You Can't Keep a Good Girl Down

I mentioned my enthusiasm for the Avro Vulcan before. Another member of Britain's Cold War 'V' force was the once futuristic looking Handley Page Victor bomber.

When an iconic aircraft is retired, there's not a lot you can do with it. At best, it is lovingly maintained by enthusiasts, so that it can occasionally be rolled out and taxied up the runway for the entertainment of the crowds.

Video footage has only just emerged of one such run in May this year. Through an accident of inappropriate throttle applied by an engineer, a Victor at Bruntingthorpe seized its chance to return to its natural element. The aircraft hadn't left the ground for two decades and was not airworthy in any technical or regulatory sense. As it veered towards a nearby housing estate in a strong cross-wind the driver, a surprised 70 year old former squadron commander named Bob Prothero, had to gain control whilst making a very rapid choice between attempting a go-round in an unmaintained aircraft, or attempt to put it down on the grass overrun at the end of the runway. He chose the latter and successfully landed it without damage, describing the incident as 'the worst nine seconds of my life'. Perhaps in recognition of his skill and quick-thinking, the Civil Aviation Authority has investigated and decided against any charges.

Avro Vulcan

Against all the odds it looks as if we might have the chance to see the mighty Vulcan fly again this summer. As of this afternoon and in the nick of time, a million pounds has been pledged to keep the aircraft flying this year. Over 90% of this has been promised by private individuals. In an economic 'perfect storm' which has made it almost impossible to attract commercial sponsors, this is the second time the public has come to the rescue. In 1993 the Vulcan seemed to have flown for the last time until, last year, XH558 took to the air again after donations helped to fund a refit.

I've blethered about this aeroplane before. It was designed by Roy Chadwick, designer of the Lancaster bomber, who began work on it in 1946. The first prototype flew in 1952, and 112 were built altogether. They were a mainstay of Britain's nuclear deterrent throughout the Cold War, although they were never used in anger until, already scheduled for retirement, they were hastily converted for conventional ordnance and used to bomb Port Stanley airfield in the Falklands War.

The three components of Britain's nuclear 'V' Force, The Avro Vulcan, the Vickers Valiant and the Handley Page Victor, sound like echoes of a past era, and it is hard to believe that the Victor, which first flew as a bomber in 1951, was still in use in the Gulf War. If, like Concorde - which emerged from the same era - the Vulcan does not look its age, the Victor looks like something out of Rupert and the Space Ship.



Carrying twenty-one 1,000 lb bombs per aircraft, the round trip of 8,000 miles in the Falklands' 'Black Buck' missions was the longest in history. To get a single Vulcan to the target and back required no less than twelve Victor tankers and a Nimrod, in a mind-numbingly complex pyramid of refuelling rendezvous, in which tankers refuelled tankers, that refuelled tankers that refuelled tankers. The Victor tanker which flew furthest itself required eight support aircraft.

It may seem profligate to spend money on this aircraft in the current recession, but once on the airshow circuit it could become self sustaining, and the cost of keeping it in the air compares favourably with Sir Fred Goodwin's annual pension. As an inspiration for young engineers the Vulcan is worth every penny. If you want to sign the petition seeking to persuade the Government to contribute something to keeping this aircraft flying, follow this link. To find out more about the last flying Vulcan and its display schedule, look here.

Amongst useless but jolly facts I learnt while writing this, are:

In 1956, when a pilot got its nose down too far, a type 1 Victor accidentally broke the sound barrier.

The Vulcan wowed the crowds in a display (which included a barrel roll) at the 1952 Farnborough Airshow, just 72 hours after its maiden flight.

The prototype Victor had to be transported by road to Boscombe Down for its test flight. Bulldozers were used to create alternative routes where the road was too narrow, and the aircraft sections were hidden under wooden framing and tarpaulins printed with 'Geleypandhy, Southampton' to make them look like a boat hull in transit. 'Geleypandhy' was meant to be an anagram of 'Handley Page', but the signwriter ballsed it up (I love it that, while we tried to hide the prototype from Soviet spies, we couldn't resist painting a darn great clue on the box).

Avro Vulcan

Back on 21 September I enthused like an apron nerd about the efforts to get this fifty year old aeroplane airborne again. On 18 October they achieved this. I may be missing a point here, but like a favourite band or the bagpipes, I can't believe that the feel good factor I get from it may not be shared by everyone else.

So test yourself. Wait until your boss has gone for lunch, put on the headphones, turn the volume up, then click the link below.

The Sound of Thunder

To have seen and heard an Avro Vulcan fly was an unforgettable experience. One hundred and eleven feet long and a hundred foot wide, with a wing area of nearly four thousand square feet, they were a jaw-dropping, brooding presence in the sky, capable of blotting out the sun. The four Rolls Royce Olympus turbojets seemed to allow the aeroplane to crawl across the sky, and their thunder shook the very ground.

Incredibly, the Vulcan was designed in 1947 and first flew in 1952. It could go faster and fly higher than the USAF's B52 Stratofortress. As the carrier for Britain's nuclear deterrent through much of the Cold War, they were a familiar presence, although they didn't see action until already earmarked for retirement. In 1982, in what were the longest bombing sorties ever flown, Vulcans flew from Britain to the Falklands via Ascension Island to drop conventional 1000lb bombs on Stanley Airfield. On those missions - a miracle of strategic planning - the refuelling tankers themselves needed refuelling tankers.

I last saw a Vulcan fly at West Malling around 1992, and the last ever flight was made on 23 March 1993 by XH558, which had been retained for display purposes. Overcoming seemingly impossible odds, and with the help of donations and a dedicated team of volunteers, after 15 years on the ground XH558 is very nearly airworthy again.

If they succeed and you have the chance to see this iconic, delta winged goddess in the sky, seize it. If you want to know more, or would like to play a small part in supporting their efforts - perhaps by taking part in their monthly draw - visit the Vulcan to the Sky Trust at http://www.tvoc.co.uk/.