As a RAF Aircraft Mechanic Electrician serving at RAF St Athan in the 70's I worked on Vulcan and Victor components as they came in for major servicing from the aircraft, I started on motors and rotary inverters then moving on to linear and rotary actuators, I was then retrained by a civilian clockmaker who stayed in service after the war allowing me to specialise in flight instruments, altimeters, ROC/VSI, artificial horizon, airspeed indicators as well as all types of Amp meters and Volt meters, because I enjoyed the work so much he taught me in my lunch break how to repair clocks and watches as well. The most powerful lasting memory of this time was watching the air worthiness flight test after the air plane was rebuilt, to see, hear and feel the power and noise of a Vulcan flying around the airfield on a wing tip with lots of power was literally enough to make your large intestine oscillate.
I was born 1970 and from the age of 3yrs up until it stopped me and my old man used to go to the RAF St.Athen Battle of Britain at home day air show and seeing as how it was in September in Wales, it was usually raining😂.. The Vulcan was always impressive and back then they could fly lower and over the crowd almost to the point where you felt you could reach out and touch them..We always hung around after the main display finished and watched some of the aircraft leave the airfield to return to where they were based ( i assumed ? )..One year, i must have been 8/9 years old, we stood towards the end of the runway and watched the planes taxi towards us ready for take off and i will never forget when the Vulcan approached us😬 .. When those Olympus engines spooled to full whack the blast blew me and my cousin about 50 yards up the field and i found grass in every pocket and orifice when I got home 🤣🤣 ..That memory will stay with me for the rest of my life.. Awesome plane👍👍🏴🏴
I am ex RAF and worked on the Vulcans! That is the BEST sound in the world - the jet pipe resonance or 'HOWL' from the Vulcan. We used to get a similar sound from the VC10's on take off with the mighty CONWAY engines but not so pronouced as the Olympus. But I still remember my time on both aircraft fondly and miss them both very much. Todays aircraft are mere shadows of the superb Cold War aircraft of my era. The Lightning was also in service when I was, another incredible interceptor. I never forget one day waiting to cross the runway threshold at the traffic lights at RAF Waddington in a coach. They stopped us as QRA scramble was called. (Quick Reaction Alert) involving no less than FOUR VULCANS taking off simultaneously! So there we were at the end of the runway as SIXTEEN OLYMPUS engines all HOWLED UP and they screamed into the sky. The ground SHOOK but all of us in the coach CHEERED. I was never even aware this Vulcan still existed. A group of us even tried to buy one when they retired - they werent that much money - sadly our funding was turned down. Years later she WAS bought and that aircraft was XH558 - that went on to fly once more!!
I'm not a plane guy but when I saw and heard this awesomely beautiful aircraft at Dawlish beach it was a very emotional moment and one I will never forget
It's a bit of a double-whammy cost wise- if you add the cost of maintenance and inspection to the cost of keeping crew/s 'current on type' it's phenomenal. The a/c is constantly trying to catch it's crew out and in the back of their minds would always be the types less than scrupulous incident record, be it mechanical or crew error that were causative. Keeping a Lancaster airborne is a massive task, but compared to a Vulcan the comparative simplicity just about makes it viable long-term.....Having said that the long-term corrosion issues on airframes only expected to last months are always going to be onerous since ease of major inspection was not high on the priority list in 1943..
It is a crying shame that the UK can't keep one Vulcan in the air. They used to build them near me & on warm summer mornings you could hear them howling out of Woodford as they were flown off to the RAF squadrons. It was a wonderful sight & sound.
Same here, I used to go to the airshow there every year, and the stars of the show were always the Harrier, Lightning and the Vulcan. Do you remember the four F111's that should have displayed there? They flew over the sheds and disappeared, turning up over Manchester airport, giving a good display by all accounts. I shudder to think if that had been an operational mission. "Do it again, only try hitting the enemy this time, we have enough problems without being bombed by our own aircraft, there's good chaps."
I saw the same thing happen at Farnborough in 2004. There was supposed to be a fly-by from a B-52, but it buzzed Blackbushe instead. Those F-111s and that B-52 must have had something in common...
i live close to the airport just by the A127 and was sat in my garden listening to the wonderful sound of the Vulcan on this day. it took me back to the days to the late 1980s going to Mildenhall air shows. i sat there and suddenly fancied a can of Bud and a big burger.
The Vulcan is still one of my favorite airplanes. I was stationed for 5 years in the 70's on Midway Island with the US Navy. Whenever the Russians would be doing missile tests, etc. the Vulcans would show up along with US aircraft. Always an impressive site in the air or on the ground. Thanks for the video and memories.
I remember seeing and hearing the Vulcan at Shoreham air show with my father, Dennis Pritchard, who was in the RAF, as was his father, Reginald Pritchard in the RFC. Those were the days!
I was never more impressed by an aircraft than at the Vulcan exhibition at Teeside in the late 1970’s (from memory). Incredible exhibition of flying maneuvers, exhibition and aircraft. We used to produce the best. I believe we can again one day - when we free ourselves from the WEFists / Traitors.
