Avro Vulcan V Bomber
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Avro Vulcan V bomber
All about the iconic cold-war bomber. The Delta winged Avro Vulcan B1 and B2 were the most recognisable members of the V-Force. With XH558 triumphantly returning to the air earlier this year, there has been renewed interest in this legendary aircraft. (She also appeared in the James bond film Thunderball, portraying the fictional Villiers Vindicator bomber.)
Contents
About the Vulcan
Vulcan Bomber by Hanger_19
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- About the Avro Vulcan
- Technical details
- A Vulcan in Flight
- Pilots' manuals
- More than a bomber - the Vulcan's many roles
- Vulcan in Formation with Lancaster
- Locations of Vulcan Survivors
- XL426 - Returning a Vulcan to Power
- XM655 - Wellesbourne's taxi-ing Vulcan
- Vulcan Flight Simulator
- Latest news on Vulcans
- Memorabilia on Ebay
- Blog Posts about Vulcan appearances
- Vulcan Resources available from Amazon
- Vulcan Memorabilia on CafePress
- Vulcan artwork and Memorabilia
- Other Aviation lenses
- More Aircraft lenses
- Love this lens?
- Vulcan Guestbook
- About the Lensmaster
- Tirial's bio and Featured Lenses
About the Avro Vulcan
The roles of the third and most famous V bomber
The Vulcan at Dawlish Airshow by DawlishBlue
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The Avro Vulcan was the most successful of Britain's iconic V-Force of cold war bombers. Along with the Vickers Valiant and the Handley-Paige Victor, the Vulcan formed the front line of nuclear defense during the fifties and sixties. When this role was taken by nuclear submarines, the Valiant was retired, and the Victor switched to refuelling as neither could handle the stresses of low level flight.
The Vulcan was adapted to use as a conventional bomber, a role in which it served until its planned retirement. This was delayed two years after it was required for the "Black Buck" raids during the Falklands War - at that time the longest bombing run undertaken. Not bad for an aircraft designed during the fifties!
Despite their role in Aviation history, today only three Vulcans survive in operational condition. Two are ground running, while the third XH558 returned to the sky and performs on the display circuit.
Vulcan by Skyraider3D
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Technical details
Good handling and high manoverability.
These are the specs for the B2, the more famous Vulcan. There are no surviving B1's, which were distinguished from the larger B2s by their rigid triangular wings, lacking the distinctive sweep of the B2's.
The B1 was smaller, with a slightly lower maximum speed, and had a service ceiling of 55,000 feet. 45 B1 and 89 B2 Vulcans were built. 28 B1's were adapted to the B1A build, with extra ECM equipment. In addition there were two prototypes.
The crew usually comprised The Pilot, co-pilot, AEO, Nav Radar and Nav plotter. In some cases an additional crew members were brought in - for Black Buck a sixth crew member who was an air to air refuelling speciaiist was added. This could make the cockpit very cramped.
Cutaways and Diagrams
Cutaways and diagrams of the Vulcan are available from Amazon.co.uk, including diagrams of the B1 version.
Type:
Bomber (also recon and tanker duties)
Crew:
5
Max Speed:
645mph at altitude
Service Ceiling:
65,000 feet
Range:
4,600 miles
Engines:
4 x Bristol Olympus engines
Length:
99 ft 11 inches
Wingspan:
111 ft
Height:
27 ft
Weight:
250,000lbs loaded
The B1 was smaller, with a slightly lower maximum speed, and had a service ceiling of 55,000 feet. 45 B1 and 89 B2 Vulcans were built. 28 B1's were adapted to the B1A build, with extra ECM equipment. In addition there were two prototypes.
The crew usually comprised The Pilot, co-pilot, AEO, Nav Radar and Nav plotter. In some cases an additional crew members were brought in - for Black Buck a sixth crew member who was an air to air refuelling speciaiist was added. This could make the cockpit very cramped.
Cutaways and Diagrams
Cutaways and diagrams of the Vulcan are available from Amazon.co.uk, including diagrams of the B1 version.
- 10x8 Photograph (25x20cm) Avro Vulcan B1 Published 31/01/58 from Flightglobal: Amazon.co.uk: Kitchen & Home
- 10x8 Photograph (25x20cm) Avro Vulcan B1 Published 31/01/58 from Flightglobal: Amazon.co.uk: Kitchen & Home
A Vulcan in Flight
Good handling and high manoverability.
Despite being the size of a 737 the Vulcan was extremely maneouverable. It could be rolled and looped and had better handling at altitude than many contemporary fighters. This video contains Roly Falk's famous barrel roll, but also footage of a B1 (note the straight edged wings) doing a loop.
