Aircraft General Discussion

MichaelG, it would be nice to have aircraft such as the Vulcan flying, but the cost is horrific, the cost would be millions per annum, these are complex aircraft, but most of the equipment is obsolete, and parts will be difficult if not impossible to obtain.

It's difficult enough keeping up with engines for the likes of the Merlins for the two Mustangs mentioned above, although I believe that new parts are being made in USA, lots of bits needed for Reno racing aircraft. This is ZK-TAF a privately owned P-51D in the colours of no., 3 Canterbury Teritorial Squadron RNZAF

Ian S C

Metalmuncher,

It must have been them that I heard last week but got outside too late and just saw them disappearing SW, from Gt Yarmouth I would think. Too far away to make out what they where.

The two engines together sounded like radials, so no doubt just out of sync.

The size of those Typhoon Canard wings surprised me somewhat for some reason.

Back after a meal at Mr. Ds American Diner, which is on the A11 South bound, just North of Attleborough, and highly recommended.

Geoff - Now for 40winks.

Facts about why the Vulcan will no longer fly after 2015, and forthcoming appearances etc, here:

**LINK**

(accidently) Edited By Neil Wyatt on 26/06/2015 21:52:38

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 26/06/2015 21:53:11

Geoff, I'm in the Pulhams and their flightline from their base is right over our house, no mistaking those Merlins purring away. They also have an A6 Texan which is a radial so you might have heard that. I have been to their air strip and got up close to them But I just checked their website and they don't seem to do open days now. Keith.

I remember being invited to an air display at a USAF base at the end of the cold war. There were many interesting aircraft and flying displays and a better view point than usual was available as the numbers attending were not too many and it was possible to get quite close to the runway. At the end of great display a Vulcan flew in and performed its famous routine - very low pass along the runway at low speed with wheels and flaps down then, as it reached the end of the runway - wheels & flaps up, full power on all engines as the pilot pulled it into a vertical climb. The ground shook and the mighty aircraft disappeared from sight. The USAF guys standing next to me were at first stunned and then came :- " Gee man will you look at THAT!! "

Sad that they will fly no more but the memory of that day is firmly imprinted on my brain.

Norman

I remember seeing much the same thing at Saint Athan as a boy.

I used to work on the nature reserve at Ynys Hir, one day we were out on the big, wobbly bog when a Phantom came over , pulled a near vertical and put on the afterburner directly over us. The world shook more than the time I camped a few miles from the epicentre of a small earthquake.

Neil

Well it's a little planet!

This morning I twice ran out to see two civilian or emergency helicopters in close formation (~1 rotor circle apart) head south then back north directly over the garden pretty low.

But an hour ago I was walking the dogs and about a quarter mile from home I heard a modest jet sound that seemed unusually low. Whatever it was was in the sun so I had to shield my eye and - virtually overhead went a - the - bloomin' Vulcan!

It was heading roughly west to east, very low for a jet, perhaps 1500 feet, and very leisurely, I would estimate about 150-200 mph.

Very moving as I realise its probably the last time I would ever see a Vulcan in flight, but also such a coincidence.

Neil

Vulcan XH558, over Woodford today:

First a location shot, with XM603 visible on the ground:

Now, the farewell flight:

.

Disappointingly quiet at this distance ... but a joy to behold.

MichaelG.

I was lucky. It was heading from Cosford to East Midlands - behind schedule and about 700m north of its planned track! Must have seen me...

**LINK**

Neil

The best ground rumble I experienced was at Mildenhall watching a Blackbird SR71 taking off, one year at the IAT Fairford my friends and I got tickets for the Friday and Monday as well as the weekend, we sat in the stands next to the runway and during the day a Blackbird landed released its brake chute and taxied away, a Marina pickup arrived and after struggling the driver gave up trying to get it into the pick up and drove off, within five minutes a truck load of americans turned up to get the chute into the back of the truck and after another amusing struggle they managed it and drove off.

Martin P

At work we had a photograph of a Phantom on full reheat flying between the hangers at St.Athan. Needless to say it was the pilot's last flight.

JA

There I was quietly sitting on the rock on a beautful sunny day at Corran narrows on Loch Linnhe when a Phantom came up the loch at zero feet closely followed by it's roar. It then proceeded to fire up the afterburners and stand on it's tail. The noise, of course, was incredible. I expected the sea to boil or mountains to come crashing down but, no. It all calmed down again. I did catch a few mackerel though.

When I was little lad my Dad used to get tickets for the Farnborough air show. In those days the crowd was not really constrained and we used to park along the runway and watch; sitting on top of the old series 2 Oxford. A flight of three Lightnings doing a low level (I mean LOW) pass down the runway really made the suspension shudder.