Incredible support from airport and staff and all the volunteers giving their time and expertise to this wonderful project. Thank you all. Best wishes and regards from South Africa
Occasionally when at Wickersley school in the early to mid 70’s you would hear and see 4 at some distance having scrambled These and the lightening the highlight of the RAF Finningly airshow each year. A 4 Vulcan scramble. Ribs and organs inside shaking. Fantastic!!
@@EleanorPeterson karibu sana ! Matsuri sana rafiki. I’m kamou when at my partners Love the spinach with the ugali with chapatis! All fresh. All local. Bora zaidi and healthy
In 1968 as a fourteen year old I was lucky enough to get inside a cockpit of a Vulcan at RAF Halton, the RAF's apprentice school. Our history teacher was an ex- RAF pilot from WW2 and obviously still knew a few people to pull some strings to get us a visit there. We had a great day out and I had my very first curry courtesy of the Royal Air Force, and I've loved curry ever since, but as I get older I realise what a privilege it was for us to get into the cockpit of what was then a front line nuclear bomber. At least I think it was still in service or the apprentices would not have been learning on it I would think. I'd love to see others comments.
The Vulcans (probably B1's) were at Halton when I was there '75 to '78 but we didn't get to work on the airframes as such but various bits made their way into the workshops for us to practice on. If I remember correctly, they were scrapped and cut up sometime in '77. Vulcans remained in service until after the Falklands war in '82 but the Victors carried on until '94.
It did a low level glide down Loch Melfort stright down the sound and out to sea. Me and my Dad were Makrel fishing in a dingy when she passed over. What a sight and sound. It was that low i could count the rivets. I was 10 then now I'm 54. The howel as it headed out to sea imprinted a lasting memory
As a child in the 60s I lived near Cowden Range in East Yorkshire where Vulcans regularly practiced low level bombing runs. I remember one time when 5 of them were in circuit together, you can imagine the noise :) I've lived in Southend for many years now and been on board XL426 several times :)
I spent 9 months on Masirah Island in the Arabian Sea 74-75 and when the Vulcans transited through it was always a special time. I remember one day walking from the accommodation blocks down to the Commcen which was next to the tower, some Vulcans took off and there was so much unused avgas expelled from the jets as they climbed that I stank of it for the rest of my shift
Brings back many fond memories, worked on Vulcans between 1971-1978 - the most impressive air display was done by the Vulcan (on a par with the Lightning) - Grace, Beauty and Power all in one. Good to see the TFR Pod still showing, sadly missing from most.
Thank you for bringing back the memory of the air display at Woodford back in the 70s. The Vulcan flew down the display line, pulled up and the throttles went to max. The ground shook, and when the noise died down it was replaced by the crying of a few of the younger children. The next aircraft in was the EEL that flew in with a cloud donught around the cockpit. It passed and the children started crying again. Felt sorry for the youngsters but it was a great day out.
@@WingNuts2010 Unfortunately airshows have been neutered so much these days you'll never seen anything like that again in the UK, with any aircraft type.
@@owensmith7530 The best Vulcan approach I saw was in Plymouth in 1976 when a solo aircraft fly over the outer breakwater in the Sound at approx 100 ft. It hammered towards Plymouth Ho, where the crowds were, then stood on its tail and went what seemed vertical. The most awesome bomber sight I’ve ever seen!
Speaking of the Lightning, one used to visit our local airshow at the factory where the Vulcans were made. The commentator built up the crowd with, the Lightning is 30 miles out, a few seconds later the Lightning is 15 miles out, and if you look to your left there is the Lightning, I elbowed my way to the fence, the Lightning came in, about 20 feet, pulled up, lit his afterburners and went vertical, even with that noise I could here the crowd cheer. Those were the days.
The first plane I ever saw in the air, that I can remember vividly, was a Vulcan flying over RAF North Luffenham, with its bomb-bay doors open at an altitude of about 500ft, in early summer 1979. Damn!! She was loud!!! But I've loved her ever since 😊
My brother was a navigator on the Vulcan having moved from the Canberra. He actually preferred the Canberra because he could see out! On the Vulcan the navigator faces aft facing a wall . He served on the squadron equipped with specially equipped to fly out into the dust cloud after an atomic bomb test carried out on an Australian Island. The Vulcans were painted white to reflect the intense heat given off by the bomb. The crew were equipped with eye shields but little else to protect them. I remember at one of his air bases, driving around the perimeter and in the corner of the airfield were three Vulcans with a single rope around them. They were awaiting decontamination after flying back from The Australian test site. Very casual attitudes in those days! I often wonder if this specialised job that he did resulted in him dying from a muscle wasting disease that he suffered from but true to most of these brave men, he would not have it that this caused his medical problems. The other thing worth mentioning is if the Vulcans had been called up to drop their atomic bomb on Moscow, it was a one way journey as there was only enough fuel for the outward trip!
Man that’s a sight. I remembers watches the Vulcan at the Barksdale AFB air show in 1978. Amazing aircraft. Dam big bird could turn like an F-16. Put on one hell of a display. Sad there are no airworthy examples left.
Holy Moly that howl brought a lump to my throat. Its sad to see this beautiful bird grounded when she longs to take to the skies. What would I give to watch the delta lady grace our skies again .....
