My father, who died 2 years ago at the age of 92, was the Chief Test Pilot at Handley Page for the "Victor Programme" - I spent many a Saturday sat in the air field's Fire Engine at Radlett watching him come and go - still so vivid. The RAF (he was formerly an RAF Officer) were very generous - they gave him the last seat on this last flight in recognition of his service - he is first out in the video! He had flown every single one produced - we have the log books to prove it! He wept at their being made into saucepans. And thank you Geoff (me too) and so many other below.
Thanks for sharing that, and perhaps there are additional stories that you feel it might be worth recording while you can remember them. It's important that this history is not lost
@@herseem this is very kind Mike: before his death my father made a recording documenting his life in aviation for the Imperial War Museum: he speaks about the Victor at length and includes much else...they have just removed the Victor Gate Guardian from RAF Marham sadly. They do, however, have a museum there and the Victor features with words and pictures of Dad which is lovely. We intend to donate all of his Victor log books (he flew every single one built), flying suits etc to them so, as you say, they are not "lost". Thank you, Mike for your words.8
The V-bombers were the most distinctive aircraft of their time. Beautiful and deadly. The British aircraft were so far ahead of anyone else. The V's, Comet, Harrier, VC-10s, etc.
always reminds me of those Knights in Armour visors , the pointy ones ! I was lucky enough to go on a flight deck , how they ever saw anything out of those windows I don't know .
This is bitter sweet to watch!My husband was a crew chief on this Victor from 1967 to 1975.He did many detachments during those years with the Victors on 543 Squadron RAFWyton,the last one being to Peru 1974. Sadly he died exactly a year ago after 15 years of ill health. 😥
Sorry for your loss, Lucy. I must have rubbed shoulders with your husband during my time on 543 at Wyton, 1966 to 1971. (Some names have dissappeared over time). My earlier post of 8 years ago is below, somewhere.
I remember when I was a kid of about 7 years old riding my bike (with no gears) with a friend from home in Harrow to the Hanley Page factory at Radlett, just to see new Victor's parked up. About 30 plus miles round trip, but worth it.....
In MY opinion--this is THE most dramatic and fantastic looking aircraft ever built--it not only looks like something that belongs in the depths of the sea, it also looks fit for purpose--the bringer of mass destruction---
Great creation. Designed by talented engineers using slide rules and drawing boards. Great that the museum guy has a 100 year view. These machines will amaze people for years to come.
I used to live near the HP factory near Radlett, Hertfordshire. I remember the prototype (yes, I'm that old!) going up on Sunday mornings. All the windows of our house rattled as it climbed, seemingly vertically, and the when it levelled out, the silence was amazing.
It's amazing how it looks like something from a sci-fi movie, even now. The Brits sure how to make amazing looking (and performing) airplanes! I saw one of these sitting on the ground at an airshow in the US back in the early 1980s. I wish I could have seen it in the air when it left to re-cross the pond.
The 'V' bombers are possibly the most beautiful planes ever build. I remember seeing them travelling (from Edinburgh) on the A1 to London in the early '60s.
I remember towing one of these out of the hangar at RAF Cottesmore in 1959. I was terrified I was going to catch a wing on the door but "Chiefy" made sure I was very careful.
Guess you were on 10 Squadron as was my dad. He saw the first aircraft arrive in 1957/8 and wrote up the manual for removal and reinstatement of the fuel tanks.
+BritishMilitaryPower I think the Vulcan, the B1 Lancer and the B2 Spirit all look more elegant, but the Victor is still a good looking plane and it's a shame none were preserved in flying condition.
+BritishMilitaryPower I saw all three 'V' bombers between 1960 and 1964 at Biggin Hill with my father. At the end of the display nobody, but nobody, went home until all three of the 'V' bombers had left. The point of the reply is: the Valiant went first, then the Victor, and finally the mighty Vulcan. The most impressive was the Vulcan. As far as an enemy was concerned it was the scariest machine flying. I'm just sad that my grandchildren won't see them - watching videos is not quite the same.
+possummay i thought it was valliant vulcan then victor because victors were air to air refueling platforms upto early ninties im not saying u are wrong its just its what i thought
One of the most strikingly beautiful aircraft ever built yet it looks so purposeful. We must all be thankful it never carried out for real it's one way primary mission.
Watching this video was an eye-opener for me because my late father was based at RAF Shawbury during his national service and I was lucky enough to sit in the Victor's pilots seat during a visit to RAF Marham, with the cub scouts, in 1976. Thank you for uploading this.
As is so often the case I did not know just how privileged I was to take a flight in the "sixth seat" of one of these wonderful aircraft with 55 squadron at RAF Marham when I was about 15 as a cadet in 1018 Sqn ATC. Must have been in 1967. We refuelled either Phantoms or Buccaneers over the Hebrides. I was too much in awe of the whole military set up and was almost speechless from nerves the whole day but what a day!. (I did go on to join our University Air Squadron but never did join the RAF proper.)
Very poignant seeing this. As an Instrument Technician I worked on XH672 at RAF Wyton, late 60's including at Floyd Bennet Field Brooklyn during the Daily Mail Air Race. After my time and following conversion to a tanker, she flight refueled the Vulcan that bombed Port Stanley in the Falklands conflict.
