Did You Fly The Vulcan?? (Merged)
Many here will be sad to see that Eric Macey’s death was announced in today’s Times aged 87. He was my Stn Cdr when I was a first tour Nav Rad at Waddington and despite the fact that I served for many more years he remained my favourite Stn Cdr. The notice in the paper refers to “ all those who worked, laughed and played with him”.
Indeed.
RIP sir.
Indeed.
RIP sir.
Last edited by Timelord; 6th Sep 2023 at 12:54.
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Vulcan XA903 RB199 aircrew photo
I have photo of the 593 Vulcan Aircrew from Alan Baxter's book "Olympus The Inside Story" page 138, but not the later Aircrew for the RB199 FTB. please find!!
2AV8,
Apologies that this response is over 2 months old but I was researching something when I came across your posting.
I worked on XA903 in both OLY593 and RB199 configurations during the 70's as an engineer at the R-R Flight Test Centre at Filton. However, I regret that I don't have any photographs of the cockpit - mores the pity!
I assume you have tried the Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust at Bristol and, in particular, Alan Baxter (assuming he still takes an active role in things - you'll have to excuse me but I'm a little bit out of touch with things at the RRHT) who was the Flight Test Engineer most associated with XA903.
If I can be of any assistance please send me a PM and I will do the best I can. Thankfully, I am still in-touch with some of those remaining from the halycon flight testing days at Filton.
Apologies that this response is over 2 months old but I was researching something when I came across your posting.
I worked on XA903 in both OLY593 and RB199 configurations during the 70's as an engineer at the R-R Flight Test Centre at Filton. However, I regret that I don't have any photographs of the cockpit - mores the pity!
I assume you have tried the Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust at Bristol and, in particular, Alan Baxter (assuming he still takes an active role in things - you'll have to excuse me but I'm a little bit out of touch with things at the RRHT) who was the Flight Test Engineer most associated with XA903.
If I can be of any assistance please send me a PM and I will do the best I can. Thankfully, I am still in-touch with some of those remaining from the halycon flight testing days at Filton.
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Former US president Richard Nixon ordered a worldwide secret nuclear alert in October 1969, calling his wartime tactic a "madman strategy" aimed at scaring the Soviets into forcing concessions from North Vietnam.
It didn't work.
SALT talks started in November 1969.
So you see, the US had barking mad idiots at the helm even then!
It didn't work.
SALT talks started in November 1969.
So you see, the US had barking mad idiots at the helm even then!
I was in the Netherlands on a student exchange in 1968, our accommodation was on the bypass and I was awoken in the middle of the night by military convoys going past,
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Anyone interested in the Cold War might like this new book
It starts with Project GENETRIX at RAF Evanton, the SSBNs in the Holy Loch, Kirknewton, Edzell, Thurso (Forss), ASW, Machriahanish etc.
America’s Scottish Bastion in the Cold War
David Mackay
Don't want to drag this thread too far off topic but as I have a Vulcan question maybe it's sits here nicely rather than raise yet another Vulcan thread.
My question "What caused the Vulcan howl" ?
The reason I ask is that I never heard it with the shows I attended after it returned to the sky but always heard it during it's military displays and often when it was in the hold.
Best case in point one of it's last West Malling - Great Warbird Displays when it circled behind the crowd and seemed to be calling out like a lonely whale.
My question "What caused the Vulcan howl" ?
The reason I ask is that I never heard it with the shows I attended after it returned to the sky but always heard it during it's military displays and often when it was in the hold.
Best case in point one of it's last West Malling - Great Warbird Displays when it circled behind the crowd and seemed to be calling out like a lonely whale.
Thread Starter
The 'rutting dinosaur' howl was specific to aircraft with 200-ser engines, due to the intake geometry and occurred at particular combinations of power setting and speed. In normal operations, the howl would normally only be heard during 2-eng go-arounds until power was reduced to 93%. On 4-eng go-arounds we were only supposed to use 80%.... But out of sight of the grown ups it wasn't unknown for crews to fly a practice diversion to go-around, then climb out with all 4 at max chat. THAT caused a most satisfying howl! I once got the attention of most of Wichita doing that after a fly by at McConnell AFB!
300-ser engined aircraft had a larger compressor intake, so didn't howl. Hence '558 would howl, but '655 at Wellesbourne Mountford can ROAR, but not howl.