Ohhh that noise... I remember when I was at 1 Group when the Bomber Controller from Wycombe would come on the speaker in Ops. "All 1 Group Aircraft Scramble". Was it for real? Binbrook, Marham, Scampton, Waddington, Cottesmore, Wittering would all come on line and I would go into the forward control radio room. Wait for the message off the printer and then transmit a five group (five letters per group) message from Neatishead, Chenis, Boulmer and Buchan UHF transmitters. This would be the go or no go message. For a 17 year old LAC it concentrated the mind wondefully. Then in Masirah we had four Vulcans from Near East Air Force (Akrotiri) dispersed to us for the duration of the Yom Kipor war. Bombed up and ready to go.. Manning flight watch for the Panther trails out to Singers and back on HF with sometime the old hands using morse.. Great time to be in the RAF. Thanks for all your hard work. A memorial to all those long nights listening to static for that call signe.. Ours was Cheese Bobcat at 1 Group.. "Cheese bobcat this is KHM65 radio check on 11.235 over.
I bet the airport came to a standstill. All the engineers and the office staff and the managers. You'd have gotten away driving any speed you liked in the area for 10 minutes 'cos the local police would've decided a bit more presence was needed. A thing like this brings a (new) city together. 'Our Vulcan....'
Makes my toes curl when I hear the HOWL! Unfortunately I’ve only seen it once in the air, the first & last time when she was on her southern England goodbye tour. I must try to get up there to witness one of these test runs…… and see it for a second time💕 recently had a big birthday and treated myself to a 45min flight in a Spitfire out of BQH ON 12/5 on “Grey Nurse” TE308. Is there an opportunity for the public to watch test runs. Thanks for the great video💕💕
Teasin Tina (K2 XM715) at Bruntingthorpe used to do fast taxy runs until a couple of years ago when the Walton's leased the airfield to Cox automotive and the Victor was stuck in effectively a scrap yard. Unfortunately, it has deteriorated badly and probably very unlikely to run again. The only other K2 in reasonable order with a chance of running is Lusty Lindy at Elvington, but I believe they have problems with airfield access too.
Wow. Subscribed to the channel.... Why I was a boy, I was lucky enough to see the victor k2 at elvingdon do a taxi run. Amazing sight. Can the public few taxi runs?
How come the crew steps are`nt still attached to the cockpit door ? Allways were when I worked on it at RAF Scampton in the mid sixties as an airframe fitter. I remember sitting in the cockpit as brakeman when it was towed to the QRA dispersal during an Exercise Mick one night! Great to hear that wonderful noise again!
I remember sailing in the Solent as a teenager in the 70’s and getting “buzzed” by a Vulcan. Such a shame there’s none flying anymore….a beautiful bird like this was built to fly but, like anything heritage, we’re so bad at maintaining our history…
If this aircraft was in the USA it would be flying. Not because they are better engineers but because they fly on the condition of the aircraft not if some company somewhere has disowned it. Thank you Airbus and Rolls Royce.
The display Vulcan was at the end of its flying life, Shoreham didn’t help matters, they were always on the brink of running out of money, it had its time and is now done. The Vulcan sucked money away from other projects, time for others to shine.
@@Jabber-ig3iw What? No it wasn't. The 'Vulcan to the Sky' Trust that flew the Vulcan saved XH558 that would otherwise have been scrapped and made it a perfectly airworthy aircraft. They were let down by 2 aerospace businesses plain and simple. Shoreham had nothing to do with Airbus and RR ending certification for the simple reason that the Shoreham accident was caused by pilot error not aircraft failure. And in any case it was a Hunter not a Vulcan! That Vulcan only 'sucked money' from people prepared to support it. They always had the choice to support other projects.
@@1chish Shoreham was a crash involving a vintage jet aircraft of the same era as the Vulcan, thinking it had no bearing on the decision is incredibly naive, Vulcan to the Sky were permanently on the brink of packing up due to lack of funds, not a great way to run things, the aircraft was at the end of its safe flying life, issues involving destroying an engine due to human error by ground crew and the issue with the nose gear made it obvious that it was time to end it. I believe they were also on their last serviceable engine, it was made aware to them that certification for flight was going to be harder to get. If you think it was just Airbus and RR just going ‘ah fuck it, we can’t be bothered anymore’ then you are being daft. Anyone with eyes and a brain could see it was the right time to end it. Shoreham made sure of that. No appetite on anyones part for that to happen again with an ageing aircraft that cost a fortune to maintain.
@@Jabber-ig3iw Apparently you believe that, when challenged, repeating the same falsehoods makes them facts right? Well no they don't. So I will leave it there. Have a safe week.
i few days before the 2013 Bournemouth air show a Vulcan would shows up to do a practise exercise a mile out to sea from the beach. what amazing freakin sight to behold. what a sound. crazy incredible to see vintage bomber making maneuvers not far dissimilar to a redbull sports plane with a lot more grace and style than a redbull plane. it was FANTSASTIC. i will never forget when i first saw it. totally gobsmacked what i was watching. shame it doesn't fly anymore, so many younger generations will miss out on what i saw fly.