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Pilots' manuals
How to fly an Avro Vulcan
The pilot's manuals for the Vulcan are available from Amazon, so if you have ever wondered what it was like to fly a nuclear bomber, here is a chance to gain an insight.
More than a bomber - the Vulcan's many roles
The Great Bombers by tirial
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Testbeds
Once retired from bombing duties, the less powerful B1 and B1A craft were converted to testbeds, testing engines for Concorde, the TSR2 and even the Vulcan's eventual replacement, the Panavia Tornado. This duty was not without risk, as the TSR2 test engine caught fire on the runway. Fortunately the Vulcan's crew escaped uninjured.
The test engines were slung beneath the Vulcan's bomb bay, taking advantage of the B1's high ground clearance.
TSR2 Testbed Photo from avrovulcan.org.uk
Reconnaissance - The MRR
Nine Vulcans served as Maritime radar reconnaissance between 1973 and 1983. They were adapted to carry radar equipment rather than bomb aiming naivgation, including aerials added to the fins and wingtips. Designated MRR, these Vulcans are occassionally refered to as the Vulcan SR.
Vulcan MMR (photo from avrovulcan.org.uk)
Tankers - The K2
Six Vulcan B2's were renamed K2 and adapted to become refuelling tankers to supplement the Victor fleet after the Falklands. Their massive 96,000 litre bomb bay was adapted to hold three fuel tanks, which could be used to refuel other aircraft through a single trailing drogue from the tail. They served until the end of the Vulcan's lifespan in 1984.
The K2's three huge fuel tanks (Photo from avrovulcan.org.uk)
Vulcan in Formation with Lancaster
XH558 first's flight after restoration.
On her first flight when she was restored, XH558 flew in formation with an Avro Lancaster. This historic moment was filmed.
curated content from YouTube
Locations of Vulcan Survivors
Used for the XH558 Emergency appeal scramble!
Several intact Vulcans survive. Of these, two are in ground running condition, but only one, XH558, still flies.Two maps have been produced showing the locations of the surviving Vulcan airframes.
It was produced for the Vulcan Scramble to support XH558, so if you find this facility useful, please support XH558 (some ideas can be found on its own lens.)
Vulcan Survivors:
Vulcan Survivors: UK
Vulcan Survivors: North America.
Avro Vulcan XH558 in low pass with open Bomb Bay
XH558 - The last flying Vulcan
XH558, the only flying V Bomber, is the oldest surviving Vulcan. She is also the last capable of being restored to flight, due to corrosion on the two other survivors.
XH558 was the display Vulcan for the RAF until her retirement. She was sold, and ended up at Bruntingthorpe airfield, where she initially carried out taxi runs. Eventually she passed into the hands of the Vulcan Operating Company, who launched an ambitious campaign to return her to the skies.
After several very difficult years, facing cancellation of the project several times, they accomplished their aim, and Avro Vulcan XH558 returned to flight in early 2008.
After several flights she was successfully certified for display, and has flown at a number of airshows around the country. She was the star of the show at Farnborough 2008, and attended other airshows through the year, bringin attendance up at those shows up 20%.
She now has her own lens at http://www.squidoo.com/XH558
Ensuring her future
After a rocky few years, XH558 was nearly grounded permanently earlier in 2009. Saved by a pledge campaign that raised £1M in six weeks, the charity are now looking for ways to secure her future, and have just launched her 50th birthday appeal.
If you can help, or know anyone who could help with corporate sponsorship, please contact the club. Full details are on XH558's own lens http://www.squidoo.com/xh558.
More about XH558
The Vulcan Operating Company the organisation responsible for supporting and displaying XH558.
Events Diary XH558's display schedule.
XH558 was the display Vulcan for the RAF until her retirement. She was sold, and ended up at Bruntingthorpe airfield, where she initially carried out taxi runs. Eventually she passed into the hands of the Vulcan Operating Company, who launched an ambitious campaign to return her to the skies.
After several very difficult years, facing cancellation of the project several times, they accomplished their aim, and Avro Vulcan XH558 returned to flight in early 2008.
After several flights she was successfully certified for display, and has flown at a number of airshows around the country. She was the star of the show at Farnborough 2008, and attended other airshows through the year, bringin attendance up at those shows up 20%.
She now has her own lens at http://www.squidoo.com/XH558
Ensuring her future
After a rocky few years, XH558 was nearly grounded permanently earlier in 2009. Saved by a pledge campaign that raised £1M in six weeks, the charity are now looking for ways to secure her future, and have just launched her 50th birthday appeal.
