Avro Vulcan over The Mersey

[XL391]

Here are three images taken in the late fifties of an early Avro Vulcan on a test flight from her Woodford base showing her over Speke Airport, over Crosby, where you can clearly see the Wirral to the right of the pic and Liverpool to the left and over the Mersey itself. They are copyright BAe Systems and were taken from the excellent Vulcans in Camera (www.avrovulcan.org.uk)

[FKoE]

Is your avatar of the Vulcan parked outside Squires gate (Blackpool) Airport lar ?

[XL391]

Yeah, thats the one! :) Since removed, sadly... :rolleyes:

[FKoE]

Yeah I heard about that.. Did'nt someone buy it aiming to restore it ?

Great Photies X mate ;)

[XL391]

She was bought in 1983 by the Manchester Vulcan Bomber Society and there were plans to keep her airborne. The Civil Aviation Authority soon put paid to any plans for that and made it clear that no retired Vulcans wouldn't be flying without full manufacturer support (BAe) which was not forthcoming. She was then left to rot by until she became dangerous and the council ordered her destruction after the cowboy who owned her had flogged her on ebay. He always refused to do anything to look after her (a shame as she was a standby aircraft for the Falklands Campaign) and anyone trying to buy her, or even help look after her, were told, unceremoniously, to f**k off...

To see the progress on a Vulcan that IS going to fly this year, click the link at the bottom of my posts. :celb (6):

[FKoE]

Lovely looking planes too :( ... I never knew the Blackpool one was on standby for the Malvinas :shock: Its a bloody shame what happened to it aye..

http://www.tvoc.co.uk/ Nice one ;)

[XL391]

Lovely looking planes too :( ... I never knew the Blackpool one was on standby for the Malvinas :shock: Its a bloody shame what happened to it aye...

About halfway down this (http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=52519&page=2&highlight=BLACKPOOL+VULCAN+SOLD) page are some pictures of what happened to her.... :shock: I managed to save one of her engine covers though, it's enormous!! Also, she was actually shredded at Nortons on the Dock Road!! They knocked the cockpit and engines back because of radioactivity... :eek:

[Kev]

Excellent pics :handclap:

[Kev]

I've seen the Blackpol one, its on my hd somewhere..

[snappel]

It's a shame that rare planes like that are lost. It's hard to believe that of all the thousands of WW2 Lancasters, Wellingtons and Halifax bombers only one or two of each type survives.

Still, it's great that there'll be one flying again soon - they've worked hard and it's paid off.

[XL391]

I've seen the Blackpol one, its on my hd somewhere..

See if you can dig it out Kev :unibrow:

[XL391]

Still, it's great that there'll be one flying again soon - they've worked hard and it's paid off.

Not long now, hopefully she'll be seen at Southport Airshow next year... (Take some earplugs!!) :celb (23):

[jimmy]

:handclap: XL391, brilliant post, and thanks for the great photographs,and
Vulcans in Camera,site. Thanks to FKoE for the www.tvoc.co.uk site, really
interesting.:PDT_Aliboronz_24:

[FKoE]

Thanks to FKoE for the www.tvoc.co.uk site, really interesting.:PDT_Aliboronz_24:

Ah its the link X provided Jimmy in his footer .. good stuff aye :)

[FKoE]

About halfway down this (http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=52519&page=2&highlight=BLACKPOOL+VULCAN+SOLD) page are some pictures of what happened to her.... :shock: I managed to save one of her engine covers though, it's enormous!! Also, she was actually shredded at Nortons on the Dock Road!! They knocked the cockpit and engines back because of radioactivity... :eek:

Cheers XL mate. ;)

[XL391]

Nae bother laaaa!! :unibrow:

[XL391]

If anyone wants to watch the return of the worlds (soon to be) only flying Vulcan Bomber, watch here. (http://www.tvoc.co.uk/hangar_cam.asp) It will be getting very, very busy over the next couple of months with her first test flights in late March/early April. :celb (6):

[bazzacat]

Im pleased to say I contributed to the Vulcan to the skies project, will be well worth it when its up in the air again. Was luckily living in close proximity to the last of the Victors in late 80s/ early 90s, another fantastic plane of that era. They made such "futuristic" designs in the 50s!