It's actually not Government red tape. The Manufacturers of things like engines and undercarriage won't flight certify the components anymore. Undercarriage certification is what founded XH558m
@@redmist5890 Because, whilst built to be a bomber, in her heart of hearts she knew she was a fighter - and she performed like one. Never saw anyone barrel-roll a Victor!!
Better than 558 which will soon become bean cans now the gravy train has dried up. Bet someone is still taking a wage off the poor old girl. Well done team.
More about the massive cost of keeping one in the air, and the lack of skills in maintaining a vulcan as sadly, those with the skills and knowlege retire and pass on. I'd love to see a vulcan fly again.. there is NOTHING that compares to the sight or that famous howl. But sadly, these are high maintenance ladies, with very expensive tastes.
It's also grounded as it would cost a fortune to make it serviceable again. Sitting outside in all weathers for long periods is not good for any aircraft. Apparently there are some parts of the skin you could put your hand through. The biggest issue was the main spar. Even if it were in perfect condition it couldn't fly. I saw XL426 fly at Bentwaters. As well as when it first came to Southend.
It must be frustrating as a pilot to get all dressed up ready to go and not being allowed to get her of the ground, everything in me would be screaming to hell with the rules, take her up. It's like getting all dressed up in your best white tie suit, then sitting down with a microwave ready meal and watching Eastenders, doing the washing up and then going to bed. Welcome to my world.
We urgently need to reactivate the three remaining taxi-able Vulcans and get them in the air again . Apart from HM's Jubilee flypast ( how wonderful it would be to see them take part ) and a commemorative tour round the coast of the UK to mark the 40th anniversary of the end of the Falklands conflict , we should be sending them to Ukraine : the sight and sound of three Vulcans coming in at low altitude would surely terrify the Russians , few of whom would know what they were , just before having their positions taken out . A few sorties would see the Russians in full retreat .
@@007JHS Marshalls own the design authority and will not support any more so without this aviation law will not permit this to fly. This particular one will never fly again as not airworthy but XH558 is. It’s not money keeping it grounded they have the funds ☹️
@@peterbrown7130 I was going to make the same point myself. Additionally XH558 has been sat outside in all weathers for several years now so would need to be inspected for corrosion, but as you say there's no chance anyway given the design authority has withdrawn support.
will she ever fly again. i understand they took her out of the sky's because they are no longer willing to trust some of the electrical systems on board for legality reason.
If you don't appreciate old, famous and classic aircraft, why bother to watch? I assume your pleasure in life revolves around bitching and whining that it isn't good enough for you. If you don't like it.. do us all a favour, click the little red x top right, and bugger off, leave the rest of the world in peace.
@@iananderson7883 ... and miss the sound of 4 Olympus engines? 😳 In fairness some explanation at the start of what was being achieved might have been in order but the Chief Engineer did give an update a month earlier on YT.
As a RAF Aircraft Mechanic Electrician serving at RAF St Athan in the 70's I worked on Vulcan and Victor components as they came in for major servicing from the aircraft, I started on motors and rotary inverters then moving on to linear and rotary actuators, I was then retrained by a civilian clockmaker who stayed in service after the war allowing me to specialise in flight instruments, altimeters, ROC/VSI, artificial horizon, airspeed indicators as well as all types of Amp meters and Volt meters, because I enjoyed the work so much he taught me in my lunch break how to repair clocks and watches as well.
The most powerful lasting memory of this time was watching the air worthiness flight test after the air plane was rebuilt, to see, hear and feel the power and noise of a Vulcan flying around the airfield on a wing tip with lots of power was literally enough to make your large intestine oscillate.
I was born 1970 and from the age of 3yrs up until it stopped me and my old man used to go to the RAF St.Athen Battle of Britain at home day air show and seeing as how it was in September in Wales, it was usually raining😂.. The Vulcan was always impressive and back then they could fly lower and over the crowd almost to the point where you felt you could reach out and touch them..We always hung around after the main display finished and watched some of the aircraft leave the airfield to return to where they were based ( i assumed ? )..One year, i must have been 8/9 years old, we stood towards the end of the runway and watched the planes taxi towards us ready for take off and i will never forget when the Vulcan approached us😬 .. When those Olympus engines spooled to full whack the blast blew me and my cousin about 50 yards up the field and i found grass in every pocket and orifice when I got home 🤣🤣 ..That memory will stay with me for the rest of my life.. Awesome plane👍👍🏴🏴
Vulcan is looking good and sounding great....well done to those involved in the project
I am ex RAF and worked on the Vulcans! That is the BEST sound in the world - the jet pipe resonance or 'HOWL' from the Vulcan. We used to get a similar sound from the VC10's on take off with the mighty CONWAY engines but not so pronouced as the Olympus. But I still remember my time on both aircraft fondly and miss them both very much. Todays aircraft are mere shadows of the superb Cold War aircraft of my era. The Lightning was also in service when I was, another incredible interceptor. I never forget one day waiting to cross the runway threshold at the traffic lights at RAF Waddington in a coach. They stopped us as QRA scramble was called. (Quick Reaction Alert) involving no less than FOUR VULCANS taking off simultaneously! So there we were at the end of the runway as SIXTEEN OLYMPUS engines all HOWLED UP and they screamed into the sky. The ground SHOOK but all of us in the coach CHEERED. I was never even aware this Vulcan still existed. A group of us even tried to buy one when they retired - they werent that much money - sadly our funding was turned down. Years later she WAS bought and that aircraft was XH558 - that went on to fly once more!!