This pilot had tremendous presence of mind. Watching the video of the event shows that his recollection of what happened is very accurate, made even more amazing by the shock of the unexpected that was really life threatening. Incredible!
My uncle was one of the designers of the Victor at Handley Page. I had the privilege of a conducted tour of the Victor at their base at Radlett back in the 1960s when I was a young lad. The lasting memory was that the bomb bay was full of wire, not bombs.
They may be old, they may be obsolete, but the V bombers were bloody magnificent. We lost more than a few kites when these machines were grounded or sold off for scrap, and largely forgotten.The same could be said for so many other iconic aircraft!
+John Benton It's extremely sad how the British aircraft industry were treated in the end. Britain produced many iconic as well as innovative and all very good flying aircraft in the day. Of course the same can be said of the car and motorcycle industries there too. Seems almost like a government conspired to take these industries away, with all the jobs and market share..
+Oldbmwr100rs Vickers produced the Valiant, Avro the Vulcan and Handley-Page the Victor. Our aircraft industry was fully up to the Cold War threats. The industry had leaders, designers, engineers, maintenance staff - and programmes to train more of each. Now we are sucked into buying the F-35 pig-in-a-poke. And we probably couldn't produce a matching aircraft. All we have is betting shops, nail parlours, tattoo & piercing artists, 24-hour booze and world class obesity.
+Myrmecia Ha! Everything you say is the same here in the states! To think the same company that at one time designed the SR-71 without using computers and built it under budget and in time is now lost making the F-35 fiasco. Britain had a magnificent domestic aircraft industry, all destroyed by the Labor government, Canada had the same thing happen to them as well. As far as aircraft being too old, look at our B-52, still flying and projected to be doing so for another 20 or more years. Our A-10 is a product of the early 70's and the F-16 is slightly later, both are still flying, the A-10 finally doing what it was designed for.
Which bit do you assemble from imported bits to make another bigger bit? Where I live we had nothing but factories. Now we have everything but factories. Go figure!
We used to be able to build magnificent aircraft like this. The look of this plane always for me sums up perfectly what the the Cold War was about and the role it may have played in the "end of all days". So sad to see it go but thank God for all of us that they retired without ever having to take that last one way mission.
The Victor was another fantastic British design aircraft. The others should Not be scrapped, they should go to other museums so our children can see what used we to build in this country.
What a machine! I had the privilege of seeing all three VEE bombers in the air together. I was on the beach at Southsea (Portsmouth) Hampshire UK when I heard a god-awful roar in the sky. I looked up to see the Victor, Vulcan and Valiant - line abreast, coming right overhead, heading in the direction of the Isle of Wight. I don't know how high they were but it was very low - maybe 500 feet? Probably late 50's I think. What a sight and sound it was!
Beautiful old girl! I wish the National Museum of the United States Air Force Museum could have gotten hold of a Victor and a Vulcan. We Yanks appreciate beauty in flight too. Those of us who love all things aviation will miss them.
Doesn't belong in that museum at all. Besides, this is/was a horrible aircraft. Poor range, poor offload capability, poor performance all around. Basically a flying bucket of bolts.
Project Halo wars I suppose you're right. That is if you disregard my degree in Aerospace Engineering, my stints as an aerospace and electrical engineer, my conversations with Tex Johnston on the subject, my years piloting the NKC/EC/KC-135 and instructing and flight test in the EC-18/B-707. I suppose that is not enough to qualify me to make an informed comment on an air refueling platform.
+Don Weimer As far as i know there are three vulcans still on display in the states if it helps. XM573 - Strategic air and space museum, ashland, nebraska XM605 - Castle AFB museum, atwater, california. XM606 - 8th air force museum, barksdale AFB, louisiana.
+Larry Cooper First of all, impressive resume and thank you for your service. But wasn't the Victor designed as a bomber? It was converted to the tanker role. l wonder how well the B 52 would perform if converted to a tanker? Wasn't the kc135 built on the 707 airliner airframe which Boeing redesigned and built from the ground up as tankers? I don't believe Boeing converted airliners to tankers. This airframe also carries the AWACS mission. For what it's worth, the 707 platform has been wonderful in every role it played. That they are still in use speaks volumes about the design. As for the short range of the Victor, the Soviet Union is not that far from England and the RAF pilots probably knew their nuclear mission was going to be one way. I believe it's a damned good thing they didn't have to find out!
Quite a few B-52s still in service. It's too bad the RAF didn't buy B-52s back in the 50s instead of building 3 types of V bombers. The B-52 could carry twice the payload as any of the V bombers, twice the range.
Victors were being scrapped back in the 70s at RAF St Athan when I was there. Too many V bombers were built and the role of air to air refueling was not ideal for a bomber.
"paperwork" ?? there is no role for the Victor, built in an age when bombers were thought to be the only detterent, ICBMs made them redundant. The air to air role was not ideal for the Victor. The RAF should have used converted 707s in that role, they had a greater range, could carry more fuel and they could carry ground crew.
