Vulcan Bomber to fast taxi.......

[Vulcan 903]

On Sunday June 15th, the sound of Olympus engines will once again echo around Warwickshire. Not since September 2000 has Vulcan XM655 performed a public fast taxi day.
Some major maintenance work has been carried out of this youngest of surviving Vulcans. The rudder was removed and re skinned by BAE Systems at Brough. The brakes were stripped and overhauled on site by Dunlops and painting of the underside continues. As a finishing touch the flight-refuelling probe was refitted.

The XM655 Maintenance and Preservation Society (655 MaPS) have been working hard, with a dozen or so volunteers who work on XM655 at Wellesbourne Mountford airfield, nr Stratford Upon Avon. They work, in all weather conditions, through the year, resulting in the aircraft is now in serviceable condition.
Engine Ground Runs have been carried out during the winter months and a few problems have been identified. These are mainly electrical and caused generally by the damp during the winter months.

We are pleased to confirm that the RAF Aerobatics Team, The Red Arrows will carry out a flypast during the afternoon.
Also to appear is the world only flying Sea Vixen, flying in its brand new colour scheme sponsored by Red Bull. Sea Vixen XP924 was one of the last Sea Vixens in service. This aircraft will be put on the public display circuit to fly as a tribute to the Naval pilots that flew fast jets through the 1960's and 1970's when the Royal Navy still operated large carriers with fixed wing conventional strike aircraft.

Other aircraft carrying out flypast will include a De Havilland Vampire. De Havilland at Hatfield built this aircraft in 1955 as part of a batch order for the Royal Air Force. Serviced commenced on 16th February 1955 as XE920, with the Flying Training School. Final duty was with Central Air Traffic Control School at Shawbury until it's retirement in December 1971.

Our final flypast participant will be a RAF Jaguar. The Jaguar display aircraft is provided by 16(R) Squadron - "The Saints". The nickname comes from their initial home base of St. Omer in France, and the display aircraft is painted with a large Saint logo from the 1960s television series of that name. The pilot is Flight Lieutenant Mike Hayes and this is his second year as the Jaguar display pilot.

Also participating in the event, will be the world biggest single engine by plane, the Antonov AN 2 Colt. This resident aircraft is planned to carry out a short display.
The planned taxi event will also play host to some classic cars, and already Warwickshire MG Club will have over 40 cars to view.

This is an ideal opportunity for Vulcan enthusiast to get close to a living Vulcan. XM655 has the more powerful 301 series Rolls Royce Olympus engines, so do expect it to be noisy!

The planned format for the event is as follows but can change as 655 MaPS requires Wellesbourne Air Traffic to close the airfield for a short while and also the attendance of Warwickshire Fire & Rescue Services.
Then XM655 will go through the Engine and System start up checks & exactly as it was done during RAF service. One engine will be ignited and once the oil pressure has stabilised that engine will be taken to 70% of it capability and the remaining three engines started individually from that engine. What is known as Cross Feeding. This is a more gentle approach on the airframe that a rapid start which is all 4 engines starting at once. Some say you can see the aircraft jumping around when a 301 engine rapid is selected!
Public safety is paramount and XM655 will taxi out on to the Runway and travel to the end of the runway. Slowly turning to face the crowds the engines will be wound up, and will the brakes still on, you might just hear the Vulcan howl.
With the brakes off, XM655 will accelerate down the runway. After a short while the aircraft will return to the start up position on the taxiway. The bomb bays will be opened and engines shut down.
Once the brakes have cooled down you will be able to come and view this mighty cold war warrior and talk to the people who care for it.
Details at www.xm655.co.uk

[FJJP]

Who are on the crew for the event?

[BEagle]

The 93% simultaneous cross-feed start of 3 engines together from the 4th is even more impressive than the 70% cross-feed.

Surely you wouldn't treat the old lady to the combustor start technique, would you?

...and if you ever need an ex-Vulcan pilot, do let me know!

[FJJP]

Beags - get in line - I'm first! Who the crew then?

[Daifly]

The same sort of topic, went to the Bruntingthorpe Fast Taxi day on the Bank Holiday Saturday.

Although the day was dragged out a bit (I suppose there were other things to see other than aircraft *tut*) in general it really was fantastic!