I'm not a plane guy but when I saw and heard this awesomely beautiful aircraft at Dawlish beach it was a very emotional moment and one I will never forget
This Bird should be flying.
It's a bit of a double-whammy cost wise- if you add the cost of maintenance and inspection to the cost of keeping crew/s 'current on type' it's phenomenal. The a/c is constantly trying to catch it's crew out and in the back of their minds would always be the types less than scrupulous incident record, be it mechanical or crew error that were causative. Keeping a Lancaster airborne is a massive task, but compared to a Vulcan the comparative simplicity just about makes it viable long-term.....Having said that the long-term corrosion issues on airframes only expected to last months are always going to be onerous since ease of major inspection was not high on the priority list in 1943..
Will only happen when she’s scrapped and the metals become part of another aircraft.
Definitely should be flying the greatest aircraft of all time
Both this one & XH558 should be flying
Fantastic so many memories of my early RAF years at Waddington - well done to all the 426 team.
As an ex-RAF Armourer, who worked on these at Waddington, I can only say BEAUTIFUL.
Fantastic to see XL426 moving under its own power again.
It is a crying shame that the UK can't keep one Vulcan in the air. They used to build them near me & on warm summer mornings you could hear them howling out of Woodford as they were flown off to the RAF squadrons. It was a wonderful sight & sound.
With out the means to keep it going eg people to train up to work on it and fly it, its never going to keep flying.
@@SVPSkins plus the last few air worthy engines where destroyed by ingestion of desiccant bags i believe sealed its fate :(
Same here, I used to go to the airshow there every year, and the stars of the show were always the Harrier, Lightning and the Vulcan. Do you remember the four F111's that should have displayed there? They flew over the sheds and disappeared, turning up over Manchester airport, giving a good display by all accounts. I shudder to think if that had been an operational mission. "Do it again, only try hitting the enemy this time, we have enough problems without being bombed by our own aircraft, there's good chaps."
I saw the same thing happen at Farnborough in 2004. There was supposed to be a fly-by from a B-52, but it buzzed Blackbushe instead.
Those F-111s and that B-52 must have had something in common...
i live close to the airport just by the A127 and was sat in my garden listening to the wonderful sound of the Vulcan on this day.
it took me back to the days to the late 1980s going to Mildenhall air shows.
i sat there and suddenly fancied a can of Bud and a big burger.
Thank you guys for sharing this very rare footage loved every minute of it .
The Vulcan is still one of my favorite airplanes. I was stationed for 5 years in the 70's on Midway Island with the US Navy. Whenever the Russians would be doing missile tests, etc. the Vulcans would show up along with US aircraft. Always an impressive site in the air or on the ground. Thanks for the video and memories.
How interesting!
16 of the finest sounding minutes I've heard in a long time. Thank you!
I remember seeing and hearing the Vulcan at Shoreham air show with my father, Dennis Pritchard, who was in the RAF, as was his father, Reginald Pritchard in the RFC. Those were the days!
I heard the howl when this mighty beast went round the airport local to me back in april , just awesome
I was never more impressed by an aircraft than at the Vulcan exhibition at Teeside in the late 1970’s (from memory). Incredible exhibition of flying maneuvers, exhibition and aircraft. We used to produce the best. I believe we can again one day - when we free ourselves from the WEFists / Traitors.
Incredible support from airport and staff and all the volunteers giving their time and expertise to this wonderful project.
Thank you all.
Best wishes and regards from South Africa
Occasionally when at Wickersley school in the early to mid 70’s you would hear and see 4 at some distance having scrambled These and the lightening the highlight of the RAF Finningly airshow each year. A 4 Vulcan scramble. Ribs and organs inside shaking. Fantastic!!
Gosh, Paul! Jambo sana, old bean! Habari, rafiki yangu, eh?
🧐 Keep calm and stir the ugali...
@@EleanorPeterson karibu sana ! Matsuri sana rafiki. I’m kamou when at my partners Love the spinach with the ugali with chapatis! All fresh. All local. Bora zaidi and healthy
In 1968 as a fourteen year old I was lucky enough to get inside a cockpit of a Vulcan at RAF Halton, the RAF's apprentice school. Our history teacher was an ex- RAF pilot from WW2 and obviously still knew a few people to pull some strings to get us a visit there. We had a great day out and I had my very first curry courtesy of the Royal Air Force, and I've loved curry ever since, but as I get older I realise what a privilege it was for us to get into the cockpit of what was then a front line nuclear bomber. At least I think it was still in service or the apprentices would not have been learning on it I would think. I'd love to see others comments.
The Vulcans (probably B1's) were at Halton when I was there '75 to '78 but we didn't get to work on the airframes as such but various bits made their way into the workshops for us to practice on. If I remember correctly, they were scrapped and cut up sometime in '77. Vulcans remained in service until after the Falklands war in '82 but the Victors carried on until '94.
