View Full Version : Vulcan Bomber at Shoreham Airshow
Is this the best looking plane ever, what a sight and what a noise
[http://i419.photobucket.com/albums/pp272/jonboy_01/DSC_0068.jpg
http://i419.photobucket.com/albums/pp272/jonboy_01/DSC_0094.jpg
http://i419.photobucket.com/albums/pp272/jonboy_01/DSC_0100.jpg
http://i419.photobucket.com/albums/pp272/jonboy_01/DSC_0065.jpg
Absolutely agree - 4 Olympus turbojets at full chat... lovely! Been trying to get to see XH558 for a couple of years, the most awesome sight. The Vulcan & I used to be a regular in the late 80s/90s at Mildenhall etc... love a good airshow - and the bass rumbles your chest cavity - probably like Marco's Lockwoods!
Hi Guys,
What memories those beautiful pics bring back. I used to regularly visit Finningley Air Show when it was a Vulcan base, rather than the Thomson Holiday base it is now, at least for the moment. :)
They used to end each show, after the Red Arrows, with three Vulcans in arrow head formation, roaring down the runway doing a Red Alert take off - might have been those episodes that did for my hearing :lolsign: . Not only did the chest cavity rumble, the ground several hundred yards away also rumbled - must have shown up on the seismographs !! If you think of the noise that four Olympus' (Olympi ?) made in fly-past cruise mode a few hundred feet from the ground, imagine the noise that twelve made at full throttle on the ground - truly awesome!!
Happy days !!
Cheers,
Is this the best looking plane ever
Yes it is! :)
Hi Guys,
What memories those beautiful pics bring back. I used to regularly visit Finningley Air Show when it was a Vulcan base,
Snap, my dad used to take me. :)
Actually, you could be my dad!... you're about the same age! :lol: ;)
Snap, my dad used to take me. :)
Actually, you could be my dad!... you're about the same age! :lol: ;)
Hi Mike (nearly said 'son' ),
Please don't provide any details of your mum as a young lady as further discussions may be difficult (and I need all the friends I can get around here ;) .
Only joking, please don't send your dad round :( .
Cheers,
Spectral Morn
23-08-2009, 19:46
Not thread crapping I hope.
The Vulcan is a very impressive plane, but my fave is the....
Star Fighter
http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/Lockheed_F-104C_Starfighter_USAF.jpg
http://www.zap16.com/images/lm02_starfighter_italian_4-29_2.jpg
Regards D S D L
Hi Neil,
I may be mistaken, often am these days, but wasn't the Starfighter also known as the F111 - if so didn't the German and/or Dutch air forces have to stop flying it because they couldn't put up with the pilot losses due to crashes and malfunctions etc., - or am I confusing it with another USA fighter?
Cheers,
Hi Neil,
I may be mistaken, often am these days, but wasn't the Starfighter also known as the F111 - if so didn't the German and/or Dutch air forces have to stop flying it because they couldn't put up with the pilot losses due to crashes and malfunctions etc., - or am I confusing it with another USA fighter?
Cheers,
Nope. ;)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Dynamics_F-111
Hi Neil,
I may be mistaken, often am these days, but wasn't the Starfighter also known as the F111 - if so didn't the German and/or Dutch air forces have to stop flying it because they couldn't put up with the pilot losses due to crashes and malfunctions etc., - or am I confusing it with another USA fighter?
Cheers,
Hi Dave, the F-111 was a swing wing, maybe the first of its type. The flying coffin (Starfighter) was a different plane, if my memory is functioning properly!
edit: found it, the Starfighter was the F-104.
Spectral Morn
23-08-2009, 20:05
Hi Neil,
I may be mistaken, often am these days, but wasn't the Starfighter also known as the F111 - if so didn't the German and/or Dutch air forces have to stop flying it because they couldn't put up with the pilot losses due to crashes and malfunctions etc., - or am I confusing it with another USA fighter?