I have built a scale model of the exact plane in the video and I must say it is very elegant and also menacing (in a good way). absolutely love the Victor
Great video. I saw the Vulcan last week for the last time before she retires, very emotional. I wish they could keep these old girls flying, such a shame :'-(
+Louis Kriel An act or criminally short sighted vandalism. Like the grounding of the Concorde fleet, I swore after that I'd never fly BA again. Promise kept.
Oh I think it could be done for a lot less than you're claiming. Where there's a will there's a way-unless the bean counters and desk jockeys have anything to do with it.
I agree in part, certainly the most beautiful bomber and if you were below the most frightening, but for getting to job done the B-52 is the number you can on.
B-52 came out in 1952 same era as Victor I think. B-47 around 1947.The Harrier was very unique and perfect for Marines use lots were built here in a number of variants. Canberras were again unique but I only saw one flying.
The most beautiful plane I think I've ever seen. There is one at Elvington, near York, and I've been close enough to touch the old girl. A great plane made proudly by our once great nation and a sad casualty to the end of our glorious history. Damn I wish I could see it fly :(
Great video. Sad when it gets down to only preserving nose sections, but I salute those who do what they can. Some aircraft to me are so iconic that they should have had at least one flying example preserved at MOD expense. Thinking Meteor, Hunter, the one and only Lightning(maybe at least two of those!), Canberra and last and never least the trio of V Bombers. Always thought the Victor looked it's best in Anti Flash White overall or Cammo upper surfaces. To me the Victor seemed ahead of it's time in design- particularly considering designed I believe late 1940's. Without computers. Also if I recall the Victor could carry 35,000 pounds of conventional ordnance- impressive.
A very unusual looking aircraft, I have always thought they have sort of a "Jules Verne" look about them. Futuristic and other worldly. I have to assume the air-frame was cut to transport it to it's final resting place. Once that's done there's no way to repair the damage. A nice addition to the museum to say the least, but sad in the sense it wouldn't be able to fly again.
Thanks! I was fortunate to see one years ago at an airshow in Harrisburg, Pa. It was on static display as I remember, along with a fighter plane from a RAF squadron that had Roman Numerals on the tail, not English numbers. We were told that it was the only squadron that was using that numbering scheme. Sorry I don't recall which one it was, I'd love to know and I forget why they used them! They flew back to the UK in darkness so I never got to see the Victor fly. I have photos of it, yes. Lord knows where they are needless to say they are pre-digital!
How true! In a previous comment I said it was the most handsome of the three, many people might not have seen it in flight before but I think after seeing this, they will probably agree. Thank you.
agedflier Not quite that easy, sadly most of these aircraft are nearing the end of their airframes lifespan, meaning that regardless of what we do those aircraft's flying days are over.
Streaky100001 As Ray Hansen said..The B-52 was built around the same time and it's still flying. I agree in general what you are saying but isn't there a term called "preventative maintenance"?? I'm sure there are pattern molds stashed away somewhere and can be remanufactured.
John Atkinson Yeah, there is preventative maintance, and this can extend the airframes life but even so fatigue builds up and sooner or later you have to retire the airctaft, I'm sure the same B-52s haven't been flying all this time, many have likely been retired and replaced. And yes, I'm sure if you dug around you'd likely find pattern molds, but we don't have the industrial infrastructure for it anymore.
+Ray Hansen I wish they could have brought a few to the states for our air museums. The Hanford California air force museum at least has a Vulcan on display, a Victor would fit in with their bomber oriented museum.
PMOL QRCD that’s literally what happened to every castle on the planet, once they were deemed obsolete and stopped being used people used the stone to build their houses. Who is supposed to pay for all these obsolete aircraft to be preserved?
@@Jabber-ig3iw Charity. If it cant be funded then fair enough but they don't even give us the choice most of the time. Im pretty sure we've not used castles to build houses. In the UK anyway.
british planes are absolutely stunning. its sad the british have rejected their own engineering industry in favor of mostly american designs. lack of confidence in their own ability - which is extremely sad to see for a country which was once the largest empire in the world. you can do much better, GB.
+ysesq Nothing to do with the confidence, all to do with penny pinching self serving treacherous governments the electorate of the UK have foolishly voted for.
Nothing to do with a lack of confidence in our engineering capability. It is simply down to cost. If the USA develops a good aircraft then the UK may buy it. The USA buys a great deal of weapons and equipment from the UK. Even the F35 Lightning is 15% built by the UK.
Sadly this is just an example of modern British attitude, not just in aircraft and engineering, but in general. We get a good idea and all we end up doing is making a hash of it and end up selling it off to a foreign company to do it properly. We don't even come up with anything groundbreaking anymore. The (then) British car industry is the absolute finest example of everything that was wrong with modern Britain's way.
Wrong. The Thatcher government decided that mass unemployment was acceptable instead of investment in our industries, and thought that short term profit maximisation was a more worthy goal than investing long term in British industry and technology.
Such a magnificent airplane must be operational till the end of days... It's in my "top3" of the most beautiful airplanes ever built...! My heart cries when I hear that most of them were just destroyed...that's life....
