Thought this was worthy of inclusion as it shows the view from inside XH558 as it takes off from RAF Leuchars and begins a circuit over the waters to the east.
Shot on September 13, 2008. Enjoy the climb, probably not something B-52 crew get to experience.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that the crowds that travelled to Leuchars on the 13th, in the hope of seeing the Vulcan fly during the display period, were denied a flight due to the cloud cover which descended on the airfield, and sadly grounded a number of aircraft during the day.
Among the many virtues that the Vulcan is reputed to possess, is its remarkable handling, described by some who have been fortunate enough to fly the aircraft as being handling and agility more like a fighter than than a bomber of its size.
This was echoed in another piece of footage I noticed, where the Vulcan roll is described, together with all the windows the pilot managed to break in the roof of the assembly building at Woodford!
Something that no-one will ever see again in real life, six Vulcans in the sky at once, just after take off from RAF Waddington in 1968.
Controversial Vulcan crash
And, a sobering reminder that this stuff is dangerous, as a Vulcan breaks up in the air during a pass on September 20, 1958, shot by the step-grandson of pilot Keith Sturt his Avro Vulcan crashed into the runaway at RAF Syerston. The crew did not survive, and it seems that the g-forces in this event would have prevented them reaching the handles of their ejection seats, which would possibly not have helped in any event as they were much more primitive then by comparison with today’s seats, which can operate survivably at zero feet. The notes also suggest that three ATC members in a carvan died on the ground, while a fourth member in the caravan was injured.
It seems the first part of this film is of a different aircraft, possibly even two are shown in the first 20 seconds.
The accident was attributed to pilot error by the MoD, but other accounts suggest the airframe was an early prototype, and officials, maybe realising it was an unsound decision to test powerful new engines (Rolls-Royce Conway) in an old airframe, possibly wanted to shift the blame onto the pilot who could not defend himself.
One expert has stated that analysis of the cine film on a frame by frame basis allowed the speed to be determined at VNE + 18 knots (VNE = velocity never exceed) – the roll to the right took the wing beyond its design limits and it failed.
Another suggestion is suggestion was that the aircraft had been over stressed by performing aerobatics at Farnborough Airshow earlier in the month. When full power was applied for the climb away, the volume of air sucked into the air intakes was so great that an intake collapsed, the leading edge peeled back and the wing disintegrated.
Line end.
Secret Scotland 