Vulcan Memories
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Vulcan Memories
So having already grown tired of Chicago after a recent move, I decided to head back to blighty for Christmas and was treated to an excellent TV show about flying the Vulcan. The show featured some chap with mutton chop sideburns helping out with the maintenance (and flying in) the last flying Vulcan. By the way, why are the inboard throttles square and the outboard throttles round on the quadrant, do the inboards have some extra functionality or is it just a “tell by touch” affair ?
I’m a sucker for the old stories, and a few stood out from memory:
1. During the Cuban Missile Crisis the crews were all put on alert with live weapons loaded and one crew member told his wife that if she heard them taking off she was to put the children in the car and drive up to the island of Skye.
2. One old chap recalled that he signed for his first nuclear weapon at the age of 23.
3. When he asked what the E&E procedure was after weapons release, one pilot was told to “keep flying East and settle down with a nice warm Mongolian girl”.
4. Another recalled how in later life he met a Russian lady who lived in his primary target, he said he was so overcome that he had to walk away.
5. One rear seater said that they always told their pilots that if things were looking dire then there were to be no heroics and they were to use their ejection seats immediately, no point in 5 dying when only 3 were required.
Very difficult not to admire what an amazing piece of equipment that aircraft was, although the negative comments about flying characteristics from one of the test pilots were interesting and looked to have been somewhat trimmed off (forgive the pun). Maybe it was an early problem he was referring to.
All in all it was one of the highlights of the trip for me.
I’m a sucker for the old stories, and a few stood out from memory:
1. During the Cuban Missile Crisis the crews were all put on alert with live weapons loaded and one crew member told his wife that if she heard them taking off she was to put the children in the car and drive up to the island of Skye.
2. One old chap recalled that he signed for his first nuclear weapon at the age of 23.
3. When he asked what the E&E procedure was after weapons release, one pilot was told to “keep flying East and settle down with a nice warm Mongolian girl”.
4. Another recalled how in later life he met a Russian lady who lived in his primary target, he said he was so overcome that he had to walk away.
5. One rear seater said that they always told their pilots that if things were looking dire then there were to be no heroics and they were to use their ejection seats immediately, no point in 5 dying when only 3 were required.
Very difficult not to admire what an amazing piece of equipment that aircraft was, although the negative comments about flying characteristics from one of the test pilots were interesting and looked to have been somewhat trimmed off (forgive the pun). Maybe it was an early problem he was referring to.
All in all it was one of the highlights of the trip for me.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Re para 2, I was 21.
Re throttle shape, virtually everything had select by touch features. You will see this on WW2 kit such as the 1153/1154 radio. As well as shape was switch operation, up, down, left, right, gated, guarded, pull to move etc.
In contrast, modern multi function, identical switches, soft or real, are rather less intuitive.
Re throttle shape, virtually everything had select by touch features. You will see this on WW2 kit such as the 1153/1154 radio. As well as shape was switch operation, up, down, left, right, gated, guarded, pull to move etc.
In contrast, modern multi function, identical switches, soft or real, are rather less intuitive.
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That would be Guy Martin; Truck mechanic and TT Motorbike Racer who owns a running Merlin engine.
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Another recalled how in later life he met a Russian lady who lived in his primary target, he said he was so overcome that he had to walk away.
I was greatly impressed how friendly your average Russian is, and it made all that Cold War nonsense seem such a waste of time and effort. Now it is all coming back, it seems
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Government surplus ones were very popular with the 'Hams'.
We had a set in the 'Radio Bay' at Istres, it was the only wireless on the base that could reliably recieve the BBC from Droitwich.
NRU74 - correct ... but you missed the 'awful' (pretty awful!!). 1154, 4 valve MOPA Tx which was 'back-tuned' to the 1155 Rx. The coloured dials impressed but the performance (bouncing down the Med, at night, relaying to Gib via Singapore!!!) was much less exotic
Went to Alconbury with an Anson and impressed the 'septics' no end, until we explained the workings - "What, no xtals???" The STR 18 was an enormous jump in performance.
Went to Alconbury with an Anson and impressed the 'septics' no end, until we explained the workings - "What, no xtals???" The STR 18 was an enormous jump in performance.
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When I was learning Russian I spent some time in Russia. Where I lived foreigners were rare and friendly Russians used to approach you in the street just to chat (or maybe scrounge a Marlborough!). One day I met a chap who had been in the Soviet Air Force. He told me he had spent several years on a base up North servicing Bears. When I told him I had been on tankers and involved with intercepting said Bears many times he was greatly amused, and we parted with a friendly handshake.
I was greatly impressed how friendly your average Russian is, and it made all that Cold War nonsense seem such a waste of time and effort. Now it is all coming back, it seems
I was greatly impressed how friendly your average Russian is, and it made all that Cold War nonsense seem such a waste of time and effort. Now it is all coming back, it seems
On several occasions, I flew the 'UK Open Skies' Andover in and out of Kubinka, Levashevo and Olenyagorsk. Everyone we met, including the military folk, were extremely pleasant. Especially so in Olenyagorsk, where the older folk toasted the British for breaking the blockade of Murmansk during WW II. It's the politicians to be wary of... not the indigenous population.
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Ancient siggies.....
.....used to talk about it and grow misty eyed remembering it sounding like a "box of birds". I only used one once and each symbol was very "musical" with the pitch varying sightly with each character. Very difficult to describe in print, but I can whistle it very closely. Yeah I know, and I've got a good face for radio too!!
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Saw an R1155 for sale in a shop in Norwich many years ago. Would have liked to have bought it but apparently women's dress shops and their contents are more attractive to my wife. 
Ty, only ever had to listen to Consol on it 56 years ago.
(Ident for Ploneis Consol for those who didn't know).
Also Bush Mills (MWN) was known as Mike Willy Nan long after Mike Whisky November had replaced said words in the phonetic alphabet.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
TTN, bit of deviation but less so than the 1154/55, and a Vulcan memory, was the US ATC propensity for converting a phonetic callsign in to a word.
We had the unfortunate callsign Mike Tango Uniform Romeo Delta on one Western Ranger.
We had the unfortunate callsign Mike Tango Uniform Romeo Delta on one Western Ranger.
My recollection of Consol was the callsign; MR was Stavanger, IIRC. There then followed a series of dots that eventually merged with hash with the dashes emerging from the other side.
You counted the dots or the dashes, looked at the tables and you had your true bearing from the beacon.
You counted the dots or the dashes, looked at the tables and you had your true bearing from the beacon.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
ideally you would take an along track count thus avoiding the need for position line transfer.
The theoretical count was 60 and you needed a total of 56 dots and dashes for a reliable line.