If you can help, or know anyone who could help with corporate sponsorship, please contact the club. Full details are on XH558's own lens http://www.squidoo.com/xh558.
More about XH558
The Vulcan Operating Company the organisation responsible for supporting and displaying XH558.
Events Diary XH558's display schedule.
XH558 taking off after restoration on a test flight to regain her licence. A trailer from PlanesTV.com, with links to why she should be supported.
curated content from YouTube
XL426 - Returning a Vulcan to Power
Restoring a Vulcan to Taxiing condition
XL426 was ironically also one of the RAF's display Vulcans during a period when XH558 was on hiatus. It is owned and operated by the Vulcan Restoration Trust, who are based at Southend Airport.XL426 is not airworthy, but performs in ground displays at Southend, performing fast taxi runs and deploying its drag chute (always a crowd pleaser).
It is also one of the few to have a celebrity pilot encountering some real heavy metal - Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden fame co-piloted the Vulcan on a taxi run.
Return to Power
Prior to 2005 the aircraft received only the routine maintenance to keep it taxiing. Due to wear and tear (and age) XL426 needs an overhaul if she is to keep displaying.
The Return to Power Campaign aims to raise £54,000 to restore the aircraft to ground running, performing long term work necessary to the aircraft's survival.
If you are interested in the campaign, full details are available from the Vulcan Restoration Trust.
Her own lens! XL426 now has a dedicated lens at
http://www.squidoo.com/XL426
News and Events from the Vulcan Restoration Trust:
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byXM655 - Wellesbourne's taxi-ing Vulcan
XM655 is the youngest Vulcan survivor, and the third to last Vulcan produced.After decommisioning she was flown into Wellesbourne Mountford for display. Unfortunately years of neglect took its toll, and the aircraft will never fly again. However the dedicated work of the XM655 Maintenance and Preservation Society has restored her to ground running condition.
XM655 played a crucial role in the Vulcan to the Skies campaign to get XH558 flying, by acting as a training vehicle for the crews to refresh their skills.
She displays annually at the Wings and Wheels display. However it is also possible to visit her at other times by arrangement - contact the XM655 Maintenance and Preservation Trust for details.
655 Maintenance and Preservation Society
Wings and Wheels 2009
XM655 next displays on 14th July 2009 at Wings and Wheels, based at Wellsbourne Mountford. The display will also feature classic cars and military vehicles.
Wings and Wheels 2009
Vulcan Flight Simulator
RAF Vulcan Add-On for FS 2002/2004
(PC CD)
Low Quality demo video.
Showing off her moves! A composite of XH558 on display
Latest news on Vulcans
- FUTURE OF LAST FLYING VULCAN TO BE DECIDED ON FEBRUARY 29TH
- The charity that operates the last airworthy Avro Vulcan, one of the most popular examples of British post-war heritage, will be forced to put all staff on notice if at least £100000 cannot be raised by the end of February.
- The aerial and naval war of the Falklands part I (VIDEO)
- In Falklands war great importance was also given to bombardment autonomy, due to the distance from English fields: so famous is the bombardment of Port Stanley, where English Avro Vulcan destroyed the airfield after refuelling in flight by aero-tankers ...
- Nejdelší mise RAF. Bombardéry Avro Vulcan v roce 1982 překvapivě napadly Falklandy
- Jak se blí?í výro?í války o Falklandy, za?íná být nap?tí mezi Argentinou a Velkou Británií víc a víc hmatatelné. P?ed t?iceti lety Britové zasko?ili své protivníky náletem strategických bombardér? Avro 698 Vulcan. Elegantní stoje provedly v roce 1982 ...
- Il conflitto aereo e navale delle Falklands parte I (VIDEO)
- ... dei bombardamenti vista la distanza dalle basi britanniche: molto celebre fu infatti il bombardamento di Port Stanley, dove gli inglesi distrussero la pista aerea con i bombardieri Avro Vulcan dopo essersi riforniti in volo grazie ad aviocisterne.
General Vulcan Links
- Thunder and Lightings
- An excellent page about cold war aircraft - including of course the V Bombers.
- Vulcans in Camera
- Photographs and images of the Vulcan.
- The Story of the Vulcan
- An excellent history of the Vulcan, its many roles from Bomber to reconnaisance and tanker, and the variants developed over the years. A must for anyone interested in the Avro Vulcan.
- Vulcan Mini Site
- Under Construction - more about Vulcans, a calendar of events and free games to raise money for the Vulcan charities while you play.
Memorabilia on Ebay
Avro Vulcan parts and memorabilia auctions on ebay.