An old family friend -Jock Still- was a test pilot for Handley Page. He flew Victors. Also Hurricanes and Spits operationally during WW2 and (at the end of his career) Lightnings as part of a service contract for Saudi Arabia.
First saw the 3 V's at Farnborough airshow when I was 5, wonderful to watch. Many years later i worked on the Victor and the Vulcan. The valiant had just been towed to the scrap heap in 65. Many years later working on the Victor tankers i remember when the USAF visited with B52's our pilots would put on a show at takeoff, low fuel weight, and just watch them climb .. 4 roaring conways.
My father, who died 2 years ago at the age of 92, was the Chief Test Pilot at Handley Page for the "Victor Programme" - I spent many a Saturday sat in the air field's Fire Engine at Radlett watching him come and go - still so vivid. The RAF (he was formerly an RAF Officer) were very generous - they gave him the last seat on this last flight in recognition of his service - he is first out in the video! He had flown every single one produced - we have the log books to prove it! He wept at their being made into saucepans. And thank you Geoff (me too) and so many other below.
Thanks for sharing that, and perhaps there are additional stories that you feel it might be worth recording while you can remember them. It's important that this history is not lost
@@herseem this is very kind Mike: before his death my father made a recording documenting his life in aviation for the Imperial War Museum: he speaks about the Victor at length and includes much else...they have just removed the Victor Gate Guardian from RAF Marham sadly. They do, however, have a museum there and the Victor features with words and pictures of Dad which is lovely. We intend to donate all of his Victor log books (he flew every single one built), flying suits etc to them so, as you say, they are not "lost". Thank you, Mike for your words.8
Nice bit of history
@@joebcfcable Thank you Joe, we remain immensely proud
Very very cool. You must be a very proud son
Even in 2020, this looks futuristic
Facts
It’s looks 1960’s futuristic
Absolutely ! Like a Lamborghini !
I always thought it the design icon equivalent to the Vulcan and Concorde.
I think it has a face of a moth , beautiful plane
It certainly does. And intimidating and downright evil too.
The most technologically advanced aircraft of its day. The Vulcan looked of its time, the Victor looked like it had flown in from Mars.
neither looked like they came from the time tbh
@@tatotaytoman5934they are 1960s design, so in 1960s, it might be futuristic as it looks
Try 50s design @@blizzardogisitc
The V-bombers were the most distinctive aircraft of their time. Beautiful and deadly. The British aircraft were so far ahead of anyone else. The V's, Comet, Harrier, VC-10s, etc.
The B 58 was a spectacular aircraft and the B 52 still is. The Victor was visually a very unique plane, almost Star Wars in appearance
Absolutely!
The V-bombers would be right at home in one of the first 3 Fallout games
Love the Victor
This plane has a face that only a mother would love. Unique, scary, menacing, lovely.
always reminds me of those Knights in Armour visors , the pointy ones ! I was lucky enough to go on a flight deck , how they ever saw anything out of those windows I don't know .
Guess I’m a mother then
@@NorthEasternMotionProductions Yes! All of a sudden my maternal instincts are revealing themselves. Rather pleasant, really.
fugley
Malevolent to the point of actually being beautiful. As someone else here concisely put it 'True Brit!'
This is bitter sweet to watch!My husband was a crew chief on this Victor from 1967 to 1975.He did many detachments during those years with the Victors on 543 Squadron RAFWyton,the last one being to Peru 1974. Sadly he died exactly a year ago after 15 years of ill health. 😥
I was based at Wyton in 1971/72 and I remember that Squadron well before I moved to Laarbruch.
Only just seen this 🤦🏼♂️! AWESOME story with such a sad end .... I'd understand the bitter sweet, best wishes
You must be very young. I'm quite old myself.
Sorry for your loss, Lucy. I must have rubbed shoulders with your husband during my time on 543 at Wyton, 1966 to 1971.
(Some names have dissappeared over time). My earlier post of 8 years ago is below, somewhere.
I remember when I was a kid of about 7 years old riding my bike (with no gears) with a friend from home in Harrow to the Hanley Page factory at Radlett, just to see new Victor's parked up. About 30 plus miles round trip, but worth it.....
In MY opinion--this is THE most dramatic and fantastic looking aircraft ever built--it not only looks like something that belongs in the depths of the sea, it also looks fit for purpose--the bringer of mass destruction---
if batman had a bomber
Well..at 3:22, the Bomber did indeed have a Batman! ;-)
waynester71 omg dat joke xD
waynester71 got me in tears, dude....:D
Yeah I remember when these were at RAF Marham, just across the fields from here.....
Great creation. Designed by talented engineers using slide rules and drawing boards. Great that the museum guy has a 100 year view. These machines will amaze people for years to come.
本当に格好の良い飛行機だね。数年前に自分のPCの壁紙をこの飛行機の写真に替えてから、この飛行機がどんなふうに空を飛んでいたのか、気になっていた。今回、それを記録した映像を見ることが叶って感無量です。ありがとうございました。Thanks!
I used to live near the HP factory near Radlett, Hertfordshire. I remember the prototype (yes, I'm that old!) going up on Sunday mornings. All the windows of our house rattled as it climbed, seemingly vertically, and the when it levelled out, the silence was amazing.
