Just a photo. But what a photo.
A good book on the development of the Vulcan is "Vulcan Test pilot" by Tony Blackman. I would have loved to see his displays at Farnborough. Take off, keep it low, go vertical and finish with a roll off the top and then land.
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I can also recommend Roger Brook's two recently published volumes on the Victor - the first covers development and testing and the second looks at variations, AAR and also all the accident reports - some of which are shocking, especially where procedures for the guys in the back were concerned.
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Some V footage..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVIHn5GdWhI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqYIq_5xBbc
(interesting description of the ejection..)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T9f4u5sVVw
(nice bits of the V Force at Witt)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVIHn5GdWhI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqYIq_5xBbc
(interesting description of the ejection..)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T9f4u5sVVw
(nice bits of the V Force at Witt)
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He's stayed in touch with some of them and I am now pleased to say I am furnished with a regular supply of wonderful V-Bomber stories!
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Morning all
Not sure where to start with the stories to be honest - but it just seemed like an incredible time to be in the RAF and, frequently, quite hair-raising. One of my Dad's that always makes me chuckle was about his mate who parked a trolley with a bomb on it outside the NAAFI while he ran in and grabbed a cuppa. They never saw him again! One of the aircrew Dad met at the XV Squadron dinner last year went on to become a TP and flew an extraordinary number of aircraft, including a spell at Edwards. He emailed a great tale about flying a Mk1 Vulcan in to Halton from Boscombe Down in the 1960's, landing on the grass and stopping in about 700 yards!
Anyway - a few more photos!
Those visitors from Alconbury again:
That's the old man on the far left! As you can see he was employed to actually hold the Victor's wing up with his head. Incredible!! :-)
The boss - with Sailor Malan
The Shah of Persia on a visit to Cottesmore:
At St Mawgan for a bombing compeition:
Gareth
Not sure where to start with the stories to be honest - but it just seemed like an incredible time to be in the RAF and, frequently, quite hair-raising. One of my Dad's that always makes me chuckle was about his mate who parked a trolley with a bomb on it outside the NAAFI while he ran in and grabbed a cuppa. They never saw him again! One of the aircrew Dad met at the XV Squadron dinner last year went on to become a TP and flew an extraordinary number of aircraft, including a spell at Edwards. He emailed a great tale about flying a Mk1 Vulcan in to Halton from Boscombe Down in the 1960's, landing on the grass and stopping in about 700 yards!
Anyway - a few more photos!
Those visitors from Alconbury again:
That's the old man on the far left! As you can see he was employed to actually hold the Victor's wing up with his head. Incredible!! :-)
The boss - with Sailor Malan
The Shah of Persia on a visit to Cottesmore:
At St Mawgan for a bombing compeition:
Gareth
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A bit off-thread, but I thought someone might like this.
On the back of this officially released photo, on an attached piece of paper, in ‘Roneoed’ type is:
‘RAF STRIKE COMMAND FRONT LINE
Photographed together for the first time, Vulcan Mk 2 bombers, and Lightning F Mk 6 single-seat all-weather fighters of RAF Strike Command which forms on April 30 after Bomber and Fighter Commands have amalgamated. Vulcans carry free-fall and Blue Steel nuclear weapons, and are also a most effective conventional strike aircraft, able to carry twenty-one 1,000lb bombs. Lightnings carry Firestreak or Red Top air-to-air missiles which allow attacks on enemy aircraft to be made at long range without the pilot actually seeing the target. The Vulcans are from No 50 Squadron, RAF Waddington, and the Lightnings from No 5 Squadron, RAF Binbrook.’
On the back of this officially released photo, on an attached piece of paper, in ‘Roneoed’ type is:
‘RAF STRIKE COMMAND FRONT LINE
Photographed together for the first time, Vulcan Mk 2 bombers, and Lightning F Mk 6 single-seat all-weather fighters of RAF Strike Command which forms on April 30 after Bomber and Fighter Commands have amalgamated. Vulcans carry free-fall and Blue Steel nuclear weapons, and are also a most effective conventional strike aircraft, able to carry twenty-one 1,000lb bombs. Lightnings carry Firestreak or Red Top air-to-air missiles which allow attacks on enemy aircraft to be made at long range without the pilot actually seeing the target. The Vulcans are from No 50 Squadron, RAF Waddington, and the Lightnings from No 5 Squadron, RAF Binbrook.’
And I thought I was only one who thought the Victor looked so good. Still think that if it was rolled out today it wouldn't look dated with its futuristic crescent curves!
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Indeed, there are not many 50 year old machines that look like they were designed "tomorrow".
The Citroen DS is the same sort of age as the Victor - both straight out of Dan Dare and still looking bang up to date.
The Citroen DS is the same sort of age as the Victor - both straight out of Dan Dare and still looking bang up to date.
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Mogg,
MAGNIFIQUE!
If I were able to own any 5 things, one of them would be a Goddess Décapotable. The Rover P6 roofline was inspired by the DS (I think you'll find). I'm glad that Citroen is once again, after 25 years of making automotive guano, producing cars that make your eyes pop. If its effortless and luxurious mile munching you're after, and enough room to play in-car volleyball, wait until the C6 drops under 15k (won't be long).
