Vulcan XH558

[andy e]

thanks for that crasher, sky set up to record

[towcestervag]

the beast was out tonight over northampton lowish level
sounded sweet!
i thought they had run out of funds?

[Crasher]

No, my direct debit is still running...

[Eshrules]

I believe this is the last year it'll be flying though? Owing partially to funds but also the sad reality if having no further spare engines after last year's failure?

Where's it likely to end up, mothballed in a museum?

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

[Crasher]

There was more to it than that, an Olympus or two could easily be procured 0 hours but some of the leading edge skins need replacing and as they were hand made by British craftsmen, finding a couple of bearded chaps in blue coats to bend and rivet some Duralumin is proving to be too costly. I had a letter from the head of the project when I emailed him to express my disappointment at letting a little bit of tin bending getting in the way of some more flying but the incumbent management seem to have lost most of that original energy that the project exhibited and have instead fallen into the typical "bothered?" mentality that is paralysing this country, probably too politically incorrect to keep a Cold War icon in view and instead the effort will be put into allowing two men being able to sanction their perverse acts in the name of God's holly institution of marriage, or perhaps arrest some more fathers needing triple heart bypass operations for sending their sons a happy birthday greeting-seriously, this ******* country is losing its grip! I thought that when Tony Cameron [sic] came to power we would see the light once again, now I look to a bombastic shock of blond hair for hope and he had better nit [sic] disappoint or UKIP here I come!

[towcestervag]

i can see its a sore point then mate!
there must be someone out there with the relevent skills to do the job and do it at the correct price?
what about nicking the parts off of one of the others that are at airfields doing nothing like the one at norwich airport?

[Crasher]

They were all hand made, it would be like trying to take the kitchen units out of the kitchen a custom kitchen fitter built three years ago and trying to make them fit the one he is doing tomorrow, it ain't going to fit.

[PaulF2.5TDi]

You must be able to get a couple of unlicensed sheeties - the contract agencies normally have a heap on their books.
I assume you could beg/borrow/steal any forming equipment?

They'll obviously need paid,but if you get them to try in their off periods.....?

[Crasher]

Well I said I would pop over with some tin, sheet cutters and me pop rivet gun but they were havin none of it...

[Sam]

Chris Evans did his show from Scampton last month to commemorate the Lancaster/Dambusters.

I was listening while washing my behind, so I may not be 100% accurate with my facts but;

They were discussing keeping the Lancaster flying and how enough money was coming in from various charities and product sales that they were looking to get a third Lancaster up in the air at some point in the future.

When he (Evans) exclaimed how sad it was that the Vulcan was nearing the end, the guy (I forget his name, but he was/is a pilot) said the issue was the tooling/blueprints not being available. Because the blueprints are readily available for the Lancaster, there's an army of blue coated beardies in their sheds knocking out the parts needed to keep them going.

I'm not sure what's stopping the Vulcan going down the same route but it's a crying shame.