Love the Victor wish they were one still flying with the Vulcan 😢both giving us so much pleasure 😊
Remnants of a former highly developed civilization ........
This beautiful plane looks about as close to a flying wing as you can get without actually being one! So very sad they were scrapped.
One of the most beautiful aircraft ever built and flown.
Such a beautiful beast. I've always loved these and the Vulcan too. Gracious aircraft
It's amazing how it looks like something from a sci-fi movie, even now. The Brits sure how to make amazing looking (and performing) airplanes! I saw one of these sitting on the ground at an airshow in the US back in the early 1980s. I wish I could have seen it in the air when it left to re-cross the pond.
The look of the thing - sooo Cold War, everybody seems to love the Vulcan but its the Victor that does it for me!
Both for me. Vulcan and Victor
I love the Vulcan for the noise, and the Victor for the style.
magnificent aircraft. the front of the fuselage reminds me of the BELL X-1
The 'V' bombers are possibly the most beautiful planes ever build. I remember seeing them travelling (from Edinburgh) on the A1 to London in the early '60s.
I remember towing one of these out of the hangar at RAF Cottesmore in 1959. I was terrified I was going to catch a wing on the door but "Chiefy" made sure I was very careful.
Peter Condon I'd love to fly this or the Vulcan but sadly I can't but they are very good planes
Guess you were on 10 Squadron as was my dad. He saw the first aircraft arrive in 1957/8 and wrote up the manual for removal and reinstatement of the fuel tanks.
A throwback to the days when the RAF still had interesting aircraft!
This plane haunts my dreams... And I ❤ it!
The most fantastic looking aircraft ever...stunning!
This is the best looking modern bomber that existed IMO.
+stu80577 i have to disagree, the best looking modern bomber was the vulcan by far
Totally agree. Has a real menacing look to it, befitting its former role. Sad day.
+BritishMilitaryPower I think the Vulcan, the B1 Lancer and the B2 Spirit all look more elegant, but the Victor is still a good looking plane and it's a shame none were preserved in flying condition.
+BritishMilitaryPower I saw all three 'V' bombers between 1960 and 1964 at Biggin Hill with my father. At the end of the display nobody, but nobody, went home until all three of the 'V' bombers had left. The point of the reply is: the Valiant went first, then the Victor, and finally the mighty Vulcan. The most impressive was the Vulcan. As far as an enemy was concerned it was the scariest machine flying. I'm just sad that my grandchildren won't see them - watching videos is not quite the same.
+possummay i thought it was valliant vulcan then victor because victors were air to air refueling platforms upto early ninties im not saying u are wrong its just its what i thought
One of the most strikingly beautiful aircraft ever built yet it looks so purposeful. We must all be thankful it never carried out for real it's one way primary mission.
An Aircraft which still looks awesome in 2014 ! Immense sense of presence and power ! Shame it is no more .
December 2022 to be precise, merry christmas
Watching this video was an eye-opener for me because my late father was based at RAF Shawbury during his national service and I was lucky enough to sit in the Victor's pilots seat during a visit to RAF Marham, with the cub scouts, in 1976. Thank you for uploading this.
Phenomenally beautiful aircraft, thank you GB for this gem. And please, develop and produce military aircraft again.
The British jets always remind me of Thunderbirds are go!
the worlds ugliest aircraft ever !
kbarrett97 the British bombers?
Trevor Brown or Captain Scarlet and Joe 90. Crazy looking designs on there too.
+kbarrett97 The ones you designed were much better looking I presume?
+beaconrider Dont get so defensive. i happen to like the crazy designs.
What a frankenstein. Unique and intimidating. In other words a perfect military plane
Still looks incredible, like something out of Flash Gordon. Love it.
The Victor, earthquakingly superb on take-off!
,
As is so often the case I did not know just how privileged I was to take a flight in the "sixth seat" of one of these wonderful aircraft with 55 squadron at RAF Marham when I was about 15 as a cadet in 1018 Sqn ATC. Must have been in 1967. We refuelled either Phantoms or Buccaneers over the Hebrides. I was too much in awe of the whole military set up and was almost speechless from nerves the whole day but what a day!. (I did go on to join our University Air Squadron but never did join the RAF proper.)
Great story. I was born in 1967.
Very poignant seeing this. As an Instrument Technician I worked on XH672 at RAF Wyton, late 60's including at Floyd Bennet Field Brooklyn during the Daily Mail Air Race. After my time and following conversion to a tanker, she flight refueled the Vulcan that bombed Port Stanley in the Falklands conflict.
This pilot had tremendous presence of mind. Watching the video of the event shows that his recollection of what happened is very accurate, made even more amazing by the shock of the unexpected that was really life threatening. Incredible!
Saw one of them about ten years ago in an airshow at Seattle Wa. It was owned by the Canadian airforce and they were still flying it.
I don't think so! There are only five Victors surviving, none are airworthy and they're all in the UK.
The Victor was never exported. Only every operated by the UK (Royal Air Force).
My uncle was one of the designers of the Victor at Handley Page.
I had the privilege of a conducted tour of the Victor at their base at Radlett back in the 1960s when I was a young lad.
