Did You Fly The Vulcan?? (Merged)
Thread Starter
Can't remember what the shear link was supposed to operate at - but it was quite a low speed.
A Vulcan was tasked to land and stream at sunny Scampton one fine day - for the benefit of some meeja luvvies filming it. Land, stream....nothing. OK, roll and have another go. Airborne.......then it decided to stream itself at about 1000ft before the shear link operated. Took ages for the thing to reach the ground again.
I belive it was the OCU CFI who was flying; we mere squadron rabble thought it was most amusing!
A Vulcan was tasked to land and stream at sunny Scampton one fine day - for the benefit of some meeja luvvies filming it. Land, stream....nothing. OK, roll and have another go. Airborne.......then it decided to stream itself at about 1000ft before the shear link operated. Took ages for the thing to reach the ground again.
I belive it was the OCU CFI who was flying; we mere squadron rabble thought it was most amusing!
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Just shows that the 'advertised' sheer speed was so much tosh.
Can you remember the official cross-wind limit for streaming?
As far as in-flight streaming we used to watch the B47s in the Fairford circuit with a chute streamed in flight. They needed to create the drag to keep the engines spooled up and out of a dead response zone. Spectacular and quite spooky in a way.
Now the B47 was a magic aircraft - so large, 3 man crew and a LABS attack. And 1600 of them. Awesome.
Can you remember the official cross-wind limit for streaming?
As far as in-flight streaming we used to watch the B47s in the Fairford circuit with a chute streamed in flight. They needed to create the drag to keep the engines spooled up and out of a dead response zone. Spectacular and quite spooky in a way.
Now the B47 was a magic aircraft - so large, 3 man crew and a LABS attack. And 1600 of them. Awesome.
Thread Starter
Sorry - don't remember the cross-wind limits.
Stream at 135KIAS or below, jettison at 55-60 to stop the shackle damaging the ECM cone.
Stream at 135KIAS or below, jettison at 55-60 to stop the shackle damaging the ECM cone.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
I have an idea the X-wind limit was 20 kts so anything that was not steady above 15 kts was ample justification for not streaming. Above 20 kts there was a danger of weather cocking.
Incidentally, remember the VTTS TV with them wearing safety harnesses on the wing. I never saw anyone with any safety gear although I believe some harnesses where available. The problem was the lack of sky hooks to hang from. Anyway a rigger was killed reloading a TBC.
Accepted practise was to sit on th eback of the cone, facing forwards, and closing the door using the turnscrew until it latched (not sure the right terms there). Anyway it failed to latch or the latch failed and the door sprang open flipping the rigger off the tail to land head-first on the concrete. I think everyone was a bit more cautious after that fatal but I still do not recall seeing any safety gear.
Incidentally, remember the VTTS TV with them wearing safety harnesses on the wing. I never saw anyone with any safety gear although I believe some harnesses where available. The problem was the lack of sky hooks to hang from. Anyway a rigger was killed reloading a TBC.
Accepted practise was to sit on th eback of the cone, facing forwards, and closing the door using the turnscrew until it latched (not sure the right terms there). Anyway it failed to latch or the latch failed and the door sprang open flipping the rigger off the tail to land head-first on the concrete. I think everyone was a bit more cautious after that fatal but I still do not recall seeing any safety gear.
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TBC stream above 135kts, meant inspection before repack, above 145kts meant scrap as I recall. Almost the only times I used it were after the Chief on crew in requested it because a repack was due. I never used it abroad, though there was a squadron detachment to Malta on the old short runway with the traditional crosswind when several sets of hot brakes might have been avoided. For those that have not been there that runway looked even shorter because of the hump in the middle.
Crosswind limit for the TBC was 20kts, with the expectation you might have to rapidly jettison after the initial almighty tug of deceleration because the beast was likely to weathercock in a big way and head for the grass.
Only time I used it in anger, 185,000lbs + after an engine wind down as I got airborne it stopped us very well, lots of runway left with very little need for brakes.
Crosswind limit for the TBC was 20kts, with the expectation you might have to rapidly jettison after the initial almighty tug of deceleration because the beast was likely to weathercock in a big way and head for the grass.
Only time I used it in anger, 185,000lbs + after an engine wind down as I got airborne it stopped us very well, lots of runway left with very little need for brakes.
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Pontius,
Yes, the safety harnesses are very fetching, are they not?
Sadly neccessary to comply with modern H&S guidelines and all part of the conditions for the CAA issuing a permit.
As for the brake para, as 50+ Ray correctly states that maximum stream speed is 135kts with anything up to 145tks requiring an inspection, chutes streamed above 145kts being scrap. As to the shear pin speeds, the pin was not designed to break at a specific speed, but upon being subject to a load of 103,000 lbs +/- 5%. Perhaps this explains why exact figures are hazy.
