Did You Fly The Vulcan?? (Merged)
Certainly Waddo's Lincoln block NBC shelter was full of motorbikes that were being worked on. Not much use for anything else, and far more preferable to working on them outside.
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Vulcan CG Slide Rule
Can anyone help me? I would like to borrow or buy a Vulcan CG slide rule for a talk I am giving in LA to the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. Replies to [email protected]
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Just an update for anyone that's interested (and no it's not an advert as I'm not on commission!), my Vulcan book is now with the printer so it should be out by Christmas.
Anyways, thanks to all the folks that helped with the book - much appreciated
Anyways, thanks to all the folks that helped with the book - much appreciated
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Malta 'shackletons' 1975???
In 1975 ,the time of the Vulcan accident, 203 had been flying Nimrods for several years, I know, I was there in the first Nimrod to arrive for 203 on October 4th 1971
Hi WAGMANBOB, I was on 203 Sqd Nimrods between 74 & 77. I remember the Shackletons when they used to visit Luqa, in particular one misty morning when on SAR cover one started up the other side of 203 pan it was a lovely sound.
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Did you fly the Vulcan
Myself and a canadian Sqdn.Ldr. completed the 230 OCU course at Waddington on Vulcans specifically to carry out the tests on the automatic landing capability, at RAE Bedford.( Blind Landing Unit)
It was realised that in the event of a nucleur attack upon the UK it would be necessary to disperse the Vulcan squadrons around the country regardless of any weather conditions.
The equipment, which included,autopilot and auto throttle, worked really well and I would say the Vulcan was the most impressive of the aircraft it was used on.
Imagine my surprise, when,some years later, on a visit to a Greenham Common display day. My Son in Law managed to get me into a 50 Sqdn Vulcan, whilst looking around the cockpit and reminding myself of the blind landing controls, my host, a young Flt Lt Pilot said " You seem to know what those controls are" I explained and he said " We have often wondered, but certainly never used them".When I think how much the system would have been appreciated by the crews.Furthermore had it been available to XA 897 the London Airport crash could have been avoided.
It was realised that in the event of a nucleur attack upon the UK it would be necessary to disperse the Vulcan squadrons around the country regardless of any weather conditions.
The equipment, which included,autopilot and auto throttle, worked really well and I would say the Vulcan was the most impressive of the aircraft it was used on.
Imagine my surprise, when,some years later, on a visit to a Greenham Common display day. My Son in Law managed to get me into a 50 Sqdn Vulcan, whilst looking around the cockpit and reminding myself of the blind landing controls, my host, a young Flt Lt Pilot said " You seem to know what those controls are" I explained and he said " We have often wondered, but certainly never used them".When I think how much the system would have been appreciated by the crews.Furthermore had it been available to XA 897 the London Airport crash could have been avoided.
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Padhist
I don't think you are quite right. I was taught to use the Vulcan autoland system by Joe L'Estrange while going through the OCU in 1977. And XA897 crashed at Heathrow in October 1956 because no-one knew then that you had to add a pressure error correction factor to all Vulcan instrument approaches.
I don't think you are quite right. I was taught to use the Vulcan autoland system by Joe L'Estrange while going through the OCU in 1977. And XA897 crashed at Heathrow in October 1956 because no-one knew then that you had to add a pressure error correction factor to all Vulcan instrument approaches.
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That's interesting, Flatiron, there are several different explanations of the Vulcan Heathrow tragedy in "The Vulcan Story" by Tim Laming, that I am reading at the moment.
The most plausible to me (an ex PAR technician) is that there was divergent osillation due to the time lag between the GCA controller and the pilot. The controller had not handled a fast jet before and the Vulcan pilot had not used civilian GCA before. According to Peter Rivers, who wrote the chapter, "the delay in the pilot's response to the controller's instructions, and the delay in the controller following the radar plot, led to the flight path swinging further and further above and below the correct one, until the final low point caused the u/c to hit the ground, pushing it through the wing's flying controls."
The most plausible to me (an ex PAR technician) is that there was divergent osillation due to the time lag between the GCA controller and the pilot. The controller had not handled a fast jet before and the Vulcan pilot had not used civilian GCA before. According to Peter Rivers, who wrote the chapter, "the delay in the pilot's response to the controller's instructions, and the delay in the controller following the radar plot, led to the flight path swinging further and further above and below the correct one, until the final low point caused the u/c to hit the ground, pushing it through the wing's flying controls."