The lasting memory was that the bomb bay was full of wire, not bombs.
They may be old, they may be obsolete, but the V bombers were bloody magnificent. We lost more than a few kites when these machines were grounded or sold off for scrap, and largely forgotten.The same could be said for so many other iconic aircraft!
+John Benton It's extremely sad how the British aircraft industry were treated in the end. Britain produced many iconic as well as innovative and all very good flying aircraft in the day. Of course the same can be said of the car and motorcycle industries there too. Seems almost like a government conspired to take these industries away, with all the jobs and market share..
+Oldbmwr100rs Vickers produced the Valiant, Avro the Vulcan and Handley-Page the Victor. Our aircraft industry was fully up to the Cold War threats. The industry had leaders, designers, engineers, maintenance staff - and programmes to train more of each. Now we are sucked into buying the F-35 pig-in-a-poke. And we probably couldn't produce a matching aircraft. All we have is betting shops, nail parlours, tattoo & piercing artists, 24-hour booze and world class obesity.
But faced with politicians, it folded, like virtually all our industry.
+Myrmecia Ha! Everything you say is the same here in the states! To think the same company that at one time designed the SR-71 without using computers and built it under budget and in time is now lost making the F-35 fiasco. Britain had a magnificent domestic aircraft industry, all destroyed by the Labor government, Canada had the same thing happen to them as well.
As far as aircraft being too old, look at our B-52, still flying and projected to be doing so for another 20 or more years. Our A-10 is a product of the early 70's and the F-16 is slightly later, both are still flying, the A-10 finally doing what it was designed for.
Which bit do you assemble from imported bits to make another bigger bit? Where I live we had nothing but factories. Now we have everything but factories. Go figure!
Thanks
We used to be able to build magnificent aircraft like this. The look of this plane always for me sums up perfectly what the the Cold War was about and the role it may have played in the "end of all days". So sad to see it go but thank God for all of us that they retired without ever having to take that last one way mission.
A beautiful aircraft, my favorite V bomber. Always reminds me of a powerful shark, while the Vulcan is a giant manta ray.
I was on 100Sqdn in the early 60's and worked on the"7" series Victors including 715 and 717.Incredible aircraft. Sad to see them go.
The Victor was another fantastic British design aircraft. The others should Not be scrapped, they should go to other museums so our children can see what used we to build in this country.
What a machine!
I had the privilege of seeing all three VEE bombers in the air together.
I was on the beach at Southsea (Portsmouth) Hampshire UK when I heard a god-awful roar in the sky. I looked up to see the Victor, Vulcan and Valiant - line abreast, coming right overhead, heading in the direction of the Isle of Wight. I don't know how high they were but it was very low - maybe 500 feet? Probably late 50's I think. What a sight and sound it was!
This is in my opinion the most beautiful airplane ever made....❤
This beautiful bird regularly flew over my house when I was a little kid. Scary bird.
What a sad thing letting her down, and the moment you shut down the engines.... knowing they won´t roar again..... sad!
Thanks for the video ☻
Beautiful old girl! I wish the National Museum of the United States Air Force Museum could have gotten hold of a Victor and a Vulcan. We Yanks appreciate beauty in flight too. Those of us who love all things aviation will miss them.
Doesn't belong in that museum at all. Besides, this is/was a horrible aircraft. Poor range, poor offload capability, poor performance all around. Basically a flying bucket of bolts.
+Larry Cooper are you hi lool you must know nothing about planes if you mean that
Project Halo wars I suppose you're right. That is if you disregard my degree in Aerospace Engineering, my stints as an aerospace and electrical engineer, my conversations with Tex Johnston on the subject, my years piloting the NKC/EC/KC-135 and instructing and flight test in the EC-18/B-707. I suppose that is not enough to qualify me to make an informed comment on an air refueling platform.
+Don Weimer
As far as i know there are three vulcans still on display in the states if it helps.
XM573 - Strategic air and space museum, ashland, nebraska
XM605 - Castle AFB museum, atwater, california.
XM606 - 8th air force museum, barksdale AFB, louisiana.
+Larry Cooper First of all, impressive resume and thank you for your service. But wasn't the Victor designed as a bomber? It was converted to the tanker role. l wonder how well the B 52 would perform if converted to a tanker? Wasn't the kc135 built on the 707 airliner airframe which Boeing redesigned and built from the ground up as tankers? I don't believe Boeing converted airliners to tankers. This airframe also carries the AWACS mission. For what it's worth, the 707 platform has been wonderful in every role it played. That they are still in use speaks volumes about the design. As for the short range of the Victor, the Soviet Union is not that far from England and the RAF pilots probably knew their nuclear mission was going to be one way. I believe it's a damned good thing they didn't have to find out!
Freaking amazing looking bomber!Such a menacing look.love it
What a beauty and such a shame she will be broken up. We should keep her on display at Waddington or Cosford.
She has not been broken up. If you listen he said that she would be transfered by road to the RAF museum as the runway there is not long enough.
I don't believe I have ever laid my eyes on an aircraft as beautiful as this. Not even close!
She is beautiful and well spoken!
It still looks more futuristic then modern military planes.