“Having spent a gloriously unproductive ten minutes at Farnborough watching an Avro Vulcan fly...”
Blog Posts about Vulcan appearances
The Vulcan is definitely a topic of interest, particularly since XH558 returned to the skies. She's still winning fans after all these years, with memorable blog entries such as The Avro Vulcan - An Apology by Kieran Daly, quoted here.
Her's what other people are saying on the web:
Her's what other people are saying on the web:
- FUTURE OF LAST FLYING VULCAN TO BE DECIDED ON FEBRUARY 29TH
- The charity that operates the last airworthy Avro Vulcan, one of the most popular examples of British post-war heritage, will be forced to put all staff on notice if at least £100000 cannot be raised by the end of February.
- The aerial and naval war of the Falklands part I (VIDEO)
- In Falklands war great importance was also given to bombardment autonomy, due to the distance from English fields: so famous is the bombardment of Port Stanley, where English Avro Vulcan destroyed the airfield after refuelling in flight by aero-tankers ...
- AVRO Heritage teams up with Redrow Group for Woodford master plan
- More than 20000 aircraft including the Lancaster Bomber, Vulcan, Nimrod and Avro jets were built at the site. *Do you receive the MEN business bulletin? Take the hard work out of keeping up with Manchester business news and sign up for the twice-daily ...
- Nejdelší mise RAF. Bombardéry Avro Vulcan v roce 1982 překvapivě napadly Falklandy
- P?ed t?iceti lety Britové zasko?ili své protivníky náletem strategických bombardér? Avro 698 Vulcan. Elegantní stoje provedly v roce 1982 nejdel?í misi v d?jinách Royal Air Force. V noci z 30. dubna na 1. kv?tna 1982 odstartovaly dva britské letouny ...
“...the money appropriate for keeping Vulcans flying is, basically, whatever it takes.
Kieran Daly”
Vulcan Resources available from Amazon
Books, DVDs and more available from Amazon about the Avro Vulcan
Vulcan Memorabilia on CafePress
T-shirts posters and more
There are a lot of Vulcan items on cafepress. Here are some of the more outstanding.
RAF Vulcan White T-Shirt
Price: 
Ringer T
Worth a close look - all the aircraft are avro, but one of these things is not like the others!
Price:
The V-Force Poll
The answer to this poll will affect which lens I do next.
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Vulcan artwork and Memorabilia
On Zazzle
There are a range of Vulcan artwork and memorabilia on Zazzle, mainly from photographs.
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Other Aviation lenses
Other Aviation lenses include two focused on specific surviving Vulcans, but also another legendary Avro aircraft, the Lancaster. My lensography (tirial) gives a full list.
More Aircraft lenses
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Vulcan Guestbook
Share your memories of the Vulcan. Have something you'd like to see added to the page? Let me know here!
submit
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Reply
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Peter Knott RAF 1959 to 1983
Aug 17, 2011 @ 10:21 am | delete
- My first tour was 230 OCU RAF Waddington at the age of 17 years old as LAC Propulsion Engineer. Later I moved to 50 Sqdn there. After many other tours I returned as a Chief Tech to MEAS at RAF Waddington in 1979 - 1983 running the Engine Bay, Components Bay and COMART. So I have many pleasant memories of The Vulcan. It was sad to see JCBs breaking up the Vulcans at F dispersal after their last flights - it gave me that pit in the stomach feeling each time. I was ordered to put training number plates on Vulcan 607 (RAF Waddington's Gate Guard) engines so they could never be run again - for safety reasons - so I have the original engines' polished stainless-steel number plates on a plaque as a momento to the Falklands bombing trips. 9 years I spent in total on this superb aircraft although working outside during winter at RAF Waddington was a major test of courage !!
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Reply
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jon4594 Jul 29, 2011 @ 6:38 pm | delete
- i love the vulcan, one of me favourte planes :D
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Reply
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glockr
Sep 20, 2010 @ 12:31 pm | delete
- Excellent, well done lens. I love cold war era military planes. I used to do sheetmetal work on B1's.
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Reply
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Oosquid
Aug 16, 2008 @ 12:24 pm | delete
- What amazing planes those V bombers were. I was surprised to read that they were still in action during the Falklands conflict, I didn't know that.
A wonderful lens, 5 stars.
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About the Lensmaster
Tirial and Error
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Aviation, IT, History, Gaming, I'm interested in just about anything! I made the Squidoo Top 100 Club in June 2009. My first novel, "Fire Season", is now out, and I have a new title, "The Docks", out in Nov 2011.
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