Better still, bag a VW Phaeton - they're there already.
Be seen, and not herd.
MAGNIFIQUE!
If I were able to own any 5 things, one of them would be a Goddess Décapotable. The Rover P6 roofline was inspired by the DS (I think you'll find). I'm glad that Citroen is once again, after 25 years of making automotive guano, producing cars that make your eyes pop. If its effortless and luxurious mile munching you're after, and enough room to play in-car volleyball, wait until the C6 drops under 15k (won't be long).
Better still, bag a VW Phaeton - they're there already.
Be seen, and not herd.
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Victor a British design but not according to the Yanks!
Stumbled across this site and it brought back many memories. I was ground crew (electronics) on Victors back in 60s and well remember waiting for a couple of Victors to land at USAF Mildenhall, we had diverted there for a couple of weeks because a somewhat dozy pilot had landed at Honnington with his parking brakes on, burst all his tyres and trashed the just resurfaced runway!
A few USAF crew were with us while we waited on the pan and, as was their want the pilots decided to put on a bit of a display for the Yanks like wheels up approach, hurtle down the runway and stand it on its tail, a most impressive sight. The Yanks were obviously impressed with this and one turned to us and said “ now that’s an aircraft, it’s about time you Brits built something modern like that”, we all tried to convince them the Victor was one of our own, but they insisted it must be one of their new secret bombers just flown in from the States on a proving flight.
A few USAF crew were with us while we waited on the pan and, as was their want the pilots decided to put on a bit of a display for the Yanks like wheels up approach, hurtle down the runway and stand it on its tail, a most impressive sight. The Yanks were obviously impressed with this and one turned to us and said “ now that’s an aircraft, it’s about time you Brits built something modern like that”, we all tried to convince them the Victor was one of our own, but they insisted it must be one of their new secret bombers just flown in from the States on a proving flight.
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In the 80s I and most of the male members of my family were employed by Bae at Woodford, I recall there being a white Victor in a sorry state on the south side of the runway. I remember having a close look one day and noted a piece of artwork on the fusalage door which appeared to celebrate this aircraft actually going supersonic at some part in its life. The aircraft was scrapped and I dont know whether the door was saved. Does anybody know about this feat and if the artwork was saved.
More Victor artwork
Here's a good opportunity to ask another question about artwork on Victors.
Shortly after GW1, at an air display in Calgary, there was a pink Victor with a cartoon by the entrance hatch with the caption "I ran offit at Offutt" or something similar. Does anyone know the background? A cross-country rally in Nebraska, perhaps?
Shortly after GW1, at an air display in Calgary, there was a pink Victor with a cartoon by the entrance hatch with the caption "I ran offit at Offutt" or something similar. Does anyone know the background? A cross-country rally in Nebraska, perhaps?
Shortly after GW1, at an air display in Calgary, there was a pink Victor with a cartoon by the entrance hatch with the caption "I ran offit at Offutt" or something similar. Does anyone know the background? A cross-country rally in Nebraska, perhaps?
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I42 This may be the answer- beware it is from Wikipedia!
I also seem to recall reading in Paul Jacksons 'V Bombers' that one of the B1 prototypes or early production aircraft went supersonic in a dive, as some scrote had that book away a few years ago I may be confusing things though.
The Victor has the dubious honour of being one of the heaviest aircraft ever to go supersonic in a dive. The Victor was used during testing of the Blue Steel missile at the Woomera test range in Australia between 1957 and 1965. During one of these routine flights, the right air speed indicator failed, indicating Mach 1.03. The Victor was not designed to go supersonic so a "transonic" flight signal was sent to the auto stabilisers. They initiated a pitch-up manoeuvre in an attempt to slow the aircraft down. When the pilots checked the readouts on the two airspeed indicators, they chose to believe the faulty unit, and they too added positive pitch using the control yoke, also in an attempt to slow the bomber down. This resulted in a violent pitch up followed by a wing-over taking the Victor from plus 5G to minus 3G - well beyond the airframe design limits. The bomber then settled in to an uncontrollable, vertically supersonic flat spin, descending from 46,000ft to 16,000ft in 20 seconds. One of the flight crew had significant experience in prototype aircraft and elected to pull the braking parachute - normally used to slow the aircraft down after landing. The chute deployed but broke away within seconds. Fortunately, it induced just enough drag that some heavy stick-pulling by the crew managed to regain straight and level flight. It's worth understanding that this all happened in the space of a little under a minute, to an 80 ton aircraft carrying a fully-fueled Blue Steel nuclear-capable standoff missile.
Source : Frank Longhurst, weapons officer on-board the flight described here.
Source : Frank Longhurst, weapons officer on-board the flight described here.
I also seem to recall reading in Paul Jacksons 'V Bombers' that one of the B1 prototypes or early production aircraft went supersonic in a dive, as some scrote had that book away a few years ago I may be confusing things though.
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I42,
This airframe survives at the RAF Museum, Cosford.
http://www.airliners.net/open.file?i...ext_id=1141267
More Victor nose art here: http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/pics/gulfwar/gwvictors.htm
This airframe survives at the RAF Museum, Cosford.
http://www.airliners.net/open.file?i...ext_id=1141267
More Victor nose art here: http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/pics/gulfwar/gwvictors.htm