finchyboy

The website says she is now fully flight ready and has all the paperwork in place to commence her first test flights !!!


Vulcan to the Sky Trust - Avro Vulcan Bomber XH558 - Vulcan Operating Company


p.s. I Think i may well be pitching a tent at the end of the runway.

Billgtt

I read that this morning, cracking news! I'm off to Duxford in a couple of weeks time (my first airshow in 7 years) and I was really hoping to see '558 there but I think it's cutting it a way too fine now. Oh well, it just means i'll have to go to another show next year

Leslie

Thats good news, looking forward to seeing her fly.

Les

FlightMan

Wait for Smug Rhino to come along and decry this project as scandalous based on balance sheets etc.

Great news, lets hope she does Farnborough next July!

The Zohan

Great news!

One memory of this great plane is stood some way behind it at very wet Mildenhall airshow some 16+ years ago. They fired her up and we kept warm for a few minutes, we stank of Jet a1 and where warm and happy!

Jamie

wrx-ian

Fingers crossed i should be able to see the vulcan up close. I work for Marshall aerospace, they have been involved with the project from the start and think it might come into us at some point soon. If so i`ll go with camera in hand and take some pics.

pippyrips

Would love to see and hear one of these bad boys on the move.

Funkii Munkii

You Tube will cover it for now , plenty on there

Great news

The Snug Rhino

Why would i care? Its not a commercial venture is it - its old blokes with a hobby. No more bothers me than if they potter around in an allotment for their kicks.

Seems its funded by donation and lottery (idiot taxation) so crack on.

Leslie

Best you mind your own business then!

Les

Jamie

I am with leslie on this,that plane is **** hot!

snug Fek off you twit

finchyboy

As you work at Marshall's Ian any chance of a head's up on the first test flight out of Bruntingthorpe


I'm sure it will just be a quick up circle of the airfield and down and prob won't involve a landing gear retraction but i would love to be there!!!

Janspeed

iTrader: (1)

Going to be strapping some "Blue Steel" to it??

redragon

i agree would love to see the 1st flight

Billgtt

From what I gather the first flight is going to be pretty hush hush (well, as hush hush as a giant flying "V" with 4 Olympus engines can be ), and anyone found "hanging around" the Bruntingthorpe area will be swiftly removed by the police!

There's only allowed to be a limited number of people on site at the time aswell otherwise it classes as a public display, and the Vulcan hasn't got clearence for that yet!

Leslie

Its likely to be a fair bit longer than that. All the systems have to be checked in operation and even though they will not be bothered about pressurisation checks up to high level, it still used to take 1.5 hours at least to do a post major airtest.

Les

stuart n

My understanding is that the press will be given 48 hours notice of the first flight. It won't be open to the public and it's almost impossible to get near the runway at Brunty but I dare say that won't put people off going to see her in the air again!

stuart n

Just had a look at TVOC website and it appears that there are still around 300 cards to sign off so it may be a while yet before she's back in the air.

wrx-ian

To be honest not heard anything at work about for ages. Not in the hangers so not in contact with anyone who might know. But if I do hear anything i`ll let you guys know.

Jamz3k

this Vulcan plane seems to get a lot of attention on here, just out of interest why?

Not being rude just don't know the history behind it or anything

Leslie

The Vulcan played a major part in the defence of this country during the long cold war with the Soviet Bloc. The Russians were frightened of its abilities right up to the fall of the Iron Curtain and its withdrawal from service in favour of the Tornado. It was originally designed as a high level nuclear attack aircraft but it successfully changed to the low level role so that it could attack under the radar. It also played a pivotal part in the Falklands War. It therefore has an honourable history.

It is also a very good looking aircraft both in the air or just parked at the airfield. It has truly amazing handling qualities and power for such a large aircraft. More like a fighter than a bomber.

XH 558 at Bruntingthorpe was kept on as a display aircraft for some ten years after the other aircraft were withdrawn from service and did its last flight in 1993.

It has been restored at vast expense and when it has done its test flights etc it will appear at air displays again all over the country.

Hope that is a help to you.

Les

jonnyrex

Hi Leslie ,I seem to remember you used to fly the vulcan? ,i found this quote on You tube....................
(The Vulcan made several appearances at the Dayton, Ohio Air Show(s) from 1976 through the early 80's. I remember its first stop in 1976, XM 611 from 101 Squadron in Waddington. The pilot was S/L Leslie Clark. S/L Clark and his crew were a class act and flew the "aluminum cloud" impeccably. Sadly, XM 611 was consigned to the scrap heap and no longer exists.) .........................can this be you?

James Neill

iTrader: (1)

Buy this and you'll find out a lot about the plane. Plus it's a pretty inspirational read all round. You can get it for like £3.99 from Tesco.

Leslie

Hi Johnnyrex.

I did do displays at Dayton Ohio. I did a rehearsal on 17th July 1980 and then displays on 19th and 20th July. I was flying XM 611 from No 101 Sqn. since that was my squadron. They seem to have the rank wrong, I was a Flight Lieutenant and the surname wrong as well unless Clark was the chap in 1976 and it is a coincidence that he flew the same aircraft then. That was the only year I was there according to my log book. We flew from there to Offutt AFB afterwards in Nebraska for normal operational training trips. We had a great time at Dayton, they took good care of us. The Americans used to call the Vulcan the "aluminium overcast" I did displays later that year at Cleveland Ohio which was also a great place in the way we were looked after.

Les

wrxseeker

iTrader: (1)

Just donated a fiver to the cause - well worth it !

oh and Leslie !!!!

finchyboy

A new NOTOM has been issued as of yesterday leslie would prob be best person to explain what it is but it's basically warning all airmen to watch out for flying vulcan's around the bruntingthorpe area as of next week.

Ref: J4794/07
FIR: EGTT
Code: RTCA
Traffic: VFR IFR
Purpose: PIB entry Operationally significant for flights
Scope: Nav Warning
Lower limit (FL): 000
Upper limit (FL): 030
Centre and radius (nm): 5229N00108W003
Parent ICAO: EGTT
Start date/time: 15/10/2007 09:00 UTC
End date/time: 02/11/2007 16:00 UTC
Activity period: MON-FRI 0900-1600


Lower height limit: 000
Upper height limit: 030

RESTRICTED AREA(TEMPORARY) FOR VULCAN TEST FLYING AT

BRUNTINGTHORPE. RESTRICTION OF FLYING REGULATIONS MADE UNDER ARTICLE

96 OF THE AIR NAVIGATION ORDER 2005 (MIL ACFT SHOULD COMPLY WITH

JSP552 201.135.9). NO ACFT IS TO FLY WI AREA BOUNDED BY CIRCLE RAD

3NM CENTRED AT 522913N 0010750W EXCEPT ACFT FLYING WITH PERMISSION OF

OPERATOR OF BRUNTINGTHORPE AERODROME OR IN THE SERVICE OF THE

LEICESTERSHIRE POLICE.

Leslie

Yes they intend to fly the Vulcan in between the dates 15 Oct and 2 Novenber and the notammed area is 3 nautical miles radius based on those coordinates which will be Bruntingthorpe I imagine, up to 3,000 feet.

He wont be going very far from the airfield and will probably do some circuits and landings etc. Certainly does not look like the normal post major inspection flight test.

I had been told any time from 15th October but there will be no official public announcement.

Best wishes I say!

Les

stuart n

The excitement builds!

Steve vRS

Hope to see this soon

Are there any Lightnings left flying by the way?

Steve