Vulcan B2?
Don't see many references to TMS on here.
As you say -an "interesting" road journey.
Incidentally our weekly poker school in the mess was joined for a while by a CIA man who worked "up the hill". We thought this lent an air of glamour to our game!
Cunning Artificer
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...and reheated Olympus 301s of 30,000 lbf (130 kN) thrust.
Hmm. A Concorde, I suppose.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Attachment 4390 Intersting Avro proposal from 1952 for a very long range Photo recce version of the Vulcan
YS
Fire Officer at Kai Tak I had occasion to drive up the mountain to do the annual fire inspection at the unit.
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If you have access to the channel "Movies4men" then set your alarm for 3am on Tuesday, 10 Apr
Avro Vulcan
A documentary charting the history and development of the Avro Vulcan bomber aircraft.
A documentary charting the history and development of the Avro Vulcan bomber aircraft.
I flew a Vulcan B2 with bomb bay tanks for 7:05 hours. I had proposed to HQ No 1 Group at Bawtry to take a Vulcan around the North Pole. The plan was to take off from Bodo in Norway, fly to the Pole, then once around, and back to Scampton. There were many airfields on the east coast of the UK should we run short of fuel. We proved the range by flying a large square in mid-Atlantic, climbing 1,000 feet at each corner (due to air traffic restriction, we could not do a proper cruise-climb). We landed with the minimum fuel - in those days, 8,000 lbs, which was raised a few years later to 10,000 lbs. Our project was rejected by No 1 Group. More is the pity since no Bomber Command aircraft had flown round the pole since war time. However, I believe John Pack of 27(?) Sqn managed a few minutes longer than my flight. I think he also managed to get above 60,000 ft.
That trip around the North Pole would have been quite a challenge for the Plotter - unless there was any significant land from which a radar fix was possible? But an excellent training opportunity nonetheless - what a pity HQ 1 Gp said no!
J Le B - a name much feared and revered as OC GSU when I was on 35! Hope you're keeping well?
If I recall correctly, during one of those pre-Western Ranger briefs we used to be given by the GSU, you were describing the buttes to be seen on one particular OB route "The sort of thing from behind which you expect to see John Wayne appear on his horse".
"Thuh hell ya will, pilgrim....", I commented.
Your eyes narrowed and in a mock-Gestapo voice you simply said "Ve are ze GSU! Ve do ze jokes!"
At least I think it was you?
J Le B - a name much feared and revered as OC GSU when I was on 35! Hope you're keeping well?
If I recall correctly, during one of those pre-Western Ranger briefs we used to be given by the GSU, you were describing the buttes to be seen on one particular OB route "The sort of thing from behind which you expect to see John Wayne appear on his horse".
"Thuh hell ya will, pilgrim....", I commented.
Your eyes narrowed and in a mock-Gestapo voice you simply said "Ve are ze GSU! Ve do ze jokes!"
At least I think it was you?
Last edited by BEagle; 19th May 2018 at 14:42.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
BB, my thoughts too.
As far as the polar trip, as far as I know they might have had GPI4. JP was the OC when my skipper was a co jo. They certainly had GPI6 with BS but as BS was only just entering Service.
The VC 10 route involved a refuel at Iceland and a recovery direct to Brize. I suppose radar fixes would have been possible of Svarlbard but night set to in winter would have been OK. Though there was one 'night's astro exercise panned up in to the Norwegian Sea in summer. The crews all complained after the event.
As far as the polar trip, as far as I know they might have had GPI4. JP was the OC when my skipper was a co jo. They certainly had GPI6 with BS but as BS was only just entering Service.
The VC 10 route involved a refuel at Iceland and a recovery direct to Brize. I suppose radar fixes would have been possible of Svarlbard but night set to in winter would have been OK. Though there was one 'night's astro exercise panned up in to the Norwegian Sea in summer. The crews all complained after the event.
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John Lebrun
Thank you much appreciated.
With living next to RAF Scampton & Waddington most of my life during the 70's & 80's I have always being fascinated by the Vulcan & Vulcan Scrambles at airshows. Like most Vulcan fans would have jumped at a chance of a flight in the aircraft. The next best thing was a flight in Concorde, good times!!
Glider 90
Thank you much appreciated.
With living next to RAF Scampton & Waddington most of my life during the 70's & 80's I have always being fascinated by the Vulcan & Vulcan Scrambles at airshows. Like most Vulcan fans would have jumped at a chance of a flight in the aircraft. The next best thing was a flight in Concorde, good times!!
Glider 90
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In which case, Glider90, you may have witnessed the last full-blooded 1 Gp Survival Scramble during my time as SATCO Waddington. Both Wings launched everything, and the sky was full of fan-tracks climbing away from both stations in a clear sky. Lincolnshire vibrated, and the sight and sound was awesome to witness. How many did the Wings launch on that occasion? I could guess 2 dozen from XW.
1982? 1983? A fantastic Vulcan swan-song, apart from Black Buck of course.
1982? 1983? A fantastic Vulcan swan-song, apart from Black Buck of course.
Hello John,
Nice to know that you are still around. It was the V Force day at Newark Air Museum today, you would have recognised a few old faces.
The North Pole in. Vulcan would have been “challenging”. Grid navigation using MFS or even the later HRS might have been stretching things a bit. I flew with an ex V Force Nav on the Nimrod MR1 who wrote the 18 Gp SOP for high latitude navigation. He was quite pragmatic about it, saying that he would drop a couple of 8 hour buoys in the last polynya he passed northbound whilst he still had good fixing and then start again from them when returning southbound.
A few years later I did go to the Pole from Bodo in a Nimrod, but we had Twin Carousel and Omega. An MR2 followed a couple of weeks later using FIN1012 and Omega. By that time it was relatively straightforward.
YS
Nice to know that you are still around. It was the V Force day at Newark Air Museum today, you would have recognised a few old faces.
The North Pole in. Vulcan would have been “challenging”. Grid navigation using MFS or even the later HRS might have been stretching things a bit. I flew with an ex V Force Nav on the Nimrod MR1 who wrote the 18 Gp SOP for high latitude navigation. He was quite pragmatic about it, saying that he would drop a couple of 8 hour buoys in the last polynya he passed northbound whilst he still had good fixing and then start again from them when returning southbound.
A few years later I did go to the Pole from Bodo in a Nimrod, but we had Twin Carousel and Omega. An MR2 followed a couple of weeks later using FIN1012 and Omega. By that time it was relatively straightforward.
YS
John,
Great to "hear" from you again! Many good memories from the old days!
Never did the North pole (in a Vulcan) but had a great short stages run to Canada with the "Reds" (still Gnats) as their guide (?) through a fairly Northerly route !!
Take care,
Bill.
Great to "hear" from you again! Many good memories from the old days!
Never did the North pole (in a Vulcan) but had a great short stages run to Canada with the "Reds" (still Gnats) as their guide (?) through a fairly Northerly route !!
Take care,
Bill.