The Victor was fantastic - was standing about 10 metres from the runway when that went past at Full Chat. Superb. If my ear drums had gone, I'd have been proud as they wheeled me into Casualty! The Hunter was blast, and from a conversation I overheard the guy who was steering (well, almost flying) had just reacquainted himself with the aircraft that morning - good show if so.

The Comet was strange, if anyone knows what happened I'd be interested to know. It spent about 20 minutes warming up then finally, when everything was out of the way, it put on the power to move out of its parking position, edged forward 10 feet at which point all the engines shut down and it stopped! Not quite a fast taxi! I wondered if it was brake failure?

The Lightning was a bit sad, it never got up to full reheat owing to some tech problem, which was a shame, but it did look good all the same!

All in all, a good day, worth the £10 each and the Burgers were excellent!

[Vulcan 903]

The line up for the run.

Sdqn Ldr David Thomas ex VDF Captain, currently flying the BBMF Lanc. Most current Vulcan pilot.

Wing Comm Mike Pollitt, flew XM655 in service

AEO - Black Buck vetran Sdqn Ldr Barry Masefield.

I am always keen to keep tabs on ex Vulcan crew. We will test XM655 on Saturday 14th - EGR and you will hear her if within 7 miles!
More at www.xm655.co.uk

Bruntingthorpe:

Victor was tame this time!
Comet - brake failure
Lightning - unsure of the problem

What about the scale Vulcan and Victor flying WOW. Fly them near the the M1 and watch the cars stop in the hard shoulder!

[Daifly]

Yep, forgot to mention the scale models - superbs stuff.

It was just like watching the VDF from about a mile away! Looked like great fun to fly too, but the Victor's final landing by experts showed that I'd have crashed it on the first low (and I mean low) pass!

[Red Four]

And if you cant wait that long, XL426 (http://www.avrovulcan.com/nexttaxy.htm)

[amanoffewwords]

Pardon my ignorance but what does the combustor start technique involve?

Ta.

[FJJP]

The combuster start system was a clever system that allowed the engines to be started quickly and without the need for ground equipment (the system was also known as the 'rapid start system') . All you needed to start the Vulcan was a battery with enough power to start the AAPP (Airborne Auxiliary Power Plant - a Rover gas turbine engine in the wing behind the starboard main undercarriage bay) which had a single alternator attached to it to provide AC power for the aircraft.

Once the AAPP was up and running and the electrics on line, the pilot selected rapid start, set the throttle to the 50% position and pressed the start button. A small combustion chamber was fed with high pressure (compressed) air and fuel, ignited and the resulting high speed gas fed into a small turbine, whose shaft was connected to the engine compressor stage via a gearbox and clutch. This wound the engine quickly up to self-sustaining rpm, where the main engine start cycle would continue. The process took about 3-4 secs by which time the engine would be lit and accelerating beyond idle speed. The pilot would then throttle back to re-set the start system, and carry out the after start checks.

That decribes the 'single rapid' start. The 'ripple rapid' start was where the pilot placed all 4 throttles at the 50% position and carried out the above procedure on each engine one after the other (as quickly as it took him to press each start button immediately after each other). This meant that all 4 engines could be up and running and ready for taxy within 7-8 secs.

The 'mass rapid' start was a different kettle of fish, and rarely use after the mid-sixties (and then usually only for special demonstration purposes). Here the whole aircraft was 'cocked', ie switches and levers set in a special way. The settings for the 'ripple rapid' were applied and left like that (usually on QRA). When the crew entered the aircraft, the pilot pressed the 'mass rapid' button. All 4 engines rapid started together, but - and here's the difference - so did all the PFCs (power flying controls). The brakes were released and the ac taxyed immediately, or took off within 2 mins if sitting on the end of the runway in the QRA fingers.

Another part of the system was ability to use low pressure air from the compressor of one engine to start another, known as a 'crossfeed start'. Typically, a pilot would 'rapid start' one engine and use the air from that to start each of the others individually, using 70% power to provide sufficient air volume. However, if he selected 93%, he could start the remaining three engines together.

A fantastic and well thought out system that gave Vulcan crews incredible flexibility to operate independantly.

[amanoffewwords]

Thanks FJJP - being a non-pilot I didn't understand half of the techie stuff though I can appreciate the usefulness of it.

I can't help feeling that I was born in the wrong era..too many computers these days. (says the computer engineer!!)

