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Anyone want a Victor bomber, FREE to a good home

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Anyone want a Victor bomber, FREE to a good home

Old 6th Feb 2020, 10:02
  #21 (permalink)  
 
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Overall, better that it was put there and not burned in '86. However, let us see some common sense if there are no serious preservation offers. It would seem reasonable for the forward fuselage to be carefully preserved for Cosford, it could make a great "walk-through" exhibit. There might possibly be offers for main components like U/C and the airbrake assy for other display purposes. Sounds like the fin (and the stab?) have a future at Marham. Cheers

OAP
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Old 6th Feb 2020, 10:33
  #22 (permalink)  

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It would seem reasonable for the forward fuselage to be carefully preserved for Cosford, it could make a great "walk-through" exhibit.
Nice idea, but....Cosford and Hendon, and most other museums just don't have the space for this sort of thing. I also gather from further up this thread that the cockpit has been stripped, reducing its visitor value.

Hoping for a good outcome from somebody; and buying a ticket for Friday's lottery
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Old 6th Feb 2020, 10:46
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I have a recollection of what is presumably now the RAF Museum's Valiant being visible close to the Downham Market/Swaffham Road first time I went past about 40 years ago.
Yes that was XD 818 which was on display outside ops for many years, in camouflage guise (now back to anti-flash white at Cosford). Didn't know it was visible from the road but it it must have been, as it was the only Valiant at Marham after 1964-5
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Old 6th Feb 2020, 11:09
  #24 (permalink)  
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At least they are a lot safer these days, I remember in the 70's when all the gate guardians had to be checked for live seats after an aircraft on a gate in the USA was being moved to be refurbished and the seat went off killing the poor sod on brakes..
The UK wasn't much better, remember the 22,000lb Grand Slam on the gate at Scampton that was being removed and was found to be live and full of explosive when they couldn't lift it.
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Old 6th Feb 2020, 11:12
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Originally Posted by Herod
I also gather from further up this thread that the cockpit has been stripped, reducing its visitor value.
Do you know, I read that as well! And there was I, assuming that Cosford might just be able to make a V-Bomber visitor attraction out of it! Yes, of course, they would need a fully S Victor for that. Silly me.

OAP
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Old 6th Feb 2020, 11:38
  #26 (permalink)  
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Is the one still at Hendon?


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Old 6th Feb 2020, 11:51
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I have plenty of room in my garden but not sure the wife would want a bomber covering her vegetables !!
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Old 6th Feb 2020, 13:33
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Yes it is - or at least it was just before Christmas. Not as well lit as your photo. In fact that whole side of the museum seemed to be very dark (including the area the Vulcan is in). Perhaps I wasn't moving fast enough to trigger the light sensors.....!
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Old 6th Feb 2020, 14:07
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Scampton Grand Slam

Some years ago (quite a lot in fact) I was on a course with a chap who'd been a junior EO at Scampton in the 50s. He told me that the Grand Slam which became the gate-guardian had been buried on the airfield and that they were simply given the map reference of its grave and told to dig it up. Was it really full of Torpex or whatever, or was it just a full-weight training dummy?
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Old 6th Feb 2020, 14:14
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Originally Posted by Mil-26Man
Silly question I'm sure, but beyond the occasional lick of paint what maintenance does a gate guardian actually need?
Cleaning. Working at height regs =£££££ gone are the days of an erk up top with a broom and fire hose....
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Old 6th Feb 2020, 14:21
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Originally Posted by Easy Street
Okay then: “People, ideas, machines - in that order.” That’s from John Boyd, who is not often noted as having offered worthless platitudes. But the message is the same.

Meanwhile all the air marshals’ grand plans for growing the RAF truly are worthless unless more people can be trained and retained, as no less a figure than the Secretary of State has recognised. Fixing leaking roofs and unreliable heating and hot water systems in on-base accommodation is rightly being seen as a part of that effort.

Oh I agree totally about ^^^^^ but the "failure" if you want to call it that, is spending billions on cutting edge aircraft and technical facilities then sending your highly trained techs to the block with a roll of cling film for the windows to stop the fen winds (or north sea draughts in my Anstruther quarter) blasting straight through taking the heat with them..
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Old 6th Feb 2020, 14:25
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I think it is a shame to remove it. Is the tornado still there?
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Old 6th Feb 2020, 14:48
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I think it is a shame to remove it. Is the tornado still there?
Yes, just inside the gate, with the Canberra PR9 further inside the base.
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Old 6th Feb 2020, 15:17
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Aaaah, some of my happiest days at Marham were spent...on detachment in Iraq. No pub, no pool and no decent chinese takeaway.

Walking past the Victor every day was nice though. Shame it has to go.
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Old 6th Feb 2020, 15:18
  #35 (permalink)  
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Originally Posted by binbrook
Some years ago (quite a lot in fact) I was on a course with a chap who'd been a junior EO at Scampton in the 50s. He told me that the Grand Slam which became the gate-guardian had been buried on the airfield and that they were simply given the map reference of its grave and told to dig it up. Was it really full of Torpex or whatever, or was it just a full-weight training dummy?

https://www.raafansw.org.au/docPDF/G...ews_151106.pdf

Errr the blast radius is a bit far fetched
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Old 6th Feb 2020, 16:37
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Is there a formula for calculating?
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Old 6th Feb 2020, 16:58
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Scampton did not have a Lancaster Gate Guard in 1958

it now has a Hawk
The Red Arrows jet is the third gate guardian during the airfield’s long history.

The first was an Avro Lancaster, known as S-Sugar, which was in place between 1960 and 1970, before being relocated to RAF Museum Hendon.

Another Lancaster, Just Jane, became the gate guardian in 1973, spending 10 years at the entrance to RAF Scampton.
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Old 6th Feb 2020, 18:43
  #38 (permalink)  
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Originally Posted by Tankertrashnav
Yes that was XD 818 which was on display outside ops for many years, in camouflage guise (now back to anti-flash white at Cosford). Didn't know it was visible from the road but it it must have been, as it was the only Valiant at Marham after 1964-5
Got me thinking now, have I remembered it wrong - was it the Valiant or was it actually a retired Victor? Must have been 1983, I know there were some active Victors on the airfield and I know I saw the Valiant in the RAF Museum several years later. Confoosed as they say in Norfolk.
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Old 6th Feb 2020, 20:41
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Originally Posted by langleybaston
Is there a formula for calculating?
Yes. The basic formula (for Inhabited buildings) is D (metres) = 22.2Q1/3. Q (kg) being the net explosive content. However, explosives safety is not that simple - many other factors need consideration. I am sure that the personnel at the time involved with burying the wpn knew what they were doing as would the Chief inspector of Explosives (RAF) at the time.


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Old 6th Feb 2020, 21:49
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I blame Brexit
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