Vulcan vs. a Filling Station
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Vulcan vs. a Filling Station
A great many years ago, it was reported in a national daily newspaper that the aircraft had dropped so low on the approach to an airfield that the jet efflux had blown over a petrol filling station*!
Does anyone recollect this event?
* I think it was only a hut with 4 pumps.
Does anyone recollect this event?
* I think it was only a hut with 4 pumps.
Last edited by FantomZorbin; 15th Apr 2014 at 11:53. Reason: replace missing words!
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Yes indeed.
It happened at Filton.
My father was a TP at Filton in the late 50's and early 60's and I went to school with the Petrol filling station's owner's son.
The filling station was on the west side of the A.38 road adjacent to the airfield fence in the undershoot of Rwy 27.
The Vulcan may have been XA889 and went around from a very low level - planned or not, I do not recall and from memory, the garage fuel pumps etc. were all blown across the road and beyond.
The business (garage) never recovered in same location.
Just pleased that the 'old man' was not in the Vulcan on said occasion!
It happened at Filton.
My father was a TP at Filton in the late 50's and early 60's and I went to school with the Petrol filling station's owner's son.
The filling station was on the west side of the A.38 road adjacent to the airfield fence in the undershoot of Rwy 27.
The Vulcan may have been XA889 and went around from a very low level - planned or not, I do not recall and from memory, the garage fuel pumps etc. were all blown across the road and beyond.
The business (garage) never recovered in same location.
Just pleased that the 'old man' was not in the Vulcan on said occasion!
Last edited by GK430; 12th Apr 2014 at 14:43. Reason: Small addition
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The following might help a bit, from a family history memoir I'm currently working on:
Vulcan B2 (XH 557) runway overshoot
Approaching for a landing onto runway 09 from the west, the Avro test pilot (?Harry Pollitt) who had never landed at Filton before, brought the aircraft down heavily at least 500 yards beyond the safe point.The aircraft developed wheelbrake failure, possibly due to the heavy landing, and the brake chute also failed to deploy, so the pilot could not stop the aircraft on a flooded runway in heavy rain.The pilot attempted a full-power go-around, but the port main undercarriage set struck street lamps on the main A38 Bristol - Gloucester road, damaging the leg and wheels, and also demolishing four petrol pumps in an adjacent filling station, but the pilot retained control and the aircraft became airborne.A successful landing without casualties was made on a foam blanket at RAF St Mawgan in Cornwall, after dumping excess fuel over the Bristol Channel.
This aircraft returned to Filton in 1961, remaining until 1966 to undertake flight test development of the Olympus 301 engine for upgrading the RAF Vulcan B2 fleet.
Vulcan B2 (XH 557) runway overshoot
Approaching for a landing onto runway 09 from the west, the Avro test pilot (?Harry Pollitt) who had never landed at Filton before, brought the aircraft down heavily at least 500 yards beyond the safe point.The aircraft developed wheelbrake failure, possibly due to the heavy landing, and the brake chute also failed to deploy, so the pilot could not stop the aircraft on a flooded runway in heavy rain.The pilot attempted a full-power go-around, but the port main undercarriage set struck street lamps on the main A38 Bristol - Gloucester road, damaging the leg and wheels, and also demolishing four petrol pumps in an adjacent filling station, but the pilot retained control and the aircraft became airborne.A successful landing without casualties was made on a foam blanket at RAF St Mawgan in Cornwall, after dumping excess fuel over the Bristol Channel.
This aircraft returned to Filton in 1961, remaining until 1966 to undertake flight test development of the Olympus 301 engine for upgrading the RAF Vulcan B2 fleet.
...after dumping excess fuel over the Bristol Channel...
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Steamer Ned,
Thanks for correcting my poor recollection, it was a long time ago.
The name Harry Pollitt does ring a bell.
The garage was 'Nash's Garage'.
Was it really the one and only XH557 that lives on today?
Thanks for correcting my poor recollection, it was a long time ago.
The name Harry Pollitt does ring a bell.
The garage was 'Nash's Garage'.
Was it really the one and only XH557 that lives on today?
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"Was it really the one and only XH557 that lives on today?"
Sadly not, XH557 went into RAF service ending it's days with 50 Squadron.
Sold for scrap to the Bird Group on 8th December 1982.
The "flying" survivor is the next a/c from the production line XH558.
Ciarain.
Sadly not, XH557 went into RAF service ending it's days with 50 Squadron.
Sold for scrap to the Bird Group on 8th December 1982.
The "flying" survivor is the next a/c from the production line XH558.
Ciarain.
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OzBob, thanks for posting the filling station picture, I worked there for years and we used to have an area on the field known as Palm Beach, it's on the right hand side of runway 27 about half way down, anyone know why it was so called ?
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Originally Posted by superq7
OzBob, thanks for posting the filling station picture, I worked there for years and we used to have an area on the field known as Palm Beach, it's on the right hand side of runway 27 about half way down, anyone know why it was so called ?
The wiki about the making of the film is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cone_of_Silence_(film)
The DVD is still available on Amazon ~ well worth a watch for the aircraft footage.
Last edited by sooty655; 15th Apr 2014 at 19:16. Reason: added last para.
There have been lots of problems over the years due to the proximity of the A38 to the end of Filton's runway. There used to be a special set of traffic lights to stop the traffic when the Concordes were operating from there.
The last incident I recall was some poor unsuspecting cyclist who was knocked off his bicycle by the jet wash fron a departing Antonov a couple of years ago.
The last incident I recall was some poor unsuspecting cyclist who was knocked off his bicycle by the jet wash fron a departing Antonov a couple of years ago.
Originally Posted by BEagle:8431879
...after dumping excess fuel over the Bristol Channel...
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I went to Amazon to look at the 'Cone of Silence' DVD. Reviewers report that to make the film fit DVD format, much of the picture at the sides has been cropped (to the extent that in one dialogue the second person does not even appear on the screen!). Pity, as I'd have bought it if that wasn't the case.
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Originally Posted by Shaggy Sheep Driver
I went to Amazon to look at the 'Cone of Silence' DVD. Reviewers report that to make the film fit DVD format, much of the picture at the sides has been cropped (to the extent that in one dialogue the second person does not even appear on the screen!). Pity, as I'd have bought it if that wasn't the case.