Anyone want a Victor bomber, FREE to a good home
 

The only problem is they won't post it, so you will need to dismantle and collect it.

See

https://aviationheritageuk.org/news/...aft-available/

Dare one ask why?

History is now so ‘yesterday’?

I assume this is a Gate Guardian airframe? I don’t know Marham.

Yes.....the other one now at risk as well is the LAST Beverley that is sitting at Fort Paul that has sadly closed due to a death.

There are 4 other complete Victors, at Duxford, Cosford, Elvington and Bruntingthorpe.

I expect they'll scrap this one.

The RAF Museum ought to bid for the Beverley having allowed the last one at Hendon to virtually disintegrate before saving a chunk of the flight deck - which is at Newark.

Dismantle it? Can't they just hop it over the fence, like the one that almost did at Bruntingthorpe?

IIRC, stations are only entitled to maintain one ‘gate guardian’ at public expense. Marham has three, and (like all military establishments these days) has a plethora of issues to address with its domestic infrastructure. A lot of time and energy has been put into keeping the Victor presentable over many years but there is only so far that voluntary effort can take preservation without the injection of cash. And the arrival of F-35 has (rightly) made access to the Station much harder, with enthusiasts mostly limited to the excellent off-camp Heritage Centre. If, as I suspect, it is a question of money then it’s an easy decision to get rid. People first.

People first.

Of all the things to say,...I am gobsmacked.

People first.

is just another of those worthless platitudes.

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.

This has been much discussed on the "Victor, Valiant and Vulcan" page on Facebook. The aircraft is a K2 and is apparently in poor condition. I know the former chief tech who was in charge of dismantling the aircraft and moving it to its current position in front of SHQ on the old parade square back in the 80s and he is of the opinion that moving it again would be impractical. It's not even much use as a display cockpit as the interior was gutted at the time of the move. Andre Tempest who own one of the two taxiable K2s (at Elvington) has come up with a few figures for crane hire etc which any purchaser would have to come up with, and they are considerable.

To call the aircraft a "gate guardian" is a bit of a misnomer, as it is not visible to the public from outside of the base - a couple of years ago I had to get the MOD guard at the barrier to promise not to shoot me before he allowed me to walk a few yards onto the base before I could get a half decent photo!

As stated there are already two excellent survivors which do "fast taxis" (and in the case of the one at Bruntingthorpe a very short flight on one memorable occasion!) In addition there is a static display K2 at Cosford, and the IWM at Duxford are currently doing a very through restoration of the only surviving Victor Mk I which is in fact technically a B1K2P (two point tanker conversion). Frankly I don't see that getting rid of this heap of scrap would be any great loss - any money which would need to be spent would be far better going to the upkeep of the other survivors.

TTN, "had to get the MOD guard at the barrier to promise not to shoot me before he allowed me to walk a few yards onto the base before I could get a half decent photo!"

Pretty please, with rare sugar on it.

When it was moved there in 1986, the Victor only had a short projected life. However, as with most types at the time, the in service life was extended and after a while it became apparent that the aircraft with the lowest Fatigue Index was the gate guardian! Plans were made to get it back on line, but these came to naught when it was realised how difficult a task this was. A couple of buildings had been erected since and these would need to be demolished. But it was a useful source of spares and frequently it was seen with some component or other missing.

Does anyone have any information on ownership of the airframe. It has previously been noted as 'privately owned' on loan to RAF Marham. Has the owner passed away leaving Marham with the responsibility ?

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.

I would be interested in where your cut off point exists, The BBMF, perhaps The Reds, heck why not simly flog off the F-35 fleet, that will bring in lots on nice monies to maintain the peoples first, in fact you wouldn't need the base at all after that, even more nice savings....
Flogging off ones history and aircraft is not the solution to piss poor management and piss poor funding in getting the infrastructure right in the first place...
You watch the services budget squandering billions on failed projects such as Nimrod through piss poor management and contracting when a small proportion of that funding would have brought the RAF infrastructure up to a standard the 21st century demands.
Selling off the married quarters etc was a classic example of a cash generating scheme that proved to have been flawed in so many ways.

Re the BEVERLEY
.
https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/heri...ale-1-10226857

Bugger, there was me thinking that it came in steeply over the airman's mess and with some firm braking managed to pull up just before SHQ. Another myth shattered :E

Silly question I'm sure, but beyond the occasional lick of paint what maintenance does a gate guardian actually need?

Cut the grass around it.

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

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

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

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. :E

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. :rolleyes:

OAP

Is the one still at Hendon?

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....b5bef07fe4.jpg

I have plenty of room in my garden but not sure the wife would want a bomber covering her vegetables !!

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.....!

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?

Cleaning. Working at height regs =£££££ gone are the days of an erk up top with a broom and fire hose....

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..

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.

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.

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

Errr the blast radius is a bit far fetched

Is there a formula for calculating?

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.

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.

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.

:8

I blame Brexit