The one that bombed Port Stanley was kept on the runway at Gibraltar the last time I saw it - an immense aircraft, would be fabulous to see it flying again.

Gordo

 

Hard to say what my chances are Brendan, it depends as much as anything on how many others volunteer although experienced Vulcan captains are getting thin on the ground. The use of a crutch should not be significant since it only affects walking and not things like driving etc when sitting down etc. It might add a certain insouciance to the whole thing if I was seen walking away like that though. Have to make do with a stick for short distances perhap's! Just hope my experience counts anyway.

I did one or two displays at Finningley coupled with the scramble Alcazar, dont think I did a 6 aircraft one though.I did the display after the last 4 Vulcan scramble there though in the 80's. Best thing about that one was that I avoided the traffic to get back to Waddington!

If I get up to Bruntingthorpe I may be forced to ask if I can have a bit of fun on four wheels as well as 18.

Les

 

Les, that's brilliant. The very best of luck to you.

Now if only people had the same sort of affection for the Wessex then maybe I could get a crack at the same sort of thing...

Cheers,

SB

PS The Wessex, of course, is crap at airshows. Which doesn't help very much.

 

Thanks Steve,

Whenever we used to get thrown into the sea for dinghy drills at Mountbatten or Bridlington I used to think the sight of a Wessex was truly wonderful when it dragged me out of the water.

Les

 

Leslie, good luck with getting the flight.

Remember to let us know when test flights begin (I want to update my 19 year old photos).

Keep us updated with your 'audition'

 

I used to work at BAE Filton too!

You would most likely have gone to the refectory at the top of the hill which is called the "Hillside Restaurant" (the word restaurant being used in the loosest sense! )

 

Hi Les,

Yeah, when I did a stint as "survivor" for the RAF Sea King Training Unit at Culdrose I thought the Sea King was pretty cool looking as well. Though of course it was the wrong colour - ours were far better in grey and orange

Cheers,

S(imon)B

PS Any way I can modify my user name to make me Simon rather than S?

 

LOL - small world.

The Hillside, that was the place. I quite enjoyed some of the dishes. Better than sandwiches for lunch. Had to give it up eventually though as the old waistline was starting to suffer.

Did you ever see the guy taking the resident Spitfire out for a good hoon? That was always terrific to watch.

Les, now you mention it I believe he was stationed at Scampton. Ah, well.

UB

 

I know what you mean, I always used to look forward to curry day on Mondays and pizza day on Thursdays!

Yes, used to see it all the time. I actually worked on the airfield there for about 6 months whilst I was doing my apprenticeship and used to take visitors for a tour around the spitfire hangar! There is actually two in there, one griffon powered that belongs to Rolls Royce and one regular merlin powered one that is privately owned. There is also a P51 Mustang in there which is owned by the same bloke!

 

Old thread is here

http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/showthrea...ghlight=vulcan

 

ajm,

I remember the Rolls Royce Spitfire, I was on a flying tour at RRFU Pershore and the RR pilot used to come over to get a bit of instrument flying practice in a Canberra. He used to come in a silver Spit which I think had clipped wings. Out of interest, is that the one?

I asked if I could fly it and he said yes but our Wingco Flying was posted and I lost the chance. Always regretted that.

Les

 

Missed this reply the first time round. Now that's what I call an enjoyable perk, getting to hang around with such celubrious company. I'm pretty sure the one I used to see/hear would have been the Merlin powered version. That engine note is as unmistakable as a Harley's. (Don't remember it having clipped wings).

I was impressed to see that the Goodwood Revival a amassed a flight of no less than 4 Spitfires roaring around in tight formation. (What a sight and sound that must be.) One of those had the clipped wing tips. What was the point of that anyway? It spoils the lines IMO.

UB

 

I am not 100% sure whether it had clipped wings UB, and I thought the one I saw had a Merlin engine too, long time ago so can't remember.

The clipped ones were high level photo reconnaissance I believe and the clipping improved the aerodynamics at altitude.

Les

 

This is the Rolls Royce one:



It has distinctive white stripes on the wings. I can't say I noticed if the wings are clipped, but I know that this aircraft was never armed and was built for high speed recon, hence the bigger griffon engine.

This is the privately owned one:



The really geeky amongst you may have noticed the subtle difference on the prop pitch as one engine revolves clockwise and the other anti-clockwise!

 

I thought the clipped wings were to improve speed and roll at mid/low altitiude?

 

The wings were clipped on some of the later Spitfires to give them a reduced wingspan and hence a faster rate of roll thereby making them more agile in the air.

tiggers.

 

I really can't say the reason for clipping to be honest, maybe a Spitfire expert could tell us.

Just looked it up and it was indeed to increase the roll rate.

The Rolls Spitfire I saw at Pershore was definitely silver but it might well have been painted since.

Les

 

Makes em' go faster as well, or at least it should.

Errrr, I think somebody placed a video on my shelf at home called "History of the Spitfire", no idea how it go there

Also seen a vid where I'm pretty sure the lancaster they have now in the BBMF was fitted with jet engines, either way, it didn't look or SOUND right.

Anyone up for a visit to the BBMF hanger then? I'm pretty sure you can still book in for a tour?

 

Doesn't the smaller wing help at low altitides? I remember reading that a big wing helped at high altitude, because of this the vulcan used to be able to out manouver(sp) contemporary fighters (with small wings) at high altitudes.

 

IIRC the Spitfire ended up with three different wings. The normal wing, clipped and extended.

Clipped wings were for low altitude, especially intercepts and what we would now call air superiority missions (but were called rhubarbs then for some odd reason). Extended wings gave a far superior high altitude performance and were fitted to aircraft flying photo-recon and high altitude patrols.

As they got more powerful, especially with the Griffon engine fitted, the majority of production got clipped wings to maximise engine performance.

There were also three types of each wing - A, B and C. A wings had the original 8x .303 machine guns. B wings had 4x .303 and a pair of 20mm Hispano cannon. C wings had 4x .50 and a pair of 20mm. There were also a few fitted with 6x .50 instead but that was never an official variant...

SB

 

Les, good news that you are in the running for the chance to fly her again. I remember seeing a vulcan at Fairford where the pilot delayed the take off to talk to Noel Edmunds (!). The wait was worth it though Easily the best part ofthe show though well worth the wait
Let us know if you are successful mate!
astraboy.

 

http://www.x-plane.org/Detailed/4055.shtml

 

Thanks AB, just got to keep my fingers crossed.

Yes it was more manoeuverable than most fighters at high altitude because it could out turn them easily. We used to practice with fighters and they could never get a front gun shot on us. We could pull more "g" than them at altitude and if they tried to stay with us they would spin out Often they would throw their toys out of the pram and go home in disgust! Even an F15 Eagle could not turn with us at 40K feet.

All good clean fun

Les

 

Fingers crossed for you leslie.
My Dad and I are members of the vulcan restoration trust. My Dad used to work on them until he left the RAF in '71. He looked after all the electronics.
Last time i saw one in the flesh flying was at RNAS Culdrose in about 1987 for the air-day.
We can't wait for it to fly again. It was a real disaster when they got grounded.
I work for BA now and i think whats happened to Concorde is awful as well.

All the Best

Pete

 

I used to enjoy seeing the Vulcan parked at Carlisle Airport when I was delivering there, its still there if anybody up north fancies seeing one close up

 

The "distinctive white stripes" are actually D-Day stripes. Every Allied aircraft flying over Europe from just before D-Day to the end of the war had them. So they're not exactly "distinctive"

 

yes they were good wern,t they!! mind you the weeks practice was good also!!

they joys of living near goodwood

Mart