Cheers
amofw

[forget]

.........the crew would arrive to an aircraft (locked!)

The locks weren't the best! The ignition key to my MkII Zodiac opened every aircraft on the base.

[Vulcan 903]

I do wish these V Force people would tell more of these very interesting stories. It makes life a bit more interesting!

[WIWOV]

Vulcan 903 - you asked for it!

At Goose Bay in the winter, the temps got down to oh! sh*t very cold (-15-20 deg c). We used to do 'hangar starts'. The crew climbed on board with the hangar doors shut, carried out the checks up to engine start and then the hangar doors were opened (electrically). The aircraft and the ground power unit (GPU) were pushed backwards out of the hangar, and when the main gear passed through the doors the airborne auxiliary power plant started (AAPP - a Rover gas turbine embedded in the wing behind the stbd gear well). The aircraft was parked on the dispersal, the GPU and towbar disconnected and the engines started. The nett effect was that the groundcrew spent the minimum time exposed to the severe cold.

Then there was the day when the drainage channel cover at the hangar doors decided that it had enough, broke, and the main leg (port, I think) dropped 3 feet into the channel. The aircraft, if I recall, was exceedingly badly damaged, and I am not sure what happened to it next (could it be the one on display at Goose today?).

Maybe out there is one of the crew with the definitive tale to tell.....

[BEagle]

Nope - I think the one at Goose is the one which had a hot air leak during a pond hop. Can't remember much about the system, but basically a duct had failed and hot air entered the wing. They lost a fair few bits of kit very early in the flight and the fuel graph went very weird in the latter part of the flight, at one time one tank content started to increase even though that was impossible..... Many of us thought that they must have realised their predicament early on and to press on was rather foolish.

The aircraft was deemed beyond economical repair and given to the local community.

[FJJP]

Definitely not that one Beags. The hot air one was cat 4, repaired for one flight only back to Waddo, after which it was cat 5 beyond economic repair. I know this because I escorted it back from Goose. It was a pain, too. I took a full fuel load (98+A I seem to remember) to top cover in case anything went wrong. It didn't, but when we got back, he slid into Waddo and I had to burn off to landing weight! Just what you needed after 10 days at the Goose!

[BEagle]

Thanks for correcting that - 98+A eastbound is somewhat more than you'd normally want, I agree!

Did the crew get a no-tea-or-biscuits chat with their boss after missing such obvious signs of a problem well before crit point?

XL361, the ac at Goose, is described as having suffered a serious in-flight malfunction; the repairs would have been to expensive so the ac was left as a gate guard rather than being scrapped. It later became the property of Happy Valley, having been gifted by the RAF.

So what was the nature of 361’s in-flight malfunction? Anyone know?

[Vulcan 903]

Many thanks for Goose story.
Some Goose photos can be found at http://www.avrovulcan.org.uk/

XL361 - What I know:
During December 1981 XL361, based at Waddington, was on its way to Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. En route she developed a fault necessitating landing at Goose Bay. During final approach fire warning lights displayed in the cockpit It landed safely and it taxied in to a dispersal pan, accompanied by the emergency services. After shut down it was discovered that there had indeed been a fire in the fuselage which had burnt out a few cable looms which caused a lot of the warning lights in the cockpit. She was actually quite lucky to get down safely. She sat in the hangar for ages waiting for a decision on her future, and with the Vulcan fleet being scrapped the obvious decision was taken to not spend time and effort trying to repair her. Thus the stricken aircraft was struck off charge.
Goose Bay has long had (and still has) close links to the RAF. Many low level exercises are carried out from this base, and so when the Happy Valley townsfolk requested that XL361 be given to them to use as a symbol of friendship the decision was taken to present the Vulcan to the community as a gift.


Maybe I should collect these stories and publish them! I have a 30 minute film about Vulcans in Goose Bay - Where the big birds fly made in 1973 and stars XM600 (that later crashed). Features Crew interviews and includes John Potter explaining which buttom it is that would finish the Ruskys off.

So what about Red Flag, Giant Voice et al......???
I have two ex 27 Sqdn cockpits, XH537 and XH563.

[witchdoctor]

Hope the Sea Vixen is back in the air again after losing a couple of bits at Coventry.