Vulcan, Lightning and Canberra......best of British :)
Now they don't have a clue.they couldn't even make a wheel for one now.disgusting how it got to this
Don’t forget the Victor!
@@montrocon Vampire, Valiant, Hunter, Harrier and all the other jet aircraft we built in the 50s!
It did a low level glide down Loch Melfort stright down the sound and out to sea. Me and my Dad were Makrel fishing in a dingy when she passed over. What a sight and sound. It was that low i could count the rivets. I was 10 then now I'm 54. The howel as it headed out to sea imprinted a lasting memory
As a child in the 60s I lived near Cowden Range in East Yorkshire where Vulcans regularly practiced low level bombing runs. I remember one time when 5 of them were in circuit together, you can imagine the noise :) I've lived in Southend for many years now and been on board XL426 several times :)
Man - that gave me goosebumps. I haven’t heard that sweet sound in a long time! 👍😁
I spent 9 months on Masirah Island in the Arabian Sea 74-75 and when the Vulcans transited through it was always a special time. I remember one day walking from the accommodation blocks down to the Commcen which was next to the tower, some Vulcans took off and there was so much unused avgas expelled from the jets as they climbed that I stank of it for the rest of my shift
...think your mean Avtur (kerosene) as Avgas is petrol
Brings back many fond memories, worked on Vulcans between 1971-1978 - the most impressive air display was done by the Vulcan (on a par with the Lightning) - Grace, Beauty and Power all in one. Good to see the TFR Pod still showing, sadly missing from most.
Thank you for bringing back the memory of the air display at Woodford back in the 70s. The Vulcan flew down the display line, pulled up and the throttles went to max. The ground shook, and when the noise died down it was replaced by the crying of a few of the younger children. The next aircraft in was the EEL that flew in with a cloud donught around the cockpit. It passed and the children started crying again. Felt sorry for the youngsters but it was a great day out.
@@WingNuts2010 Unfortunately airshows have been neutered so much these days you'll never seen anything like that again in the UK, with any aircraft type.
@@owensmith7530 The best Vulcan approach I saw was in Plymouth in 1976 when a solo aircraft fly over the outer breakwater in the Sound at approx 100 ft. It hammered towards Plymouth Ho, where the crowds were, then stood on its tail and went what seemed vertical. The most awesome bomber sight I’ve ever seen!
Speaking of the Lightning, one used to visit our local airshow at the factory where the Vulcans were made. The commentator built up the crowd with, the Lightning is 30 miles out, a few seconds later the Lightning is 15 miles out, and if you look to your left there is the Lightning, I elbowed my way to the fence, the Lightning came in, about 20 feet, pulled up, lit his afterburners and went vertical, even with that noise I could here the crowd cheer. Those were the days.
When we use to arrive at High Marnham power stn with a coal train, We often saw 3 vulcans coming in! Practising bombing runs fabulous days.
The first plane I ever saw in the air, that I can remember vividly, was a Vulcan flying over RAF North Luffenham, with its bomb-bay doors open at an altitude of about 500ft, in early summer 1979. Damn!! She was loud!!! But I've loved her ever since 😊
saw the last Vulcan at Weymouth few years ago never forgotten the great sound .
My brother was a navigator on the Vulcan having moved from the Canberra. He actually preferred the Canberra because he could see out! On the Vulcan the navigator faces aft facing a wall . He served on the squadron equipped with specially equipped to fly out into the dust cloud after an atomic bomb test carried out on an Australian Island. The Vulcans were painted white to reflect the intense heat given off by the bomb. The crew were equipped with eye shields but little else to protect them. I remember at one of his air bases, driving around the perimeter and in the corner of the airfield were three Vulcans with a single rope around them. They were awaiting decontamination after flying back from The Australian test site. Very casual attitudes in those days! I often wonder if this specialised job that he did resulted in him dying from a muscle wasting disease that he suffered from but true to most of these brave men, he would not have it that this caused his medical problems. The other thing worth mentioning is if the Vulcans had been called up to drop their atomic bomb on Moscow, it was a one way journey as there was only enough fuel for the outward trip!
Man that’s a sight. I remembers watches the Vulcan at the Barksdale AFB air show in 1978. Amazing aircraft. Dam big bird could turn like an F-16. Put on one hell of a display. Sad there are no airworthy examples left.
Holy Moly that howl brought a lump to my throat. Its sad to see this beautiful bird grounded when she longs to take to the skies. What would I give to watch the delta lady grace our skies again .....
i loved watching the Vulcan & Victor displays at Mildenhall Airfete's back in the late 80's & early 90's
If I had the money, I would have XH558 and this one made airworthy, then I'd buy up any remaining ones and put them to service again. Stunning birds.
Ohhh that noise... I remember when I was at 1 Group when the Bomber Controller from Wycombe would come on the speaker in Ops. "All 1 Group Aircraft Scramble". Was it for real? Binbrook, Marham, Scampton, Waddington, Cottesmore, Wittering would all come on line and I would go into the forward control radio room. Wait for the message off the printer and then transmit a five group (five letters per group) message from Neatishead, Chenis, Boulmer and Buchan UHF transmitters. This would be the go or no go message.
For a 17 year old LAC it concentrated the mind wondefully.
