

[50+Ray]

Well I went to CFS at the end of '80, and spent the rest of my time instructing on puddlejumpers until 2012. Medics got me in the end, but I was well into my 7th logbook by then.
R

[Busta]

My last Vulcan sortie was 8 March 79, my first F4 squadron sortie was 21 January 81, retired 19 Feb 88.

[nipva]

Busta,

Out of interest were you a Vulcan co-pilot or captain when you moved to the FJ world? .

[Busta]

Captain since 76

[Parson]

Examiner for my initial CPL test was an ex Vulcan pilot. He also did IR renewals and finally retired a few years ago, well into his late 60s if not early 70s. Lovely man.

[Hastings]

What happened to the majority of Vulcan pilots on retirement of the aircraft from service? Could they go back and train for aircraft such as Buccaneer, Tornado etc?
I ask because Ive been told by a friend that his relative was a Vulcan pilot and eventually flew with the red arrows. Im interested to know how that would have been achieved.
That seems to be me. Back in the day it was uncommon but not unheard of for Vulcan pilots (Captain or co) to move to FJ. Either directly via a FJ Crossover or, like me, via a CFS JP tour and FJ crossover (bit of Valley then TWU). All were posted to an aircraft even before starting the FJ crossover. Mostly to two seat (F-4 or Bucc). But occasionally single seat - mostly Jag and an occasional Harrier. I was posted Harrier. To be honest, it was a bit hard, so even though I completed the OCU I asked the Air Force to let me go to Tornado (brand new at the time) and they did. Eventually I ended up as Wg Cdr RAFAT (the only pilot I know of who went from ME to fly with the team was the late Bob Eccles). In the end I found myself flying XH558 of course. Funny old world!

[Kerosene Kraut]

Wouldn't the most logical step be to move on to fly Concorde?

[RetiredBA/BY]

That seems to be me. Back in the day it was uncommon but not unheard of for Vulcan pilots (Captain or co) to move to FJ. Either directly via a FJ Crossover or, like me, via a CFS JP tour and FJ crossover (bit of Valley then TWU). All were posted to an aircraft even before starting the FJ crossover. Mostly to two seat (F-4 or Bucc). But occasionally single seat - mostly Jag and an occasional Harrier. I was posted Harrier. To be honest, it was a bit hard, so even though I completed the OCU I asked the Air Force to let me go to Tornado (brand new at the time) and they did. Eventually I ended up as Wg Cdr RAFAT (the only pilot I know of who went from ME to fly with the team was the late Bob Eccles). In the end I found myself flying XH558 of course. Funny old world!


Dont forget Des Sheen, ex Vulcans .

[Barksdale Boy]

KK
I can think of two who did.

[pr00ne]

I was visiting (socially) a friend stationed at RAF Church Fenton in the early 80's, then the home of 7 FTS, a Jet Provost T3/T5 equipped basic Flying Training School. He was a bit distracted when I arrived as they had just heard that a JP had gone in with fatal results for the pilot, whom he described as "one of the Vulcan cross-over lot." From that I gather that there were specific slots on the Basic FTS's for some of these folk as the Vulcan was being withdrawn, as the Refresher Flying School at Manby that would have done this sort of thing in my day had wound up with the closure of Manby and moved as a much smaller outfit to Leeming.

[BEagle]

pr00ne, that was XW417, a T5A which crashed on 9 Dec 1982.

The pilot was on a 'Co-pilot Enrichment Scheme' at 7 FTS. The course was designed to allow co-pilots to gain further first pilot experience in different scenarios to those that they had become used to, prior to moving on to different types.

The Court of Inquiry reached the conclusion that having aborted from low level due to low cloud obscuring the ground ahead, the pilot had lost control of the aircraft and was unable to regain control or eject before it crashed.

[rolling20]

Pontius,Beagle et Al, you are needed on Aviation history and nostalgia....Vulcan Crew Briefing

[Darvan]

I think there were as many, if not more, navs that moved on to FJs following a Vulcan tour.

[ICM]

From my recollection of sitting across the desk from the junior officer Nav FJ posters in 1982/83, I'd agree that the Vulcan force was the primary source for finding Navs for the expanding Tornado squadrons. Next came such Canberras as were left, with crossovers usually coming from 6 FTS Instructors with a suitable recommendation.

[Wader2]

ICM, a goodly number of Nav Rads in the 70s too.