Happy days,

Rod

Used to live on the approach/takeoff to the Rolls Royce airfield at Hucknall near Nottingham. We'd stand in the garden and watch their test Vulcan flying over at about three hundred feet with one of the Concord Olympus engines strapped under one wing. A regular sight was the RR commuter Spitfire which was stationed there.

The Vulcan take off with the Olympus wide open was quite spectacular. I can't remember now what there was, and of course never thought of taking photos, but we saw a steady stream of different aircraft types, flying in and out on test runs.

Pre Concord, so this would have been in the fifties and early sixties. We moved away in '68, so before then anyway.

When I was learning to fly in the late sixties we would do cross country hops via Hucknall and the place looked deserted then.

Ian

The Vulcan does another tour of 'V' Bases tomorrow (28th), going further south, i.e. Hendon.

Map of the projected route here.

**LINK**

It pays to keep an eye on their social media pages for timelely updates on the day.

Still quite a few more display dates, before the end date arrives later in the year.

**LINK**

My first ever sighting of Concord was off the Coast of Scotland, long before it went into passenger service. Fell in love with it right away.

In later years I worked in Berkshire and used to watch it Fly out and return most days until operations stopped, then watched its last ever departure for Bristol.

Edited By V8Eng on 27/06/2015 20:22:13

When I were a lad we used to hear Concord going supersonic over the Bristol Channel, before they made them wait longer before putting the pedal to the metal.

As I recall it only ever landed at Rhoose once, to prove it could be used as an emergency runway, it had to take off at minimum weight.

Neil

An uncle of mine worked at Hawker Siddely at the time they were refitting all sorts of aircraft and selling them on to "poorer" counties. They held a yearly air display for the people who worked for them. As they were a pretty hardened lot the displays were a bit unusual including Vulcans and all sorts. I was rather young so it's hard to remember clearly but one plane did a bombing run and hit a target on a hill surrounded with a crowd of people. As no one will believe me I wont mention what plane I think it was. Bit like a bus coming out of the sky and going up afterwards at an incredible rate of knots making an awful lot of noise.

I saw Concord touch down but not land at the old B'ham airport. I was working at Lucas Aerospace at the time. The runway was very close to the fence.

John

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Metalmuncher,

Ah, now I know what that aircraft is making that noise, but too far off to identify properly, it flying around the Eye Hoxne area.

A Harvard would regularly appear above Linden, a suburb of Jhb., and go through an aerobatics routine and dive bombing, this in the '50s & '60s.

Those two I saw where purring along, whereas an A6 sounds totally different.

Have only seen Concorde once, and that was when it was 'Showing the Flag' and touting for business.

It was doing a circle of Johannesburg, and my lasting memory is the noise its engines made, even though it was some distance away and in droop snoot mode.

Lucky man MichaelG!

Geoff - Never seen a V-Bomber much to my regret.

At work we had a photograph of a Phantom on full reheat flying between the hangers at St.Athan. Needless to say it was the pilot's last flight.

An RAF pilot buzzed Westminster in the 60s or 70s, I think he was protesting at defence cutbacks

Our ruling classes on their eternally increasing welfare handouts were NOT amused

Edited By Ady1 on 28/06/2015 12:11:51

Going to school in Basingstoke in the late sixties we often saw planes from RAE Farnborough flying around, including the Vulcan fitted with the Concorde engine installation. Dad took me down to Bristol to see Concorde 002 on it's maiden flight. On our way back from the west country last week I stopped in at the Fleet Air Arm museum to see the old girl.

I often see interesting planes about when birdwatching. I watched a U2 fly inland from the north norfolk coast once and saw a Phantom do an immaculate loop about a mile in diameter. A couple of days ago I watched a Harvard messing about and then a 2 seater Spitfire doing its stuff down near Selsey.

Rod

Back in the mid 1960s there was a U-2 and a B-47 operating out of Christchurch on scientific research flights, the U-2 seemed to be one of the noisiest aircraft I'v heard. Because of it's high aspect wing design, it was very restricted in speed at low altitude, so a steep climb at probably less than 200 knots. an interesting aircraft, there seem's to have been quite a number of quite different machines that were given the title U-2, each built for their individual job.

The NASA flying telescope, a Boeing 747 with a big hole cut in the side of the fuselage is operating out of Christchurch at the moment, think it's here for about a month, this maybe it's last mission due to budget cuts in the US.

Saw all three of the V bombers in the 1950/60s, including the one that got bent at the opening of Wellington airport.

Ian S C