Such a magnificent aircraft
I've just come back from the Duxford museum, saw this plane. It's a truly a marster peace.
It sucks when great planes like this are scrapped or taken out of the air to sit in Museum somewhere.
It's better to be placed in the museum to let future generations watch and inspired rather than having to be scrapped, dumped and let it rust
GBLynden's RC P
Quite a few B-52s still in service. It's too bad the RAF didn't buy B-52s back in the 50s instead of building 3 types of V bombers. The B-52 could carry twice the payload as any of the V bombers, twice the range.
Victors were being scrapped back in the 70s at RAF St Athan when I was there. Too many V bombers were built and the role of air to air refueling was not ideal for a bomber.
"paperwork" ?? there is no role for the Victor, built in an age when bombers were thought to be the only detterent, ICBMs made them redundant. The air to air role was not ideal for the Victor. The RAF should have used converted 707s in that role, they had a greater range, could carry more fuel and they could carry ground crew.
I have built a scale model of the exact plane in the video and I must say it is very elegant and also menacing (in a good way). absolutely love the Victor
Wow...in the style department...10
Great video. I saw the Vulcan last week for the last time before she retires, very emotional. I wish they could keep these old girls flying, such a shame :'-(
+Nigel Fortune This Victor reminds me of the plane they used on Flash Gordon
Why do they scrap such wonderful aircraft. Isn't it better for aviation history to maintain them in flying condition? Its like destroying a monument.
+Louis Kriel An act or criminally short sighted vandalism. Like the grounding of the Concorde fleet, I swore after that I'd never fly BA again. Promise kept.
MichaelKingsfordGray The national lottery has raked in billions since it began. It wouldn't take much to save our aviation heritage for posterity.
Oh I think it could be done for a lot less than you're claiming. Where there's a will there's a way-unless the bean counters and desk jockeys have anything to do with it.
Totally agree keep at least one out of respect for the engineering design and the planefor what it is.
It's pretty easy and inexpensive to maintain a document. You can't say the same about an obsolete plane.
I agree in part, certainly the most beautiful bomber and if you were below the most frightening, but for getting to job done the B-52 is the number you can on.
my favorite bomber ! looks really wonderful
First flight in 1952 ! Development started around 1947 Replaced the Avro Lancaster, what a leap. in technology.
The British REALLY knew how to build some sexy bombers.
J H Are you crazy? That thing is hideous haha
You can't have sex with a bomber.maybe a Handley Palm
Ужасно не красивый самолет...
@Big Cake I have the same opinion)))
@Big Cake JH is blind, i think
It's so sad, that these beauties won't be visible in the skies anymore !
B-52 came out in 1952 same era as Victor I think. B-47 around 1947.The Harrier was very unique and perfect for Marines use lots were built here in a number of variants. Canberras were again unique but I only saw one flying.
Another of the greats, But had the pleasure of seeing them most days when stationed at WYTON, And watching the take off a landings,
The most beautiful plane I think I've ever seen. There is one at Elvington, near York, and I've been close enough to touch the old girl. A great plane made proudly by our once great nation and a sad casualty to the end of our glorious history. Damn I wish I could see it fly :(
The cockpit window arrangement gives the aircraft a special look.
Great video. Sad when it gets down to only preserving nose sections, but I salute those who do what they can. Some aircraft to me are so iconic that they should have had at least one flying example preserved at MOD expense. Thinking Meteor, Hunter, the one and only Lightning(maybe at least two of those!), Canberra and last and never least the trio of V Bombers.
Always thought the Victor looked it's best in Anti Flash White overall or Cammo upper surfaces.
To me the Victor seemed ahead of it's time in design- particularly considering designed I believe late 1940's. Without computers. Also if I recall the Victor could carry 35,000 pounds of conventional ordnance- impressive.
Still a head Turner in 2022..so futuristic and beautiful. 😢
A very unusual looking aircraft, I have always thought they have sort of a "Jules Verne" look about them. Futuristic and other worldly. I have to assume the air-frame was cut to transport it to it's final resting place. Once that's done there's no way to repair the damage. A nice addition to the museum to say the least, but sad in the sense it wouldn't be able to fly again.
Tinsby couldn't have said it better myself
Thanks! I was fortunate to see one years ago at an airshow in Harrisburg, Pa. It was on static display as I remember, along with a fighter plane from a RAF squadron that had Roman Numerals on the tail, not English numbers. We were told that it was the only squadron that was using that numbering scheme. Sorry I don't recall which one it was, I'd love to know and I forget why they used them!
They flew back to the UK in darkness so I never got to see the Victor fly. I have photos of it, yes. Lord knows where they are needless to say they are pre-digital!
How true! In a previous comment I said it was the most handsome of the three, many people might not have seen it in flight before but I think after seeing this, they will probably agree. Thank you.
such a beautiful plane
wow,what a great looks this plane have. All praise to its crew and designers.
this bomber look more like a star war space ship more than airplane.
Worked with Tankers at RAF Marham. My favourite military aircraft closely followed by the F4 Phantom
The most evil looking plane in history. Somehow, looks a bit like a distant cousin of the Daleks
My Dad loved every second in accidental flight - it was second nature to him to take her back down safely. ❤
Belongs in Thunderbirds...she is gorgeous..
huh...extremely cool looking! Never saw good pics or film in it before. She looks like a true brute, love the sound!