300-ser engined aircraft had a larger compressor intake, so didn't howl. Hence '558 would howl, but '655 at Wellesbourne Mountford can ROAR, but not howl.
Reading this thread caused me to remember an unpleasant encounter I had with a former Vulcan pilot almost 3 years ago.I was assisting my brother who was working on a friends house in Dorset,and part of the work involved installation of weatherboarding to the side wall of an ugly garage built from breeze-blocks,in order to render it more aesthetically pleasing.However,one wall of this building abutted the stone wall of the neighbouring property,and access to the top of the garage wall was only possible by leaning a ladder against this neighbours wall.The neighbour objected to this,and told my brother,who was at the top of the ladder,that he was going to get a hose pipe and start watering his bamboo hedge,the implication being that he was going to give my brother a soaking.
I told my friend for whom we were working,about this,and she said that he was rather obnoxious in several ways,and that he also liked to let it be known in the village,that he was a retired squadron leader and former Vulcan pilot,presumably thinking this would afford him some status in the community.
She told me his name,which I won't disclose,but I'm sure that some people on here will recognise him when I relate what I discovered after entering his name on google.
According to google,in 1975,while a Vulcan co-pilot,he attempted to land at Luqa,in Malta,and botched it big-time,pushed the undercarriage through the wing,but got airborne again,the aircraft then catching fire.According to google,he and the captain then ejected,leaving the 2 nav's,AEO and 2 crew-chiefs to crash and burn,along with one civilian on the ground.There is B&W news footage on the aftermath available on-line as well.Oddly enough,he omitted to mention this event when revealing his officer status to the locals.
However the following day,when he again began making complaints,about the ladder leaning against his wall,and stating that there were principles involved,and that we should have sought his permission before resting the ladder against his property,I asked loudly,of my friend standing nearby,"Fiona,do you think that the principle of a Captain going down with his ship is carried over into the world of aviation"?
There was a moment of silence from the neighbour,while he stared daggers at me,then he asked if I knew anything about aviation? I said "a bit",then he asked if I was a pilot? I said "maybe" ( which I was,though only a PPL,but also a retired ATCO).Then there was a pause,before he snarled " you were a bloody navigator,weren't you! I said nothing more to him,but ever since,I have referred to him as 'Squadron Leader Heavy-Landing'.
I told my friend for whom we were working,about this,and she said that he was rather obnoxious in several ways,and that he also liked to let it be known in the village,that he was a retired squadron leader and former Vulcan pilot,presumably thinking this would afford him some status in the community.
She told me his name,which I won't disclose,but I'm sure that some people on here will recognise him when I relate what I discovered after entering his name on google.
According to google,in 1975,while a Vulcan co-pilot,he attempted to land at Luqa,in Malta,and botched it big-time,pushed the undercarriage through the wing,but got airborne again,the aircraft then catching fire.According to google,he and the captain then ejected,leaving the 2 nav's,AEO and 2 crew-chiefs to crash and burn,along with one civilian on the ground.There is B&W news footage on the aftermath available on-line as well.Oddly enough,he omitted to mention this event when revealing his officer status to the locals.
However the following day,when he again began making complaints,about the ladder leaning against his wall,and stating that there were principles involved,and that we should have sought his permission before resting the ladder against his property,I asked loudly,of my friend standing nearby,"Fiona,do you think that the principle of a Captain going down with his ship is carried over into the world of aviation"?
There was a moment of silence from the neighbour,while he stared daggers at me,then he asked if I knew anything about aviation? I said "a bit",then he asked if I was a pilot? I said "maybe" ( which I was,though only a PPL,but also a retired ATCO).Then there was a pause,before he snarled " you were a bloody navigator,weren't you! I said nothing more to him,but ever since,I have referred to him as 'Squadron Leader Heavy-Landing'.
I watched that whole incident unfold as I was based at Luqa at the time - we knew something was amiss whilst the aircraft was on final. I know who you are talking about. He and the captain were hospitalised after their ejections. Shortly after being discharged the co-pilot was seen strutting aroud wearing his Martin Baker tie. It didn't go down well.
The rear crew couldn't get out of the aircraft as the nosewheel assembly had buckled and jammed the escape hatch. To be fair, the pilots ejected at the same time the fuel tank exploded and the starboard wing detached.
