Steve vRS

What a sight! It's the first time I've seen one in the air since a display at RAF Finningley in the late '80s.

YouTube - Avro Vulcan XH558 Whitehaven Festival 2009

My little lad was most impressed.

Steve

Leslie

Good to see her flying but such a disappointment that she is so restricted now in what she is allowed to do compared to the old days, nothing like an inverted recovery at the top of a wingover and a full power vertical climb off the runway to entertain the the crowd!

Les

astraboy

you know it les, I remember her at the RIAT, she climbed straight up, accompanied by the most titanic noise. Then she went into the wingover and all the noise and speed seemed to stop and she hung in the sky.
Amazing!
Astraboy.

Leslie

Best "hooligan" machine ever!

Les

Bonehead

I was ata mates BBQ on Sunday a few villages down the road from Waddington and she flew past.
Of course my mate started gloating he'd arranged it

Always a pleasure to see her in the air

s70rjw

iTrader: (2)

Me and the kids stood and looked in awe for a few minutes on Sun afternoon as it flew over York at low level. No matter how many times you see it, you always stop and stare.

Luminous

iTrader: (3)

How come she is so restricted in what manoeuvres they are allowed to fly? That is after all the whole point of restoring it back to flight...showing off what it was

Leslie

RR told the engineering supremo that all power changes and/or high power settings put extra strain as one might imagine on the engines, and apparently the engines can no longer be refurbished. There just aren't any more spares for them.

As far as G forces are concerned, it is G reversals between positive to negative G which cause the most damage. That is why flying at low level on a hot bumpy day used to hammer the airframe.

Single positive G applications within reason would not be much of a problem. I am not sure but I think this aircraft was restored to a full fatigue life at some time at the end of the RAF Vulcan operational service.

It was never necessary to use high G on a display anyway. it was possible to do full blooded wingovers going fully inverted at the top and do minimum radius turns in level flight in front of the public with max rate roll reversals of direction and still only pull about 1.35-1.4 G.

Pulling the aircraft to the buffet as some used to do in steep turns only decreased the rate of turn because lift was lost during the buffet and it also looked as rough as old boots from the ground!

I think a lot of the more extreme manoeuvering has also been forbidden by the CAA because it is regarded as a "complicated" military aircraft.

Martin Withers must find his display flying very frustrating, I know I would!

Les