The last flying avro vucan bomber b2 xh558

[MerlinV12]

The last one that is flying currently the plane is in private hands and it's maintained with private money no goverment or tax money it's very expensive to keep it flying
Avro Vulcan XH558 at RIAT 16th July 2011
[YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS1ZvzgumNE[/YT]
AVRO VULCAN XH558 - WADDINGTON AIRSHOW 2011 (airshowvision)
[YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcynIcFZ9_I[/YT]
Avro Vulcan XH558 at Waddington 2nd July 2011
[YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf-pJqlKf8Q[/YT]
Avro Vulcan XH558 at Kemble 18th June 2011
[YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbaQo6nMIng[/YT]
Avro Vulcan XH558 at Abingdon 8th May 2011
[YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cchkZpQkQuA[/YT]
The groups that runs the plane
http://www.vulcantothesky.org/

[V1670]

Re: The last flying avro vucan bomber b2 xh558

A thing of beauty (and grace) is a joy forever. What a noble effort to keep that 'bird in the air.

[BUD_XXX]

Re: The last flying avro vucan bomber b2 xh558

That's awesome... Thanks for sharing...

Most of us, I bet have never seen or heard a Vulcan...except in the movie Thunderball...

Way cool man... give us more...

[RAD2LTR]

Re: The last flying avro vucan bomber b2 xh558

When I was a little kid I saw a Vulcan fly at Abbosford. It must have been '84 or so. I remember having a bumper sticker on my bike that read "We (heart) vulcans" the vulcans being in the shape of 3 of them as viewed from above. It was totally lost on all my friends at the time.

I think there is only one in North America, its at Castle Air Museum. I shot these Christmas Eve on my way south.








You can follow along with the rebuild process on XH558 at http://www.vulcantothesky.org/ They just finished getting the ejection seats refurbished and installed yesterday. It would be SO awesome to see it on this side of the Atlantic again. I doubt it will ever happen though.

Will

[Skyracer]

Re: The last flying avro vucan bomber b2 xh558

A couple of Vulcan memories:

The Brit's brought a Vulcan to Fairchild AFB for the International Bomb Competition when I was stationed there in the mid-sixties. They "beat up the field" pretty good on arrival and were met by the Base Commander on landing (the greeting was less than kind). It was an awesome display of a unique airplane.

The second Vulcan encounter was when I was stationed at Wheelus AFB, Libya. A Vulcan diverted when they had an inflight failure of the pneumatic system affecting control boost and brakes. We were briefed to expect it to depart the runway. They made a long flat approach to touchdown on the runway threshold and held the nose high to maximize aerobraking. Apparently the crew was able to find some brakes and got it stopped with about 100' of runway left. The Vulcan was put in a hangar for a couple of weeks, and I had several opportunities to "sneak" in and see it before it was repaired and flown out.

To have one in private hands and flying is a truly herculean and expensive effort. Hopefully it will continue to fly for many years to come and be experienced by many who have not had the opportunity.

[xmh53wrench]

Re: The last flying avro vucan bomber b2 xh558

Saw one fly when I was a kid at Castle AFB, at an airshow....remember it like it was yesterday....I remember it being really graceful with a heap of power.....

[Sneauxman]

Re: The last flying avro vucan bomber b2 xh558

Thank you so very much for the Vulcan thrill. I also saw the Aluminum Overcast fly at Abbottford way back in '77. It was worth the drive from San Francisco. Later on in the '70s or '80s, a British bank located in San Francisco funded a monumental Vulcan flight from England to Stockton carrying the original Magna Carta (written in 1066) for display in The City. Can you imagine the cost? Can you imagine a B52 flying the Constitution to London?
Speaking of costs, the announcer mentioned annual funding that ran about $50,000 WEEKLY!!! That's about what it cost to get FIFI back in the air - one year of Vulcan upkeep.
We are very fortunate to see a flying Vulcan.

[stuntflyr]

Re: The last flying avro vucan bomber b2 xh558

I saw the Vulcan at Glenview Naval Air Station during the airshow after the 1966 National Model Airplane Championships.

I was about 6 years old and saw many great displays including Bill Fornof (often too low to see across the field) and the Blue Angels (parked right out amongst the crowd for all to touch).

The Vulcan was as if from outer space to me, the way it looked, it's shape and the way it flew. The hobby shop on site had stocks of Airfix Vulcan plastic models for sale of which I never had a hope of getting, increasing the intrigue for me.

Thanks for the links, it's a magnificent ship that they've performed miracles with by keeping airworthy.

Chris...

[MerlinV12]

Re: The last flying avro vucan bomber b2 xh558

They have their own youtube channel now check it out https://www.youtube.com/user/VulcanXH558Video

[MerlinV12]

Re: The last flying avro vucan bomber b2 xh558

Their schould be more flying of the vulcan type

[Victor Archer]

Re: The last flying avro vucan bomber b2 xh558

[V1670]

Re: The last flying avro vucan bomber b2 xh558

HOLY @#$! Now THAT's a picture. WOW! How often do you see that?

Nice pic, Victor (understatement of the decade)

[Race 29]

Re: The last flying avro vucan bomber b2 xh558

Castle air museum had an open cockpit day a couple years ago that I went to. I was able to go into the cockpit of that Vulcan. That was so cool! The guy that was taking care of her was in there answering all my questions. Super nice guy and very knowledgable! I have some pictures around here somewhere that I'll try to post.

Race 29

[SkyvanDelta]

Re: The last flying avro vucan bomber b2 xh558

Speaking of costs, the announcer mentioned annual funding that ran about $50,000 WEEKLY!!! That's about what it cost to get FIFI back in the air - one year of Vulcan upkeep.

In the second video, just after the 4 min point, the announcer says 2 million pounds per year and 38,000 pounds per week. Is this what you are referring to?

That's a lot of money. How can they continue to raise those kinds of funds? Will they be able to continue to raise that amount for the next 5-10 years?

On their website in the FAQ section it says "Cost per hour to fly"
Answer: "The fully-loaded costs of flying the Vulcan are just under £19,000 per flying hour; this includes fuel, insurance, aircrew, servicing costs, consumables such as tyres, oils etc. (4/09)"

The conversion to US Dollars, $24,500 per hour to fly.

http://www.vulcantothesky.org/faq-contact/faqs.html

As a comparison, what are the costs to put 1 or 6-8 Gold Unlimiteds Reno Air Racers on the track for 15 minutes or whatever long they're in the air?

Here are some photos I've found of the cockpit and interior.

Here's a 360 view: http://www.kenmcbride.com/National-M...Flight/vulcan/

rear crew 360 view: http://www.kenmcbride.com/National-M...light/vulcanc/

jackpot: http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co...walkaround.php

Here's a cockpit photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidambridge/4776886266/

[CRJpilot]

Re: The last flying avro vucan bomber b2 xh558

I think there is only one in North America, its at Castle Air Museum.

Not so. . .

CYYR - Goose Bay Labrador has had one on display for years.

Sorry don't have any other details.

Don