The death of the rigger, was apparently discovered to be a failure of the 'wind down' tool, which snapped, allowing the door to spring open and throw the unfortunate chap to his death. This led to the 'wind down' tools being quickly removed from service, with the door being pulled closed from below via cabling through the rearmost area of the ECM bay.
Flipflopman
Yes, the safety harnesses are very fetching, are they not?
Sadly neccessary to comply with modern H&S guidelines and all part of the conditions for the CAA issuing a permit.As for the brake para, as 50+ Ray correctly states that maximum stream speed is 135kts with anything up to 145tks requiring an inspection, chutes streamed above 145kts being scrap. As to the shear pin speeds, the pin was not designed to break at a specific speed, but upon being subject to a load of 103,000 lbs +/- 5%. Perhaps this explains why exact figures are hazy.
The death of the rigger, was apparently discovered to be a failure of the 'wind down' tool, which snapped, allowing the door to spring open and throw the unfortunate chap to his death. This led to the 'wind down' tools being quickly removed from service, with the door being pulled closed from below via cabling through the rearmost area of the ECM bay.
Flipflopman
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Just to clarify, the normal stream limit was 135KIAS. However, in an emergency landing (ie high AUW) then you streamed at 145KIAS. Correct to say that streamed between 135 and 145 called for extensive checks, and stream above 145 was a scrap.
I'm still using brake para tape from a scrapped chute begged from the brake para section at Scampton in the late 70s! Makes a fantastic tow-rope and useful for anything else that needs a high breaking strain rope!
Incidentally, Jindabyne, who did the painting and can you get prints? Mike Rondot did a fabulous Vulcan and Victor set - limited edition prints...
I'm still using brake para tape from a scrapped chute begged from the brake para section at Scampton in the late 70s! Makes a fantastic tow-rope and useful for anything else that needs a high breaking strain rope!
Incidentally, Jindabyne, who did the painting and can you get prints? Mike Rondot did a fabulous Vulcan and Victor set - limited edition prints...
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Isn't it amazing how much corporate memory can be 'instantly' retrieved here in Prune and probably better than official service sources where there is a high turnover (relatively) and limited (in comparison) experience.
Forget, great photo. Now if you had asked me to do a scale drawing I would have made it much smaller.
Forget, great photo. Now if you had asked me to do a scale drawing I would have made it much smaller.
Last edited by Pontius Navigator; 13th Sep 2006 at 08:15. Reason: Forgot to thank Forget
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FJJP
The painting was done by myself earlier this year. It is still in my possession.
I offered it free of charge to the Vulcan 558 project for auction, with all proceeds going to the restoration. I also suggested a print run to them, with the majority of proceeds again going to the project. They felt unable to organise such a proposal, saying that it was easier to sell mugs, T-shirts etc. So in answer to your second question: there are presently no prints available, and without a sponsor/publisher, it is just too expensive to go it alone. Sorry.
The painting was done by myself earlier this year. It is still in my possession.
I offered it free of charge to the Vulcan 558 project for auction, with all proceeds going to the restoration. I also suggested a print run to them, with the majority of proceeds again going to the project. They felt unable to organise such a proposal, saying that it was easier to sell mugs, T-shirts etc. So in answer to your second question: there are presently no prints available, and without a sponsor/publisher, it is just too expensive to go it alone. Sorry.
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Cracking job jindabyne
What size is your painting? Not that it matters much for a re-sizeable print run. I'll have one. Anyone else?
PS. Can you make the radome black? Like proper Vulcans.
PPS. And the roundels red white and blue.
What size is your painting? Not that it matters much for a re-sizeable print run. I'll have one. Anyone else?
PS. Can you make the radome black? Like proper Vulcans.
PPS. And the roundels red white and blue.
Thread Starter
...presumably you'll want it without a TFR pod...
...and with a Mark 1 wing...
..oh, and why not make it white whilst you're at it?
NO!! It's totally authentic as it is and is a superb work of art.
...and with a Mark 1 wing...
..oh, and why not make it white whilst you're at it?
NO!! It's totally authentic as it is and is a superb work of art.
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Oh dear, a bollocking from Mr B
I'm all for authenticity, and red white and blue roundels, Mk 2 wings, black radome with a TFR pod.
Before your time perhaps
I'm all for authenticity, and red white and blue roundels, Mk 2 wings, black radome with a TFR pod.Before your time perhaps
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TBC
I remember a 'priceless' F700 deferred defect entry at Waddo, in 1968 I believe. "Tail Brake Chute shackle cracked - use TBC in emergency only!" Got it un-deferred while we forced ourselves to partake of another 'delay meal'.
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Maybe you should go into business... everybody obviously wants a pic of his "own" Vulcan