Are any Victor tankers still airworthy?
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: UK
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
As far as I know all of the surviving "whole" Victors are airframe life expired or very close to it. My memories of the Victor go back to my Marham days in the 70's and they were a fantastic sight at night they almost looked like a flying Christmas tree.
Join Date: May 2005
Location: UK
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Bruntingthorpe Open Day 27.8.2006
Victor XM715 "Teasin' Tina" will be part of the Bruntingthorpe Open Day where she will be doing a fast taxi up to 135 knots all being well. Come on down to hear those Conways roar!
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: on the move ...
Posts: 121
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by H1HU
She still does her power runs courtesy of an enthusiastic private owner.
http://www.lustylindy.co.uk/ fairly new website with background to the machine and the work the team do.
Even if she could be made to fly the runway is no longer long enough to get the old girl in the air.
H1HU
http://www.lustylindy.co.uk/ fairly new website with background to the machine and the work the team do.
Even if she could be made to fly the runway is no longer long enough to get the old girl in the air.
H1HU
I can remember visiting Marham post GW1 and being shown round Lindy undergoing servicing in the hangar! I was also at Elvington, as a spotty 18 year old Spacey, for her last flight!
Ho Hum!
Join Date: May 1999
Location: Bristol, England
Age: 65
Posts: 1,805
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
No, no no. Cut them up, melt them down. The Victor was a horrid old queen - difficult to fly, cramped cockpit, bang seats, immersion suits, the MFS, five crew doing what could have been done by two, crystals in the ILS, crap nav kit, crewed by the detritis of 1GP (present company excepted), controlled by 1 GP. Sometimes you should let go.
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Gloucestershire
Posts: 403
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by Alex Whittingham
No, no no. Cut them up, melt them down. The Victor was a horrid old queen - difficult to fly, cramped cockpit, bang seats, immersion suits, the MFS, five crew doing what could have been done by two, crystals in the ILS, crap nav kit, crewed by the detritis of 1GP (present company excepted), controlled by 1 GP. Sometimes you should let go.
Oh dear, Alex, you have cut me to the core! I'm injured! My beloved Victor! 
Ah well, thanks for getting me through the ATPL subjects all those years ago.
Ah well, thanks for getting me through the ATPL subjects all those years ago.
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Witney UK
Posts: 616
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Alex
Whilst agreeing with you about most of your points, perhaps that may be why some people have an affection for the beast, it was always a challenge, I can not let you get away with detritis for the crews. Rogues and vagabonds they may have been as you well know, but certainly in the Tanker time they were as professional a team of operators as any in the Air Force and a lot more professional than some I could mention.
Whilst agreeing with you about most of your points, perhaps that may be why some people have an affection for the beast, it was always a challenge, I can not let you get away with detritis for the crews. Rogues and vagabonds they may have been as you well know, but certainly in the Tanker time they were as professional a team of operators as any in the Air Force and a lot more professional than some I could mention.
Join Date: May 1999
Location: Bristol, England
Age: 65
Posts: 1,805
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Ah well, it was slightly tongue in cheek, I'll take the rap and go with rogues and vagabonds. I'll always the remember the flight commander on his IRT who applied three times the variation on the outbound leg... he got a Master Green for that..
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: East Midlands
Age: 84
Posts: 1,511
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Bruntingthorpe Runway
SFAIK the Bruntingthorpe runway is 10,000 ft long, I don't know if it is all useable. This is easily enough to get any Victor airborne; it wouldn't be legal or safe, but it could be done!
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Witney UK
Posts: 616
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Remember taking a K2 to Finningley for B-o-B, got airborne with transit to Marham fuel just behind an early Jag. He followed curvature of earth flightpath, we were almost airborne by the upwind end VASIs. Do not think Bruntingthorpe would be a problem.
Join Date: May 2005
Location: UK
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by A2QFI
SFAIK the Bruntingthorpe runway is 10,000 ft long, I don't know if it is all useable. This is easily enough to get any Victor airborne; it wouldn't be legal or safe, but it could be done!
On the second fast taxi run of the 2005 Open Day our pilot, with 20 years experience flying Victors, had the nose wheel off just before throttling back.
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: ecosse
Posts: 714
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Foxcounty
Ah yes! I remember it well
That resonance and drone during taxy (especially at night), same as the Javellin
I was told at the time the donks were Saphires - did they change them?
Regards B15
Ah yes! I remember it well
That resonance and drone during taxy (especially at night), same as the Javellin
I was told at the time the donks were Saphires - did they change them?
Regards B15
Join Date: May 2006
Location: York
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi,
Just to confrim some things! The runway at elvington is long enough...waaay long enough to take off! As for previous sattements about certain unreliablities, all of lindys MFS (Mystery Flight System
) is still operational, in addition to this every system bar the HDU is operational. This includes all the nav kit, radio gear (RT1 and RT2, VHF and UHF), green satin, the H2S radar etc. On our runs this weekend our nav radar was getting strong cloud returns and crystal current, which is good! The only reason the HDU is not operational is because the RAF nicked it!
We believe that XL231 would be perfectly fit for flight duew to there being little or no corrosion on the airframe and a full RAF maintenance schedule has been followed for the 13 years the ol girl has been on the ground.
However, flying is a pipedream as the CAA would never allow one to fly again, which is a bummer. Oh well, 120kts down the runway with chute billowing will have to do!
Cheers
Ollie
Just to confrim some things! The runway at elvington is long enough...waaay long enough to take off! As for previous sattements about certain unreliablities, all of lindys MFS (Mystery Flight System
) is still operational, in addition to this every system bar the HDU is operational. This includes all the nav kit, radio gear (RT1 and RT2, VHF and UHF), green satin, the H2S radar etc. On our runs this weekend our nav radar was getting strong cloud returns and crystal current, which is good! The only reason the HDU is not operational is because the RAF nicked it!We believe that XL231 would be perfectly fit for flight duew to there being little or no corrosion on the airframe and a full RAF maintenance schedule has been followed for the 13 years the ol girl has been on the ground.
However, flying is a pipedream as the CAA would never allow one to fly again, which is a bummer. Oh well, 120kts down the runway with chute billowing will have to do!
Cheers
Ollie
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: .
Age: 57
Posts: 23
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
If memory serves me, we had a hell of a problem with the engines just prior to the disbandment of 55. Something to do with the combustion chambers cracking. At one point, I seem to remember, we were down to 2 fully serviceable aircraft, and 3 spare engines. So, unless RR can supply new cans for the Conways, getting one flying again is a non-starter. This is apart from the airframes being out of fatigue life
