Bad news for the last vulcan bomber

To be grounded after completing 2013 flying season apparently. £400,000 needs to be raised for next season but it seems its airframe is now life expired (without major additional expenditure). There's a press release on their website:


http://www.vulcantothesky.org/news/409/

 

That really is sad news, what a historical aeroplane.

 

My brother was in the RAF and is now an air safety engineer / consultant - he's had the absolute honour of working with/on the Vulcan, a Spitfire and a Lanc amongst others. His smile when he talks about it is the same as we have when driving our vans.

 

Big shame, I will have to try and see/hear/experience it again before she retires. I remember being asleep in bed on a Sunday morning, sleeping of a Saturday night when the windows rattled, there was a loud roar and I woke up thinking it was armaggedon. I ran outside, bleary eyed in my underpants to see the Vulcan flying slowly above the house as part of a local airshow.

It really was a remarkable thing and I'm not into aeroplanes. I recommend it to everyone.

 

My brother worked on tri-stars mainly (216 squadron Brize Norton), the left to join a company at Stansted servicing airliners and went on to work now for the UKs leading air safety consultants (even they don't fly Ryanair) and they get involved in all aircrafy including the old girls such as the Vulcan (am jealous)

 

Hey! Maybe a Late Bay meet for one of the Vulcan's displays in 2013 then.......

The Late Bay Anorak Society!

 

My dad flew that actual Vulcan in the 60's. I'm surprised the RAF aren't interested in keeping it flying.

 

I think it flew along brighton seafront on the way to the shoreham airshow this summer, i could see it from my window, but side on because my flat's up the hill so i couldn't see the shape of the wings to be certain. It was flanked by a couple of smaller planes and seemed quite smokey?
I also saw the plane at the festival of speed this which i was told was a eurofighter, it seemed as though i was right underneath it as he banked and gave it johnny large potatoes, the noise was incredible!!

 

I was in Bahrain in 1968/69 when the vulcans did a round the world flight.
Watching them land was amazing they were like a huge sparrowhawk floating down then the noise as they took off again.
I suppose it is government cuts that prevent the RAF taking on the refurbished of these beautiful aircraft.

 

Saw it flying at the fantastic Bournemouth Airshow at the end of August. Stupendous aircraft that everyone show try to see before she finally dies. Sadly though, it was flown so incredibly gently that you never really got to hear the awesome thrust from those engines that used to make your hair stand on end and almost make yer ears bleed....

 

Was fortunate enough to see it fly over our garden a couple of years ago - indescribable - absolutely awesome feeling!

 

But we cant save every relic of the cold war can we ???