Cheers,
Yes you are right highly unstable because of the short wings etc, but it did hold the altitude record for years as flown by Chuck Yaeger. I love the shape of it and the paint job that it had when in American air force service. One of my faves when I built models as a child the ME 262 was my second fave.
http://www.kilroywashere.org/07-Images/me262Search/Me-262.jpg
Regards D S D L
Hi Dave, the F-111 was a swing wing, maybe the first of its type. The flying coffin (Starfighter) was a different plane, if my memory is functioning properly!
edit: found it, the Starfighter was the F-104.
Hi Clive,
Surprised to find you here, all things considered, but you are especially welcome as far as I'm concerned - can't speak for others, but that's their problem - enough !! ;).
So I was partially right, the Starfighter was the flying coffin, I just confused it's F No. - not bad for somebody with advanced Alzheimers and rampant senility :scratch: .
Cheers,
Yes you are right highly unstable because of the short wings etc, but it did hold the altitude record for years as flown by Chuck Yaeger. I love the shape of it and the paint job that it had when in American air force service. One of my faves when I built models as a child the ME 262 was my second fave.
http://www.kilroywashere.org/07-Images/me262Search/Me-262.jpg
Regards D S D L
Hi Neil,
It can only be in the genes - did your dad have a bike? :lol: - so many members into photography, lots of 'em seem to have cats and now we are starting to collect plane spotters (sorry ;) ) and ex-aero model builders - I plead guilty as charged to all the above.
Cheers,
PS.
I was a DH Mosquito man myself - used to visit BAe Broughton regularly a few years ago and on two ocassions I coincidentally arrived on the afternoon that they trundled out their museum piece Mosquito and flew it around the airfield a few times - something to do with maintaining it's certificate of airworthyness I believe - I just stood and watched, entranced, listening to the roar of those twin (Merlin ?) engines, until I was late for my appointment - didn't matter though as my hosts were stood at the windows enjoying the display also - magic moments.
Spectral Morn
23-08-2009, 20:37
Hi Neil,
It can only be in the genes - did your dad have a bike? :lol: - so many members into photography, lots of 'em seem to have cats and now we are starting to collect plane spotters (sorry ;) ) and ex-aero model builders - I plead guilty as charged to all the above.
Cheers,
PS.
I was a DH Mosquito man myself - used to visit BAe Broughton regularly a few years ago and on two ocassions I coincidentally arrived on the afternoon that they trundled out their museum piece Mosquito and flew it around the airfield a few times - something to do with maintaining it's certificate of airworthyness I believe - I just stood and watched, entranced, listening to the roar of those twin (Merlin ?) engines, until I was late for my appointment - didn't matter though as my hosts were stood at the windows enjoying the display also - magic moments.
Hi Dave
Beaufighter was my third fave , the Lysander forth and the Mosquito fifth fave. I do still make/build models now, but they are sci-fi types now.
http://dmdiving.nl/images/Beaufighter%20MK%20VIC.jpg
http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net/Aircraft/Preserved/Lysander_V9281_preserved_woodford_UK.jpg
http://www.rodanair.ca/Pictures/mosqto2.jpg
Regards D S D L
Is this the best looking plane ever .......?
No! Despite being intended as a deliverer of a WMD it does look pretty, but without doubt the best looking plane ever was the Concorde.
No! Despite being intended as a deliverer of a WMD it does look pretty, but without doubt the best looking plane ever was the Concorde.
Agreed! but then I'm slightly biased ;)
Hi Dave
Beaufighter was my third fave , the Lysander forth and the Mosquito fifth fave. I do still make/build models now, but they are sci-fi types now.
http://www.rodanair.ca/Pictures/mosqto2.jpg
Regards D S D L
The Mosquito is my favorite looking WW2 plane follwed by the Spit.
