Vulcan Bomber at Shoreham Airshow

[The Grand Wazoo]

I saw that first time around when it was on a while back. A proper 'Biggles Flies South' tale it was too!

[Sonority]

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.

[Jonboy]

i last saw it August bank holiday weekend 2012 flying over us near the Wing and Wheels 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

[DaveK]

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 ). 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'!!
Dave.

[MartinT]

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]

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.