Then in Masirah we had four Vulcans from Near East Air Force (Akrotiri) dispersed to us for the duration of the Yom Kipor war. Bombed up and ready to go..
Manning flight watch for the Panther trails out to Singers and back on HF with sometime the old hands using morse.. Great time to be in the RAF.
Thanks for all your hard work. A memorial to all those long nights listening to static for that call signe.. Ours was Cheese Bobcat at 1 Group.. "Cheese bobcat this is KHM65 radio check on 11.235 over.
They must have been a awesome sight in their day 👏👏👏👏
Certainly were!
I bet the airport came to a standstill. All the engineers and the office staff and the managers. You'd have gotten away driving any speed you liked in the area for 10 minutes 'cos the local police would've decided a bit more presence was needed. A thing like this brings a (new) city together. 'Our Vulcan....'
Makes my toes curl when I hear the HOWL! Unfortunately I’ve only seen it once in the air, the first & last time when she was on her southern England goodbye tour. I must try to get up there to witness one of these test runs…… and see it for a second time💕 recently had a big birthday and treated myself to a 45min flight in a Spitfire out of BQH ON 12/5 on “Grey Nurse” TE308. Is there an opportunity for the public to watch test runs. Thanks for the great video💕💕
UK should have 1 flying Vulcan and 1 Concorde. The PM should fly by Concorde.
Saw XL-390's last flight 12 Aug 78.
Looking forward to the taxi runs at the airport on Saturday evening!
Now, if we could just get a Handley Page Victor up and running too please, I'd be a very happy man... 👍
Teasin Tina (K2 XM715) at Bruntingthorpe used to do fast taxy runs until a couple of years ago when the Walton's leased the airfield to Cox automotive and the Victor was stuck in effectively a scrap yard. Unfortunately, it has deteriorated badly and probably very unlikely to run again. The only other K2 in reasonable order with a chance of running is Lusty Lindy at Elvington, but I believe they have problems with airfield access too.
She is sounding great!!!
She's looking superb too
Wow. Subscribed to the channel.... Why I was a boy, I was lucky enough to see the victor k2 at elvingdon do a taxi run. Amazing sight.
Can the public few taxi runs?
What a wonderful sight
keep up the good work guys
How come the crew steps are`nt still attached to the cockpit door ? Allways were when I worked on it at RAF Scampton in the mid sixties as an airframe fitter. I remember sitting in the cockpit as brakeman when it was towed to the QRA dispersal during an Exercise Mick one night! Great to hear that wonderful noise again!
oh my god that is fantastic!!!!!!!!!!
Well done team
Jeez, not even a run up to V1!
fantastic
Now THAT is a taxi. None of this London black cab nonsense... 😁
So - is it the intention to get it flying and back up in the air again ?
so will the vulcan ever fly again?
Next up, Concorde please
If Liz Truss gets her way, we’ll need to fly this soon !
What a aircraft the noise of this on takeoff scary never mind what it can carry in its payload
I remember sailing in the Solent as a teenager in the 70’s and getting “buzzed” by a Vulcan. Such a shame there’s none flying anymore….a beautiful bird like this was built to fly but, like anything heritage, we’re so bad at maintaining our history…
So, is it going tofly again? That is what we all want to know.
If this aircraft was in the USA it would be flying. Not because they are better engineers but because they fly on the condition of the aircraft not if some company somewhere has disowned it.
Thank you Airbus and Rolls Royce.
The display Vulcan was at the end of its flying life, Shoreham didn’t help matters, they were always on the brink of running out of money, it had its time and is now done. The Vulcan sucked money away from other projects, time for others to shine.
@@Jabber-ig3iw What? No it wasn't. The 'Vulcan to the Sky' Trust that flew the Vulcan saved XH558 that would otherwise have been scrapped and made it a perfectly airworthy aircraft. They were let down by 2 aerospace businesses plain and simple.
Shoreham had nothing to do with Airbus and RR ending certification for the simple reason that the Shoreham accident was caused by pilot error not aircraft failure. And in any case it was a Hunter not a Vulcan!
That Vulcan only 'sucked money' from people prepared to support it. They always had the choice to support other projects.
@@1chish Shoreham was a crash involving a vintage jet aircraft of the same era as the Vulcan, thinking it had no bearing on the decision is incredibly naive, Vulcan to the Sky were permanently on the brink of packing up due to lack of funds, not a great way to run things, the aircraft was at the end of its safe flying life, issues involving destroying an engine due to human error by ground crew and the issue with the nose gear made it obvious that it was time to end it. I believe they were also on their last serviceable engine, it was made aware to them that certification for flight was going to be harder to get. If you think it was just Airbus and RR just going ‘ah fuck it, we can’t be bothered anymore’ then you are being daft. Anyone with eyes and a brain could see it was the right time to end it. Shoreham made sure of that. No appetite on anyones part for that to happen again with an ageing aircraft that cost a fortune to maintain.
@@Jabber-ig3iw Apparently you believe that, when challenged, repeating the same falsehoods makes them facts right?
Well no they don't.
So I will leave it there. Have a safe week.
@@Jabber-ig3iw But nothing is shining. XH558 generated its own maintenance income, and that money is now not coming into aviation at all.