Spectral Morn
23-08-2009, 21:02
Love this as well...now that was flying never mind the take off you couldn't see the ground to land.
http://www.airplane-pictures.net/images/uploaded-images/2008-2/6/10180.jpg
I do love the Spitfire as well, but for me its the D Day Invasion version.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/guernsey/content/images/2008/09/11/spitfire_553a_470x352.jpg
Regards D S D L
....... but without doubt the best looking plane ever was the Concorde.
Hi Barry,
I have to agree with you. With all due respect to our American members, the USA killed the Concord (bugger the French, there's no 'e' on the end), 'cos their's never got of the ground in any real sense - thank goodness their attempts to foil the 380 project never succeeeded - nothin wrong with coming second ocassionally, it spurs you on to better efforts - look at putting the first man in space for instance.
Sorry if this cuts across anything our cousins across the pond believe, it is my honest opinion, formed whilst working in the aerospace industry and travelling around the world whilst doing it.
Cheers,
Perhaps maybee not the best looking plane ever but i got you all thinking.
Concorde i remember it flying out over the sea in the south and hearing the sound barrier cracking as it was getting up to speed ( thats what they told me the noise was anyway)
The last time i saw a Vulcan Flying was in 1973 over the north downs on our old farm in Kent, i was 7 at the time and remember my mother pointing it out, she was with us today, it was a nice moment to share that experience again i'm not a plane spotter but like to see them in action, we also had Sally B and a Lancaster, amongst others fly over our heads whilst sitting in the middle of a field which was a pretty impressive site, unfortunately i didn't have my camera at that time:doh:
Hi Clive,
Surprised to find you here, all things considered, but you are especially welcome as far as I'm concerned - can't speak for others, but that's their problem - enough !! ;)
Dave, can you explain what this is supposed to mean? I sincerely hope it's not what I think it is...
Marco.
Be rude not to... :eyebrows:
Nice link Andr'e, the pilot is a very ordinary type of guy and no the typical ex RAF "chap" you might expect
Rare Bird
02-05-2011, 18:09
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a222/LIVING-SIN/Picture006.jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a222/LIVING-SIN/Picture012.jpg
:cool:
hifi_dave
02-05-2011, 18:29
Saw a Vulcan a few years ago at North Weald - wotta sight. Came right overhead to show the bomb bay open, it shook the ground. But, the noisiest plane I have heard is the Stealth. I saw this in Ft.Lauderdale a while back and it made the Vulcan sound like it had silencers fitted. The sight of that speeding off with blue jets flaring out the back was truly thrilling...:eek:
Sorry for any non technical terms but I don't know much about planes.
Jac Hawk
02-05-2011, 19:15
Fantastic Andre, always seeing those reminds me of Cornwall in the 70's, we used to go on our holls down there and RAF St Morgan was just down the road, not really very stealthy with the noise they made, i think if you were an enemy, the sound they made would have you soiling your shorts long before you saw the damn thing.
Rare Bird
02-05-2011, 19:25
Sorry about the pics the wife fault :lolsign:
My father is a retired RAF pilot and got a chance towards the end of his career to fly in a Vulcan (not as a pilot unfortunately - well not officially ;)). Said it was one of the highlights of his career.
There's a very readable book worth seeking out called Vulcan 607 - tells the true story of the attack on the Falklands airport runway (warts an' all), highly recommended. If anyone wants to borrow it, you are more than welcome, but you will have to come and get it :eyebrows:
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w63/greatgig/mf1.jpg
Rare Bird
02-05-2011, 23:02
Thanks Tim just bagged one for the bloke i look after, on Auction £2.38 inc postie :) , i'll read it to him, he loves all things RAF.
Another pic, others didnt come out too great
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a222/LIVING-SIN/Picture001.jpg
Thanks Tim just bagged one for the bloke i look after, on Auction £2.38 inc postie :) , i'll read it to him, he loves all things RAF.
Not wishing to get too sloppy, but that is well cool - one of the World's unsung heroes you are dude. :kiss: ;)
The Grand Wazoo
02-05-2011, 23:09
Doncaster/Sheffield/Robin Hood/slightly more East than East Midlands/Robin Hood/St Ledger/Bob's Yer Aunty's Live in Lover Airport - ah yes, I know it well!