Any idea of the forecast yet? Just checked the BBC 5 day forecast up to Saturday and not great unfortunately. Was planning to get down under the pretence of visiting the parents over in Northants for the weekend.:O

[BEagle]

“Giant Voice” was probably the best plum to be had in the V-force of the late 1970s. Basically this was a SAC bombing and navigation competition held in the US, normally at Barksdale AFB in Louisiana. To be selected for GV was no mean trick; first there was the annual UK ‘Double Top’ bombing competition to compete in. After the first phase, the best 6 crews in the entire V-force were then detached to Waddington to form the ‘Double Top Training Flight’ (DTTF). From these, a final 4 would be selected to form the Giant Voice Training Flight (GVTF) and subsequently to spend 6-10 weeks of the autumn in Barksdale.

The year I did GV was 1979. We already had a pretty good reputation for our bombing results on 35 Sqn; then, on 14 May 1979 we managed the best sqn score in XL360 during Double Top Phase 1. That secured our detachment to Waddington on the DTTF and training began in earnest. Each crew had its own aircraft, we had XL443. A couple of exercise trips in Germany, a lot of Dudgeon Light calibration sessions and low-level training and then on 26 June we flew the all-important Phase 2 bombing trip. It went like clockwork and the next day we came in to find that we’d managed to pull off the best individual score for any RAF or SAC crew. That clinched matters and we were detached to the GVTF on 19 Aug 79 together with our trusty ‘mark one-and-a-half’ Vulcan, XH538.

Life on GVTF was pretty good – lots of flying learning the odd ‘Large Charge’ technique essential for the US. This consisted of 2 targets reasonably (in nuclear terms) close together and required some disciplined work from the nav team. Finally we set off for Goose Bay on 16 Oct and then on to Barksdale the next day. After a little settling in to our VOQs (no hotels – we weren’t truckie trash!) we began the training. That was pretty straightforward but to my eternal regret it was run for too much fun and not enough work. We never had any decent maps (the ones for one target were 30 years out of date!) and there wasn’t enough discipline. Play hard, work a bit wasn’t really good enough – we needed work hard, play hard ethics. I remember turning up early one morning to ‘reserve’ for another crew to find one of the so-called bomb/nav planners unshaven, bouncing off the walls as pissed as a rat and clutching a tin of Bud from the night before – he’d clearly not even been to bed...

On 6 November we flew the semi-final trip. The briefing material we had was pretty poor; the target photographs were blurred and it was obvious that the trip was slanted heavily in favour of the SAC and their all-radar technique whereas we used ‘all aids’. So even if I’d spotted a line-up error on the bomb run we couldn’t have made a rapid correction for to have done so would have thrown off the tracking radar used to score the release point (the US used radar, we used release point photos on Double Top in the UK). The high level target went fine, as did the nav timing. Our first low level target looked OK, the second was spot on. But it all went wrong on the 3rd and 4th as the Nav Radar managed a ‘long bomb’ some miles from the release point.....idiot! The AEO and I were pretty sure that he’d done it deliberately in order to get our crew home early so that he could get back to his new girl-friend. Which it did. What particularly pissed me off was that she was married to a mate of mine at the time.

But there was a lot of fun on the semi-final trip. In the ‘fighter evasion’ low-level section we flew right to the northern edge of the permitted route limit, knowing that the intercepting F-106 was coming from the south. Sure enough he turned up on the RWR, so we went very low to deny him a radar lock. As he got closer, we came to a bend in our route. That was too good an opportunity to miss, so I turned left with about 80 deg of bank hard into the 106 which went pinging past. Full right stick and we were firmly in his 6 o’clock! So he lit his afterburner and ran away having scored nil points.... The route was too long for us to get back to Barksdale, so we had been booked in to McConnell. As we spoke to Kansas City Center and were handed over to Wichita Approach, we were asked if we could fly-by the Wichita Mid-Continent airport. Err, OK! Is the Pope a Catholic?? So down we went whilst they held departing traffic. I flew up the runway at 100-ish ft and 350KIAS, then pulled up into a huge noisy wingover right overhead Wichita before joining downwind to land at McConnell. Little did we know what interest our little flight over Wichita had aroused – the next day when the other 2 crews flew in they found TV, radio and local reporters eager to find out about the “UFOs over Wichita”!

