Vulcan XH558 to find new home
 

Vulcan XH558 set to leave Doncaster Sheffield Airport in 2023 - Vulcan to the Sky

So what would it take to dismantle and reassemble a Vulcan?

Crash n Smash did it with the Vulcan that went to RAFM Hendon 40 years ago, but that wasn't with the intention of it ever being live again, so they chopped through the electric looms runs and cables at the joints when it was split......and that was still a huge undertaking. If its never going to be a live a/c again, why bother trying to move it, as there are plenty of dead Vulcan' already in museums?

I think the only way '558 will be leaving DSA is in bits in a load of skips.

Mil-26 can hoist 22 ton
Vulcan is 37 ton
4 engines is -6 tons
minus landing gear, rudder, outer wings, flaps, ailerons ?
just a tought.

That much is self-evident, anything else is just wishful thinking.

They're considering flying it.

They won't consider it for long when they start to do the sums.

But remember that's how it all started before it first flew again.

Move it to where?

Do you think it would have flown at all if the fundraisers had said the money would go towards just one final flight ?

They could do like the Victor at Bruntingthorpe, a planned fast taxi, bit too much power and they were flying, just with the Vulcan the inadvertent hop could become a delivery flight to somewhere else, but as others have asked where would it go.
Personally the Beverley deserves a home more than another Vulcan.

Thanks for all the replies so far.
I remember all the neih sayers who said it wouldn't fly however on this occasion I believe Rolls Royce won't underwrite the engines so flying seems to be a non starter. But never say never.

Was the Vulcan designed to be taken apart?

Not in a way that would facilitate reassembly ...

Sorry, disagree. Just a LOT of work if you want to reassemble as working aircraft. If your not bothered about cutting electric cables and hydraulic
systems, then it’s just work. Question is, are the original trestles still available?

I agree. Love the Vulcan but no Beverley is worse.

Still no suggestion as to where it might land....?!!!!

Hmmmm.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....a2ef5b572f.jpg

How did they take apart and reassemble the Hendon Vulcan? Presumably it can be done to at least look whole again? Although this explains why there are so many dangling bits in the bomb bay.

As an aside. In the event the Vulcan has to be chopped I wonder if it would make a good exploded view exhibit much like the Liverpool U-Boat?
We never really get to see inside these aircraft.

And the extra load from the downdraft hitting that massive delta wing planform.....?

Not an answer, but Elvington have said it won't be them.

With great difficulty, by all accounts.

I didn't say it was impossible, just not straightforward. In other words - in answer to your original question - Avro didn't design in the ability to take it apart and reassemble it easily, as there was no reason to do so.

Well if it’s not Elvington surely the only other place would be a holiday on the coast at Newquay?

The Cosford Vulcan has the bomb bay open so you can at least get some idea of what it was intended for....and I accept, that, for anybody not familiar with the various systems / structure seeing such can be interesting, but really, to be honest, most people would prefer to view a complete aircraft .

Quite what will happen in the end obviously remains unknown, but, as others have said, the chances of a "one off " flight are zero unless, by some miracle, unlikely, various airworthiness authorities decide to grant a dispensation.

Airworthiness in this case relies upon a Design Authority taking responsibility for the aircraft, that being BAe for the airframe in the most recent past. As I recall it was BAe's withdrawal of that support which grounded it last time. It's hard to believe that a reverse of that decision would be made, and so any talk of a flight out of Doncaster would appear to be mere whimsy.

Yes, all that lovely salty, sea air. That's already destroyed one Vulcan, and not done the Humberside Beverley any good either.
.

As I recall, all the previously designed airframe life updates had been installed, and BAe wouldn't fund the design of a further update scheme to possibly extend the fatigue life even further.
Add to that the two (?) engines they wrecked by not removing the silica gel intake packs before engine start, leaving no spares, and grounding was the only option.

If remaining fatigue life was the only showstopper, they would probably be able to get a concession out of the CAA for a single flight.

But it isn't, and they won't.

Are you saying they don't have 4 serviceable engines left, anyway?

The only 4 serviceable engines they had were installed in the aeroplane when it was last airworthy. Whether they're still officially or technically serviceable now or not, I've no idea.
Engine-wise there was no Plan B.

I'd bet Jeremy Clarkson would give it a home....

Jeremy could tow it home with his Lamborghini tractor! ;)

I understand that it is still taxiable so, taxi it to .... wherever. A quick scan of Google Street-Thingy suggest that there are no low bridges between DSA and the M18 and once you hit the motorway, well, the world is your lobster.

I firmly believe that endless hours of GTA5 has made me a better and more assertive driver in the real world. In my experience, vehicles can be driven through quite small gaps if approached with confidence. And momentum. Yeah, momentum.

The wedge shape will probably help.

Good thinking.

Conveniently, the Vulcan's wingspan is only a tad more than the width from the outside edge of one hard shoulder to the outside edge of the opposite one (on a 3-lane motorway).

What could possibly go wrong?

Wouldn't all that silica gel cause a skid hazard on the motorway?

Buenos Aires.

Corrosion Heaven
 

Well that would fix it well and truly, might as well pour acid over it.

And quite apart from the eye-watering cost to get it there, who's going to pay the rent?

Mike Collett baled out after a very short time partly as, IIRC, the rent on the hanger was £250,000 a year after the initial first year free or heavily discounted.

Out of interest, what genuinely viable locations, two get alluded to in the news letter, would be available ?

Although to be blunt, the news letter also suggests these will not be realistic with the reference to " unsuccessful fundraising campaign " because, unlike the time when money was being raised for the restoration to flight, there isn't what you would call a surplus of cash in peoples pockets at the moment.

Yes, it's an iconic aircraft, but, there are still other examples around and intact. Assuming the airport closure is confirmed in Oct, then, unfortunately, " Mr Vulcan ?...this is Ms Husqvarna....you're both going to be intimately acquainted for a short while " would seem to be inevitable. Maybe they could save the nose or try and dispose of anything that could be used as spares for those remaining examples, but even then, this would depend on the current owners of such having the money available to buy them.

As for the "one off " flight, well apart from the signatures, and costs, for the (unrealistic) issuing of airworthiness paperwork, there's also the not so little matter of insurance and, as others have said, you can bet this alone will be eye watering.

They need a former Vulcan pilot with Terminal illness who doesn't give a toss. Take it out for a taxi test and, oops!, got airborne.

It is a huge shame than in hindsight, XH558 ended up being flown into what is effectively a cul-de-sac with very little option now for recovery. Granted that it gave a lot of pleasure when flying but as a now solely taxiable aircraft, is it so dissimilar to XL426 and XL455 that it merits the huge logistical efforts and costs to try and relocate it? Sadly, it looks like it may have to be parted for spares to be used by the other 2 aircraft and maybe a nice nose section display for a museum.
Financial support for the aircraft was waning when it ceased flying as evidenced by the failure to reach funding for the hangar at DSA, although it may be that Peel would not have wanted it there anyway given current plans.

Neither the cockpit nor rear crew area of XH558 are representative of an RAF Vulcan.