The end of the runway is about 500 metres from some woodland I used to manage. Dead trees everywhere due to planes dumping fuel before landing. The locals loved the memory of the Vulcans, but they protested like buggery when Peel Holdings began to talk about re-opening it as a commercial airport.
Rare Bird
02-05-2011, 23:57
Not wishing to get too sloppy, but that is well cool - one of the World's unsung heroes you are dude. :kiss: ;)
:cheers:
I've got some photos of a Vulcan in flight somewhere from an air show in about 1981 (proper old-school ones from a proper camera, none of your computer hocus-pocus then!) I'll try and dig them up, though knowing what most of my pictures from air shows were like it will just be a tiny black triangle in the sky! I can still remember the ground shaking and my internal organs liquidising themselves 30 years on... :)
I think I have to give it to Concorde by a whisker, but boy the Vulcan was a stunning looking plane, too. Talk about beauty delivering destruction :eek:
Oh, and Neil, I do agree that the Lockheed Starfighter was a simply amazing looking plane with its stubby wings. It's nicely featured in the the film The Right Stuff when Chuck Yeager takes one up for an unauthorised 'test'.
http://www.wvi.com/~sr71webmaster/f104.gif
I have to say watching a Harrier hovering is a pretty menacing site (and noisy) - It just doesn't seem possible that a plane can sit still in mid air or fly sideways!
5xKXtPaSNH4
Spectral Morn
03-05-2011, 15:53
I think I have to give it to Concorde by a whisker, but boy the Vulcan was a stunning looking plane, too. Talk about beauty delivering destruction :eek:
Oh, and Neil, I do agree that the Lockheed Starfighter was a simply amazing looking plane with its stubby wings. It's nicely featured in the the film The Right Stuff when Chuck Yeager takes one up for an unauthorised 'test'.
http://www.wvi.com/~sr71webmaster/f104.gif
Hi Martin
One of my faves. I have always loved the look of that plane. My second fave is the Me 262......now that is a plane full of menace :eek:
http://rpmedia.ask.com/ts?u=/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/82/Messerschmitt_Me_262_Schwable.jpg/120px-Messerschmitt_Me_262_Schwable.jpg
Regards D S D L
I think I have to give it to Concorde by a whisker, but boy the Vulcan was a stunning looking plane, too. Talk about beauty delivering destruction :eek:
Oh, and Neil, I do agree that the Lockheed Starfighter was a simply amazing looking plane with its stubby wings. It's nicely featured in the the film The Right Stuff when Chuck Yeager takes one up for an unauthorised 'test'.
http://www.wvi.com/~sr71webmaster/f104.gif
Was that the one they nicknamed 'The Widow-maker'?
This might be of interest to the Starfighter fans.
The video contains nudity so dont all rush at once ;)
VkMMUOp3Y4k
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Captain-Lockheed-Starfighters-Robert-Calvert/dp/B002RBNNM2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1304439663&sr=1-1
I used to go to the trade days at Farnborough Airshow many years ago courtesy of work.
This might be of interest to the Starfighter fans.
The video contains nudity so dont all rush at once ;)
Aaah, Stacia.
My second fave is the Me 262......now that is a plane full of menace :eek:
It certainly is. I guess we're lucky that it only made an appearance when it was too late...
Was that the one they nicknamed 'The Widow-maker'?
Oh yes ;)
I found the pictures of the Vulcan - note the very 80's clothes!
http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/uu259/Alex_Steel1969/hifi/img005.jpg?t=1304440662
it was XH-560 - I think it was at RAF Marham in Norfolk. It was apparently converted to a refuelling tanker variant in 1982, not sure if this pre-dates that or not. Probably gone to the great scrapheap in the sky by now, I guess.