What a crying shame to loose a big part of our history...We{UK) save historic homes..Why not shave historic planes.
agedflier Not quite that easy, sadly most of these aircraft are nearing the end of their airframes lifespan, meaning that regardless of what we do those aircraft's flying days are over.
Streaky100001 As Ray Hansen said..The B-52 was built around the same time and it's still flying. I agree in general what you are saying but isn't there a term called "preventative maintenance"?? I'm sure there are pattern molds stashed away somewhere and can be remanufactured.
John Atkinson Yeah, there is preventative maintance, and this can extend the airframes life but even so fatigue builds up and sooner or later you have to retire the airctaft, I'm sure the same B-52s haven't been flying all this time, many have likely been retired and replaced. And yes, I'm sure if you dug around you'd likely find pattern molds, but we don't have the industrial infrastructure for it anymore.
+agedflier Scrapping is a horror surely at least one nice example can be kept indoors in good flying condition.?
+Ray Hansen I wish they could have brought a few to the states for our air museums. The Hanford California air force museum at least has a Vulcan on display, a Victor would fit in with their bomber oriented museum.
thanks for being a king of planes!
so cosmic design. Looks like a CG animation from the Avatar movie.
Priveliged to have joined 2 air to air refuelling flights between the C130 and the Victor. An awesome aircraft.
You wouldn't knock down a historical castle for stones to build a pavement; so why do they scrap old planes to be made into cans?
Or even worse flown up in the sky and shot down
PMOL QRCD that’s literally what happened to every castle on the planet, once they were deemed obsolete and stopped being used people used the stone to build their houses.
Who is supposed to pay for all these obsolete aircraft to be preserved?
@@Jabber-ig3iw Charity. If it cant be funded then fair enough but they don't even give us the choice most of the time. Im pretty sure we've not used castles to build houses. In the UK anyway.
First worked on the Victor in 1959 at Wyton Radar Recce Flight and then 1977/78 on 57 Squadron Tankers at Marham - El Adem with Grass!
I was on the beach at Druidston, Pembrokeshire when the Victor crashed off Pembrokeshire,,,It was August 1959..Sadly there where were 5 fatalities
Cause of the crash?
british planes are absolutely stunning. its sad the british have rejected their own engineering industry in favor of mostly american designs. lack of confidence in their own ability - which is extremely sad to see for a country which was once the largest empire in the world. you can do much better, GB.
+ysesq
Nothing to do with the confidence, all to do with penny pinching self serving treacherous governments the electorate of the UK have foolishly voted for.
ysesq No lack of confidence my friend,but definitely a lack of money to build them.
Nothing to do with a lack of confidence in our engineering capability. It is simply down to cost. If the USA develops a good aircraft then the UK may buy it. The USA buys a great deal of weapons and equipment from the UK. Even the F35 Lightning is 15% built by the UK.
Uh the U.K. buys mostly European engineered aircraft FYI
Sadly this is just an example of modern British attitude, not just in aircraft and engineering, but in general.
We get a good idea and all we end up doing is making a hash of it and end up selling it off to a foreign company to do it properly. We don't even come up with anything groundbreaking anymore. The (then) British car industry is the absolute finest example of everything that was wrong with modern Britain's way.
Seen this incredible plane in it’s forever home still has the maid Marion painting but now white absolutely iconic aircraft
26 años después de su último vuelo me vengo dando cuenta de la existencia de esta belleza de aeronave … :;v
1st posting, 1st squadron, 1st station and 1st operational aircraft I worked on out of RAF Eng training... What a time
and they phased this aircraft out as a bomber?? man it looks cool!
Abhishek Tadimari Yep got to say we used to make some damn fine aircraft!🇬🇧👏🇬🇧👍
The UK government needed more money for the welfare state.
KiloByte what's wrong with that?
Wrong.
The Thatcher government decided that mass unemployment was acceptable instead of investment in our industries, and thought that short term profit maximisation was a more worthy goal than investing long term in British industry and technology.
Such a magnificent airplane must be operational till the end of days... It's in my "top3" of the most beautiful airplanes ever built...! My heart cries when I hear that most of them were just destroyed...that's life....
These beautiful bombers don't belong in a scrap heap!
An old family friend -Jock Still- was a test pilot for Handley Page. He flew Victors. Also Hurricanes and Spits operationally during WW2 and (at the end of his career) Lightnings as part of a service contract for Saudi Arabia.
wow beautiful plane man!!!!
"Old warriors never die they just fade away". D.McArthur
totally agree. Beautiful design. Youve got to wonder why they dont design modern jet aircraft like this.
Steve Vincent aero dynamics and fuel efficiency
First saw the 3 V's at Farnborough airshow when I was 5, wonderful to watch. Many years later i worked on the Victor and the Vulcan. The valiant had just been towed to the scrap heap in 65. Many years later working on the Victor tankers i remember when the USAF visited with B52's our pilots would put on a show at takeoff, low fuel weight, and just watch them climb .. 4 roaring conways.