Would have been even better when including the start up of the engines
Are they gonna make her fly again ?
i few days before the 2013 Bournemouth air show a Vulcan would shows up to do a practise exercise a mile out to sea from the beach. what amazing freakin sight to behold. what a sound. crazy incredible to see vintage bomber making maneuvers not far dissimilar to a redbull sports plane with a lot more grace and style than a redbull plane. it was FANTSASTIC. i will never forget when i first saw it. totally gobsmacked what i was watching. shame it doesn't fly anymore, so many younger generations will miss out on what i saw fly.
What? What about 558? It was the last airworthy.
Who was at the controls?
Stunning.. She wants to fly so badly. Such a shame the ageing airframe, costs, logistics and government red tape prevents it..
It's actually not Government red tape. The Manufacturers of things like engines and undercarriage won't flight certify the components anymore. Undercarriage certification is what founded XH558m
Nice aircraft but the victor was the best of the three.
Victor to me was the better aircraft but I was just a spotty face ATC when they flew. Why has the Vulcan got all the praise ?
@@redmist5890 Because, whilst built to be a bomber, in her heart of hearts she knew she was a fighter - and she performed like one.
Never saw anyone barrel-roll a Victor!!
Let her fly again. Let the Victor fly again. That's what they're meant to do... don't let them rot on the ground....
Better than 558 which will soon become bean cans now the gravy train has dried up. Bet someone is still taking a wage off the poor old girl. Well done team.
Such a shame this aircraft is grounded by political ineptitude
More about the massive cost of keeping one in the air, and the lack of skills in maintaining a vulcan as sadly, those with the skills and knowlege retire and pass on.
I'd love to see a vulcan fly again.. there is NOTHING that compares to the sight or that famous howl. But sadly, these are high maintenance ladies, with very expensive tastes.
A lot of that kind of "ineptitude" going on these days.
It's also grounded as it would cost a fortune to make it serviceable again. Sitting outside in all weathers
for long periods is not good for any aircraft. Apparently there are some parts of the skin you could put your
hand through. The biggest issue was the main spar. Even if it were in perfect condition it couldn't fly.
I saw XL426 fly at Bentwaters. As well as when it first came to Southend.
And the BA jumbo,s retired far too early !
Will she ever be ready for the air?
This aircraft needs to be flying again it’s part of our heritage and should be treated as such
This what happens if you invest in your Military Aircraft you create more iconic jet's that were made in Great Britain. Good luck with Team Tempest.
It must be frustrating as a pilot to get all dressed up ready to go and not being allowed to get her of the ground, everything in me would be screaming to hell with the rules, take her up. It's like getting all dressed up in your best white tie suit, then sitting down with a microwave ready meal and watching Eastenders, doing the washing up and then going to bed. Welcome to my world.
Well now ain’t she a beautiful old bird?
As a person who knows nothing about aircraft, can I ask, with respect, what is the point of taxi tests when this aircraft will never fly again?
So glad that I saw and heard it fly. So sad to see this whale tale just doing laps on concrete instead of getting airborne 😥
We urgently need to reactivate the three remaining taxi-able Vulcans and get them in the air again . Apart from HM's Jubilee flypast ( how wonderful it would be to see them take part ) and a commemorative tour round the coast of the UK to mark the 40th anniversary of the end of the Falklands conflict , we should be sending them to Ukraine : the sight and sound of three Vulcans coming in at low altitude would surely terrify the Russians , few of whom would know what they were , just before having their positions taken out . A few sorties would see the Russians in full retreat .
will she ever fly?
A fantastic aircraft. But for Marshall's, these would still be flying.
Could you explain a little more... excuse my ignorance.
I think it was more Airbus and Rolls Royce who were to blame rather than Marshalls who couldn't continue support without the named companies.
@@007JHS Marshalls own the design authority and will not support any more so without this aviation law will not permit this to fly. This particular one will never fly again as not airworthy but XH558 is. It’s not money keeping it grounded they have the funds ☹️
@@peterbrown7130 I was going to make the same point myself. Additionally XH558 has been sat outside in all weathers for several years now so would need to be inspected for corrosion, but as you say there's no chance anyway given the design authority has withdrawn support.
will she ever fly again. i understand they took her out of the sky's because they are no longer willing to trust some of the electrical systems on board for legality reason.
Short answer No just the same as Concorde
Well that was just about as exciting as watching paint dry.
If you don't appreciate old, famous and classic aircraft, why bother to watch? I assume your pleasure in life revolves around bitching and whining that it isn't good enough for you. If you don't like it.. do us all a favour, click the little red x top right, and bugger off, leave the rest of the world in peace.
Errr .... what did you expect from a 'taxy test' Ian?
And if you aren't enthused by a working Vulcan then you have something missing.
@@1chish Maybe some commentary to make it more interesting.
@@iananderson7883 ... and miss the sound of 4 Olympus engines? 😳
In fairness some explanation at the start of what was being achieved might have been in order but the Chief Engineer did give an update a month earlier on YT.
@@1chish You've never heard the sound of jet engines before.? There are literally hundreds of videos of this particular airplane up on UA-cam.