Old aircraft keep going… and going…

[Swoop]

Vulcan to the sky.

http://www.vulcantothesky.org/

[MikeL]

Going and going after the military quietly reskinned them. Which nimrod decided on square windows on such a large pressurised vessel?

One of the factors that led to the structural failure of the Comet 1 was the low thrust of the only available engines (de Havilland Ghost). To ensure decent performance the weight of the airframe had to be kept down, which meant the skin was thinner than it would otherwise have been. The difference between square and round or oval windows would have been less important if thicker metal had been used. By the time the Comet 3 and 4 (and subsequently the Nimrod) were produced, much more powerful engines were available, and weight was no longer critical. The Comet 4, by the way, is undeniably one of the most beautiful civil aircraft ever built. I never unfortunately got to fly in one.

[SPman]

There has been huge dramas with the (that's THE - the only one flying) Vulcan, including an unscheduled flight while on a high speed taxi check.

That was the HP Victor - the guy acting as co pilot for the "high speed taxi" didn't chop the power back when requested.......luckily they had enough room left to get it down again (Bruntingthorp, I think), otherwise it could have got real interesting.......

[imdying]

The Comet 4, by the way, is undeniably one of the most beautiful civil aircraft ever built. I never unfortunately got to fly in one.

No doubt

[nudemetalz]

That was the HP Victor - the guy acting as co pilot for the "high speed taxi" didn't chop the power back when requested.......luckily they had enough room left to get it down again (Bruntingthorp, I think), otherwise it could have got real interesting.......

Here's some awesome footage of it !!

[far queue]

While we're talking Vulcan's, did you know that the RNZAF had one of it's very own in 1972?

[SPman]

The one that was "zapped" by groundcrew overnight..........XH562 on 2nd March 1972

[far queue]

The one that was "zapped" by groundcrew overnight..........

hehehe, yep that's the one

Pic 1

A spectacular shot taken by some tourists in Milford Sound when the Vulcan roared up past them. It was flying up the fiord below the tops. Sadly the quality of the original could have been better but still a great pic.

Pic 2

Crew Chief Chf Tech Bill Pearsey poses next to Avro Vulcan B2 XH562 of the NEAF Bomber (Akrotiri) Wing at RAF Masirah in March 1972. 562 was returning from a trip to New Zealand where it had been most spectacularly 'zapped' by personnel of the RNZAF. The squadron badge on the nose wheel door is that of No 75 Squadron RNZAF. Bill Pearsey remembers:

"The 'vandalism' was done at Ohakea. Even the station commander was involved. We threatened to fly under Sydney Harbour Bridge on the way back. We had arrived at Ohakea on the Monday; the following day we were taken on a trip to Rotorua in a VIP Dakota. They were just removing the steps that they used to paint the kiwi as we arrived back in the evening. On the Wednesday we flew down to Christchurch. Some Yanks came to ask us how long us Kiwis had been operating Vulcan’s and my mate told them that 562 was the first of 94 that we were getting. Some months after I arrived back in Akrotiri I received a very large envelope containing a photo of a squadron of 9 Kiwi Vulcan’s flying over Ohakea control tower. It was definitely the best trip I ever did."

Avro Vulcan, XH562, of 9 Squadron was at Christchurch on 2 March 1972 with 'zapped' roundel.

[nadroj]

My partners uncle Rex Cording (now of Christchurch but previoously Wanganui) flew the Catalina and Vulcan whilst in the RAF. He returned from the UK to study at uni - http://ir.canterbury.ac.nz/handle/10092/915

[Mental Trousers]

My partners uncle Rex Cording (now of Christchurch but previoously Wanganui) flew the Catalina and Vulcan whilst in the RAF. He returned from the UK to study at uni - http://ir.canterbury.ac.nz/handle/10092/915

Now that looks like a facinating read.

[marty]

That was the HP Victor - the guy acting as co pilot for the "high speed taxi" didn't chop the power back when requested.......luckily they had enough room left to get it down again (Bruntingthorp, I think), otherwise it could have got real interesting.......

I always thought it was the Vulcan - I stand corrected!

[EJK]

Messerschmitt 109, 163, 262 and JU-87.

Aaah those were the good ole days, ja?

[bikemike]

I still love the functional design of the Thunderbolt II - one of the planes I put on a pedestal when I was younger, along with the Harrier, Spitfire, and Mosquito.

However, knowing that gun runs DU ammunition kind of tanks the already debatable, philosophical appeal of the A-10.

My son's book on same published in 2006 already indicated that the EOL is 2028. After that it will do spotting - and it's role will be filled by unimaginably sophisticated UAVs and drones.

[bungbung]

Old planes keep flying. At the South Pole, I was suprised to see a Basler conversion DC3, of course we flew in and out on an LC130 which is hardly modern.

[vifferman]

While we're talking about Vulcans - my uncle was a test pilot for the RNZAAF, flew all sorts of planes, including the Vulcan.
I'd love to see him and talk about his flying career, but unfortunately I haven't seen him for a very long time, and don't even know if he's still alive (would be in his 80's now).