[Tockeyhead]

Im pleased to say I contributed to the Vulcan to the skies project, will be well worth it when its up in the air again. Was luckily living in close proximity to the last of the Victors in late 80s/ early 90s, another fantastic plane of that era. They made such "futuristic" designs in the 50s!

Looks abit stealthy too!

If you like aviation, Click here!
http://www.yoliverpool.com/forum/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=4624

[shytalk]

I just downloaded the History channel documentary about the Vulcan being restored, I am looking forward to viewing it later.

[shytalk]

Just watched it, great show, if it comes back on TV it is well worth watching.:handclap:

[XL391]

http://www.air-scene-uk.com/scene/brunty/071018/xh558.jpg
Copyright: Fred Davis
http://www.air-scene-uk.com/scene/brunty/071018/xh558a.jpg
Copyright: Fred Davis

An amazing day, really did bring a tear to my eye when she popped up over the trees. Managed to make the other end for the overshoot and landing, only 150 feet above my head!! Still can't quite believe what i've seen... :D Did get one or two pics but for most of it I was just watching her, absolutely awestruck!! :P :PDT_Aliboronz_24:

Congratulations to ALL involved, let's get her back over the Mersey!!

:snf (41)::snf (41)::snf (41):

[Waterways]

I recall these over Liverpool as a kid. Vapour trails everywhere and small white/silver "v" at the head of the trail. They were always quite high up, but still in view.

I saw them in London in the Falklands war fly past. They were very low with Harriers around them. They never looked that impressive as I was looking from the top of a tower block with a side view. Side view is not that good. When they fly directly over, the big V shape is very impressive indeed, then you know that this was mean plane.

There was one in Gibraltar as a door stop.

[Kolchak]

It really is fantastic to see the Vulcan in flight again, saw it at airshows doing displays and it was always a showstopper.

I heard that when one made the famous bomb run down Mount Pleasant airfield in the Falklands, one of the conscripts said "Mother of God, if thats the size of their 'planes, how big is their aircraft carrier!"

A piece of classic engineering.

[Waterways]

It really is fantastic to see the Vulcan in flight again, saw it at airshows doing displays and it was always a showstopper.

I heard that when one made the famous bomb run down Mount Pleasant airfield in the Falklands, one of the conscripts said "Mother of God, if thats the size of their 'planes, how big is their aircraft carrier!"

A piece of classic engineering.

I was under the impression, could be wrong, that the Vulcans dropped their bombs from very high up when bombing the Falklands.

[Kolchak]

Sorry, I don't know what height the raid was carried out at, Waterways, the comment may well be anecdotal, but it does make me smile.
Imagine how you'd feel seeing one of these beasts actually doing it's job! The conscripts didn't expect anything like that big noisy bat, it must have caused a few nightmares.

[Waterways]

Sorry, I don't know what height the raid was carried out at, Waterways, the comment may well be anecdotal, but it does make me smile.
Imagine how you'd feel seeing one of these beasts actually doing it's job! The conscripts didn't expect anything like that big noisy bat, it must have caused a few nightmares.

The Brazilians allowed the British Nimrod and Canberra reccie planes to re-fuel. They had no love for the Argentinians.

[XL391]

I was under the impression, could be wrong, that the Vulcans dropped their bombs from very high up when bombing the Falklands.

For this raid, the Vulcan and the Victor tankers supporting her (all 11 of them), were ordered to fly as high as possible to save on fuel (60,000ft). To tank, as the RAF call it, they had to meet at approx 40,000 feet to fill the Vulcan from the fleet of Victors. To bomb the island, the Vulcan had to drop to around 500ft 100 miles away from the target to avoid Argentine Anti Aircraft guns and radar before pulling a steep climb to around 20,000ft to drop the bombs to give them the necessary velocity to penetrate the runway.