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Heathrow
Thanks AvroLincoln. According to the BoI report, about 7sec before the Vulcan hit the ground,the GCA controller told Podge Howard that he was 80ft above the glidepath. Even after XA 897 struck the ground, the talkdown continued as if the approach had been normal. The BoI concluded that 'the failure to warn the captain that he was going below the glidepath was the principal cause of the accident.' A subsequent Boscombe study of Vulcan altimerer errors revealed that the large delta wing area, plus friction with the altimeter, amounted to a total possible error of 200ft. As Heathrow 10 Left was 80ft above sea leave, even with 300ft indicated on his altimeter Podge Howard was already among the weeds.
Agghh, bottomless-pit syndrome strikes again.......
Got a shilling to spare, Guv?
Vulcan XH558 needs £100,000 to complete flight-test programme
Flight International today:-
Click on the link for full story.
Vulcan XH558 needs £100,000 to complete flight-test programme
Flight International today:-
The Vulcan To The Sky Trust is in desperate need for £100,000 ($200,000) to fund the completion of the flight-test programme for Avro Vulcan XH558, which would enable the V-Bomber to participate in the 2008 air show season.
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Did you fly the Vulcan
Thank you Flatiron,
I am pleased to learn that our efforts were not completely in vain.
Would Joe l'Estrange be the same that I did Mosquito conversions with In 1954 Seleter.
How these youngsters grow up !!!
I am pleased to learn that our efforts were not completely in vain.
Would Joe l'Estrange be the same that I did Mosquito conversions with In 1954 Seleter.
How these youngsters grow up !!!
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Padhist, could be. I first knew Joe just 10 years after that so it could fit.
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Joe L'Estrange
.....and on 11th February 1984 Joe delivered XM655 to Wellesbourne Mountford. Reading this has just prompted me to re-watch the old video of the delivery flight, those Olympus 301s were just as smoky then as they are today!
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Joe kindly supplied me with some photographs from his collection for my Vulcan book. He said he restricted his flying activities to much smaller/lighter aircraft these days. Pity - if only he could get his hands on XH558 at Bruntingthorpe
There could only be one Joe L'Estrange! ***
Flew with him on 50 Sqn, Vulcan K2, XH560, 29 Feb 1984, & last flight, 01 Mar 1984, Vulcan B2, XM597. We disbanded at the end of that month, when (IIRC) he did the final display. He went on to AEF flying at some stage afterwards. Marvellous character!!
(*** = apparently not, there is another one! But not much chance of getting them mixed up...)
Flew with him on 50 Sqn, Vulcan K2, XH560, 29 Feb 1984, & last flight, 01 Mar 1984, Vulcan B2, XM597. We disbanded at the end of that month, when (IIRC) he did the final display. He went on to AEF flying at some stage afterwards. Marvellous character!!
(*** = apparently not, there is another one! But not much chance of getting them mixed up...)
As a regular see off and debrief erk, had many dealings with him, and he was a real gent. Another of 50's gents was AEO Sqn Ldr John Shaw, who provided the 'go cart' for the race round E dispersal. (It was his ride on lawn mower in for a service with the Radar SNCO.....
)
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Bertram V Caskie
Can you confirm if Caskie (XL389/444) is actually Bertram V Caskie DFC (known as Bert). He was previously with 142 and 150 Squadrons and was awarded DFC on 5.1.43. I am researching family history and he was my Mother-in Law's best man at her wedding to his cousin. Any info you can provide would be most welcome.
Thanks and Regards
Trevor Stewart
Thanks and Regards
Trevor Stewart
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Trevor
Very feint memory of a Jock Caskie.
I don't think the one you are looking for is your man.
There were older pilots on the Mk 2s in the 60s. As a wartime DFC in 1943 that would put him at about 23-25 then and 47-50 5 ish on the Vulcan.
There were still a sprinkling of medal ribbons around the bomber bases then but usually at wg cdr level with the odd sqn ldr.
To give you an idea, ex-sgt nav, shot down in 1943 after the dams raid, at Waddo in 1967 was an 'old man' compared with all the operational aircrew.
Very feint memory of a Jock Caskie.
I don't think the one you are looking for is your man.
There were older pilots on the Mk 2s in the 60s. As a wartime DFC in 1943 that would put him at about 23-25 then and 47-50 5 ish on the Vulcan.
There were still a sprinkling of medal ribbons around the bomber bases then but usually at wg cdr level with the odd sqn ldr.
To give you an idea, ex-sgt nav, shot down in 1943 after the dams raid, at Waddo in 1967 was an 'old man' compared with all the operational aircrew.
Last edited by Wader2; 17th Jan 2008 at 10:25. Reason: rtfq