[Leica] [IMG] AIRCRAFT - Last flying Vulcan XH558

[mark at whitedogs.co.uk (Mark Pope)]

I can remember Concorde's maiden flight.  We lived about 10 miles from 
RAF Fairford, from where they did most of the test flights.
I remember standing outside the house, watching Concorde fly by with a 
Canberra chase aircraft in close formation.  I asked my Dad why the 
Canberra was there.  He replied with an absolutely straight face "in 
case it gets a puncture Son".  Makes me smile every time I think of it.

I do miss seeing Concorde come over our house on its way to New York - a 
beautiful, white, dart-like shape against a blue sky.  Sometimes we 
could hear the sonic boom as it went supersonic over the Atlantic.



Mark Pope,
Swindon, Wilts
UK

Homepage               http://www.monomagic.co.uk
Blog                   http://www.monomagic.co.uk/blog
Picture a week (2009)  http://www.monomagic.co.uk/index.php?gallery=paw/2009
                (2008) 
http://www.monomagic.co.uk/index.php?gallery=paw/2008


Peter Dzwig wrote:
> Douglas,
> 
> I agree with you about the noise! It was wonderful to hear it again. It 
> brought
> back memories of a garden I had over which Concorde used to start its 
> climb out
> of Heathrow on its way to New York!
> 
> Peter
> 
> Douglas Sharp wrote:
>> Peter,
>>
>> wonderful to see that Vulcan to the Sky actual got XH558 back into the
>> air, a beautiful and breathtaking machine. The last time I saw one in
>> flight was at Leeds & Bradford Airport (then Yeadon Aerodrome - that
>> dates it!) on a low pass at the SSAFA airshow before it relocated to
>> Church Fenton. Must have been some time in the late 1960's. An
>> ear-shattering experience as that colossal ghostly white machine flew
>> over at about 50 feet off the ground - couldn't hear a thing for about
>> 10 minutes after it had gone.
>>
>> It still looks like a really state of the art modern jet, hard to
>> believe it was built in 1960.
>>
>> Thanks for showing
>> Douglas
>>
>> Peter Dzwig wrote:
>>> Some shots of the last flying Vulcan taken at Goodwood this year.
>>> Thought some
>>> of you might be interested :-)
>>>
>>> <http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/PeterDzwig/album83/Aircraft/29570025_Vulcanedited-1.tif.html>
>>>
>>>
>>> <http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/PeterDzwig/album83/Aircraft/29570026_Vulcanedited-1.tif.html>
>>>
>>>
>>> <http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/PeterDzwig/album83/Aircraft/29570027_Vulcanedited-1.tif.html>
>>>
>>>
>>> <http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/PeterDzwig/album83/Aircraft/29570020_editedVulcan.tif.html>
>>>
>>>
>>> The Avro Vulcan was one of the mainstays of the British V-Bomber
>>> nuclear strike
>>> force in the 1960s. They were operational with the RAF from 1953 to
>>> 1984. The
>>> trio of Avro Vulcan, Handley Page Victor and Vickers Valiant were
>>> designed to
>>> carry nuclear bombs far into the heart of the old Soviet Union.
>>>
>>> The Vulcan last saw action carrying conventional weapons in the
>>> Falklands War
>>> when a force of them flew non-stop from Ascension to the Falklands
>>> (and back!)
>>> refuelling from Victor tankers with which they rendez-vous'd over the
>>> South
>>> Atlantic. The mission was to deny the Argentinians the use of the
>>> Falklands
>>> airstrip at Stamley.
>>>
>>> The Vulcan was also used as a flying testbed for the RR Olympus
>>> engines that
>>> were used to power Concorde.
>>>
>>> see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Vulcan#Flying
>>>
>>> Your comments and constructive criticisms are as always welcome,
>>>
>>> Thanks for taking the time to look.
>>>
>>> Peter Dzwig
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Leica Users Group.
>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>>>
>>>   
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>