But enough was enough and we hadn’t done well enough to make the final. So we had to leave our well-loved XH538 behind at Barksdale and flew a tatty heap called XJ824 back to Waddington on the 16th of November. Happy times – but a little more professionalism on behalf of many of the staff and we could have swept the board. We did get to fly back for the prize-giving, but as passengers in a VC10. The prize-giving was good fun as it was in pre-PC days. Lots of alcohol, pretty girls and aircrew behaving like lunatics. Nowadays it would never be allowed!

[Vulcan 903]

Many many thanks for this BEagle, a nice story which I shall print off to show some people.

As a shamless reminder, this weekend we are running XM655 at Wellesbourne Mountford. I have been promised the run way for at least 20 minutes so hopefully we shall have fun.

Has any one got any more to tell?

[HZ123]

Will the Southend Vulc being doing its taxi runs over the August bank Holiday. Answers please ?

[GK430]

A couple of questions: What time is all this happening on Sunday p.m. - is this an official airshow. We were going to EGBP, however, a Vulcan starting up maybe too much to miss!

B.Eagle and others, what was the max altitude you ever managed to get to? My recently departed father used to fly the one with 5 engines and told me a few stories earlier this year.
Just wondering if anyone else got past and sustained flight :uhoh: above 55,0:D

[BEagle]

With the Mark 17 oxygen regulator, you weren't allowed to climb as high as the ac was clearly capable of reaching because if you lost cabin pressure the regulator wasn't capable of providing sufficient oxygen to stop you going hypoxic above (I think) about 48000ft. But we certainly did fighter affiliation at FL520+ on one occasion.....that severely pee'd off the F4 which couldn't get an AIM-7 shot off and had no chance whatever with a 'winder.

You could go higher with the Mark 21 regulator fitted, but only if you wore a pressure jerkin and anti-g suit. Some folk on 27 Sqn did that for a particular mission which remains classified.

[Vulcan 903]

Gates Open around 11am and the admission will be through the market entrance only(for those by car). By this time XM655 will have been moved over to the market site. We are on the eastern side of the runway. Flyers will be on the western side by the control tower and will have as good view of the taxi. Our thanks to the CAA Air Safety Group for there approval and advice:

All times approx.
12.30: Vulcan Auxiliary Power Plant start-up
12.55: Flypast by a DH Vampire
13.20: Flypast by the RAF Display Jaguar
13.40: Flypast by the worlds only flying DH Sea Vixen
13.45: VULCAN XM655 Start up and taxi
14.58 Flypast by the RAF Red Arrows
Followed by an opportunity to see Vulcan XM655 up close and bomb bay doors open!

Please avoid the western side of the airfield as this is the primary route for the emergency services (road users).

BEagle is teasing me! Always keen on 27 sdqn activites. I will have to wait until 2012 before I can get the info at the Public Record Office then.

HZ123 - I don't think so. May Bank Hol was the last time but do check www.xl426.com for updates.

655 will have EGR's on Saturday from 13.15hrs.
:cool:

[GK430]

Thanks both for the info.

Sounds like any night shift workers in Warks better have their ear plugs in!

I will try and download a photo (albeit in need of urgent Photoshop repair) of the Olympus test bed a/c landing at Filton, over the coming evenings. It went to 58 and a half before dropping a wing:)

[FJJP]

In the States in summer, there was a standing line of CuNims stretching from the Great Lakes to Florida. Big sods and all. Going to Goose after a week at Offutt, we had a choice - either go over or divert 500 miles north to go round. I discussed it with my crew and we decided to try going over (even tho' we only had the Mk 17 regs - but then, when did a Vucan ever lose a canopy? (answer - never)).

Got to 56,000 feet, still climbing at 600 fpm.... Cleared the cumulo bumblies and had a blast at Goose where we went u/s with brake problems for a few extra days!

[GK430]

"Where are the good old days" is another thread up in the R & N forum - Gee, you chaps sure had the pleasure of them!!

Are you sure a canopy never came off......oh you must be right, that was just James Bond make believe in Thunderball:suspect:

[Stan Evil]

You could certainly jettison the canopy if you needed to. The Vulcan that caught fire over Yorkshire flew around without canopy for a while before the front crew left vertically. The things we didn't have that the Thunderball Vulcan did were the door into the bomb-bay (you had to wiggle through a little hatch in the bomb-doors if they were shut) or the cunning device on the co-pilot's oxygen regulator allowing you to poison the rest of the crew (might have come in handy when flying with a noisy AEO).