[SteveFaragher]

in 1977 we were travelling from Leeds to the east coast and in Lincolnshire we went past an airfield just as a squadron of vulcans were lining up for a sortie, took some photos but dont have the negs now....very impressive sight though

[Waterways]

For this raid, the Vulcan and the Victor tankers supporting her (all 11 of them), were ordered to fly as high as possible to save on fuel (60,000ft). To tank, as the RAF call it, they had to meet at approx 40,000 feet to fill the Vulcan from the fleet of Victors. To bomb the island, the Vulcan had to drop to around 500ft 100 miles away from the target to avoid Argentine Anti Aircraft guns and radar before pulling a steep climb to around 20,000ft to drop the bombs to give them the necessary velocity to penetrate the runway.

The raid was more physiological than anything else. The Argentinians were aware that even the mainland was within range of heavy bombers too.

[XL391]

XH558, the last airworthy Vulcan Bomber, urgently needs OUR help. This was taken from the Vulcan To The Sky (http://www.tvoc.co.uk) Website:


Press Release - 18th February 2008


Mayday Mayday – Vulcan hits turbulence en route to Displays

Avro Vulcan XH558 has run into the headwinds of the current economic conditions.
The return of the aircraft to air displays is at risk of being slowed to a stop because potential sponsors have drawn in their purse strings and are not making available the expected funds. With three month’s work still needed to ready the aircraft and its crew for air displays, the lack of funding to start this last phase is now endangering the return of the Vulcan to the beginning of the airshow season.
“We need to start the rest of the test flight programme with the return of good weather at the beginning of March, but we still have to have £150,000 in our hands before we can do that, plus confidence that we will go on raising at least £50,000 per month after that. Right now we look like we’re going to be starved of funds at this critical moment for the Vulcan. Every week’s delay to the restart from the end of February will push the first display appearance back by another week. What we are asking people for now is a fraction of what we have raised already, but it is needed now!”, says Dr Robert Pleming, Chief Executive of the Vulcan to the Sky Trust.

Having delivered on their promise of August 2006 to put Vulcan XH558 back into the air, on 18th October 2007, Robert Pleming’s loyal team at Bruntingthorpe Airfield, Leicestershire are determined not to fail to meet the public’s expectations of the Vulcan’s return to the air display world this summer.

Over £6million has been spent on returning Vulcan XH558 to flight, of which £2.7million has come from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The rest – the majority – has come from public donations, making XH558 truly the public’s aircraft.

“I’m afraid that if we don’t fly again soon, the door will start to close on the future of the Vulcan in flight. We won’t be able to carry out our role of ‘Honouring the Past, Inspiring the Future’, providing a once-seen, never-forgotten sight to a new generation of youngsters, stimulating interest in design and engineering, and telling people about an important period in our Nations history“, continues Robert Pleming, “With the public’s help, the triumphant return of this much-loved aircraft this summer will become the not-to-be-missed spectacle of the season. But we sincerely hope that companies will also give serious consideration to taking up the sponsorship opportunity of the year.”

Keith Mans, Chairman of the Vulcan to the Sky Trust agrees: “Once again, we are dependent on the goodwill of other people to ensure that XH558, the people’s aircraft, continues to fly. In August 2006, the public responded magnificently to our plea for support, and as the result of the £1.3million donated, XH558 took to the air last October. We are praying that people will rise to the somewhat smaller challenge we now face, and help us by making a donation and/or joining the Club today, to ensure that we are able to keep our promise to give XH558 back to the Nation this summer”

Donations may be sent to VTST, Bruntingthorpe Airfield, Lutterworth, Leicestershire, LE17 5QS, By donating online at http://www.vulcantothesky.com or by ‘phone to 0116 247 8145


Companies who want to take advantage of the very real corporate sponsorship opportunities should contact Michael Trotter on 07803 141483.


Also featured in the Daily Mail yesterday:

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i26/TheForestDweller/VulcanScan.jpg