The rear crew couldn't get out of the aircraft as the nosewheel assembly had buckled and jammed the escape hatch. To be fair, the pilots ejected at the same time the fuel tank exploded and the starboard wing detached.
I was a Nav Rad on a different Squadron at Waddington at the time and it says much that as my age advances and I have more and more trouble remembering names I have no problem bringing that individual to mind. Further to the Martin Baker Tie; The funeral for the rear crew was a big event in “Bomber County” and the subsequent wake equally big. This individual turned up at the wake wearing his Martin Baker tie! Several rear crew members, after a beer or two, gave him “advice” on his attitude and he was never seen around the V force again. I believe he went to Pumas.
There's further material on the crash of XM645 here. As with most aviation accidents, there was a combination of factors at play.
https://raf-luqa.weebly.com/xm645-crash-oct-75.html
https://timesofmalta.com/articles/vi...ears-on.331187
https://raf-luqa.weebly.com/xm645-crash-oct-75.html
https://timesofmalta.com/articles/vi...ears-on.331187
I think this has all been addressed somewhere earlier in this thread but neither of those reports cover two salient issues:
1. There was turbulence from the hangars when the wind was from a certain direction which caused the co-pilot to loose speed late on finals and land heavy and short.
2. There was an 18 inch lip on the end of the runway so as the aircraft rolled forward after the initial impact one main undercarriage leg (starboard I think) was ripped off. The aircraft then bounced heavily on the other leg which punctured fuel tanks and started a fire. By this time the Captain had full power on.
I’m not sure about the nose leg buckling and causing the door to jam. I don’t think it touched the ground but:
With 7 aboard plus luggage there was little room in the cabin to stow the ladder and it was speculated that it had been left on the door which impeded exit for the rear crew. Whether the pilots ejected or “were” ejected when the aircraft broke up was not, I think, determined.
1. There was turbulence from the hangars when the wind was from a certain direction which caused the co-pilot to loose speed late on finals and land heavy and short.
2. There was an 18 inch lip on the end of the runway so as the aircraft rolled forward after the initial impact one main undercarriage leg (starboard I think) was ripped off. The aircraft then bounced heavily on the other leg which punctured fuel tanks and started a fire. By this time the Captain had full power on.
I’m not sure about the nose leg buckling and causing the door to jam. I don’t think it touched the ground but:
With 7 aboard plus luggage there was little room in the cabin to stow the ladder and it was speculated that it had been left on the door which impeded exit for the rear crew. Whether the pilots ejected or “were” ejected when the aircraft broke up was not, I think, determined.
Last edited by Timelord; 9th Jan 2024 at 15:27.
Years ago I was at a business conference and got chatting to another attendee. It turned out that he had been a Vulcan pilot and I said that he seemed a bit young to be an ex RAF pilot. He told me that, when people asked where he was when he heard that Kennedy had been shot, he would never forget. He was at 40,000' over Liverpool and just after the news came over the radio, an engine fire alarm went off. An engine was on fire and had to be shut down and this was successfully carried out. The captain decided to return to base even though the weather was now below limits. They started an approach (presumably PAR) and at about 1000' they had another fire alarm and had to shut down a second engine while maintaining the approach. After a successful landing, he went straight into the boss's office and resigned his commission.
I have no idea if this story is true but I wondered if, on a thread designed to attract Vulcan crews, someone might remember an occasion when a Vulcan crew had such an adventure resulting in the resignation of a co-pilot. You never know he might even be here himself.
I have no idea if this story is true but I wondered if, on a thread designed to attract Vulcan crews, someone might remember an occasion when a Vulcan crew had such an adventure resulting in the resignation of a co-pilot. You never know he might even be here himself.
Hmm, sounds a bit dubious. The news of Kennedy’s death came through on a Friday evening so everyone would have been in Happy Hour. If you had an engine fire over Liverpool I’m not sure you’d take it back to base but divert somewhere and finally if a double engine fire warning, which while not routine was not exactly unheard of, followed by a safe landing caused him to quit on the spot then he certainly didn’t have the right stuff.!
Mind you, I might have gone into the boss and said I’m not flying with that captain again; engine fire and presses on to base where the weather is terrible?
Mind you, I might have gone into the boss and said I’m not flying with that captain again; engine fire and presses on to base where the weather is terrible?
Last edited by Timelord; 9th Jan 2024 at 21:43. Reason: Added last para