I've always been a fan of Concorde (and she does have an e, even if you're English!), as the most beautiful aircraft ever built imho, and I knew she was a clever aeroplane, but I had no idea just how clever she was until I came across this:
http://www.pprune.org/tech-log/423988-concorde-question.html
There's a lot of reading here (1350 posts at the last count), but the guys answering the questions are ex-pilots, designers and engineers who worked on her from the beginning in the early 60's up to the end of operations in 2003. If you're the least bit interested in the subject, it's an absolute treasure trove. Starts with a basic technical question and develops from there.
I have to say watching a Harrier hovering is a pretty menacing site (and noisy) - It just doesn't seem possible that a plane can sit still in mid air or fly sideways!
It isn't any more, thanks to Cameron and Co.
We were looking forward to the Vulcan this year at Shoreham but as you probably know it was grounded , so have a pic of one of these instead
http://i419.photobucket.com/albums/pp272/jonboy_01/DSC_0307-1.jpg
There's a very readable book worth seeking out called Vulcan 607 - tells the true story of the attack on the Falklands airport runway (warts an' all), highly recommended.
Just watched a program I recorded a couple of weeks ago about the Vulcan during the Falklands War - Falklands' Most Daring Raid (http://www.channel4.com/programmes/falklands-most-daring-raid) - very interesting story of British "make do and mend" gritted determination - not available On Demand any more unfortunately, but well worth looking out for any upcoming repeat for any Vulcan fans. ;)
i will have a look at that, i did hear it may not be flying for much longer if not again due to its running costs (around 2 million a year) and also its rarity value , the bits just aren't there to fix it no more :(
A bit here (http://www.vulcantothesky.org/)
and here (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-19952395)
i will have a look at that, i did hear it may not be flying for much longer if not again due to its running costs (around 2 million a year) and also its rarity value , the bits just aren't there to fix it no more :(
A bit here (http://www.vulcantothesky.org/)
and here (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-19952395)
:(
The Grand Wazoo
16-01-2013, 00:33
I saw that first time around when it was on a while back. A proper 'Biggles Flies South' tale it was too!
Sonority
16-01-2013, 21:41
It is a shame that this is its final year of flying, but it simply has to be.
To pass it's airworthiness cert some work needs to be done on the wings (spars if I remeber correctly).
While this should be fine - if it fails, then thats it - no more flying.
As has been said - various other bits are also past their working life very soon, and are simply not available any longer.
I got lucky and got a fantastic view of it doing a *very* low flypast over a certain place in Hereford that apparently does not exist :) late last year when the official show season had finished.
It also makes one of the best 'tortured air' sounds of any jet engine when the tap is fully open.
i last saw it August bank holiday weekend 2012 flying over us near the Wing and Wheels (http://www.wingsandwheels.net/) show at Dunsfold, the pictures at the start of the thread were taken by me laying on my back as it circled over Shoreham that year, as you say the sound is incredible at close quarters
When RAF Finningley was a Vulcan base some years ago I used to regularly vist the annual flying display, the last 'act' of which was usually 3 Vulcans hurtling down the runway in 'V' formation doing an emergency 'scramble' (Cold War days :eek: ). Three of those at ground level and full throttle made a sound the like of which you cannot imagine for the spectators just a few tens of yards from the runway - the ground used to shake as well, seriously :) .:)
Those were the days - no wonder my hearing is 'shot'!! :lol:
Dave.
It also makes one of the best 'tortured air' sounds of any jet engine when the tap is fully open.
The engines are Olympus turbojets, aren't they? I used to love the same sound Concorde made when flying low overhead. Mind-numbing in a good way ;)
Sonority
17-01-2013, 08:25
The engines are Olympus turbojets, aren't they? I used to love the same sound Concorde made when flying low overhead. Mind-numbing in a good way ;)
They are Olympus, correct, and a variant of which was indeed used in Concorde.
I have some pictures somewhere of a vulcan with an 'auxiliary' engine bay under one wing which was used for testing the prototype for the Concorde variant. very odd looking.
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