Goodbye to the Vulcan Bomber part 1
- elizabetharon
- Dec 27, 2015
- 2 min read
This year marked the end of an era with the farewell tour of the only remaining flying Vulcan bomber XH558, so I felt I couldn't let the year end without a salute from me and to recount some personal memories of this much admired aeroplane.
During the 1980s the vast skies of Lincolnshire were the backdrop to the mighty Vulcan, seeing two or three at a time was the norm and taken for granted. My husband at that time had been a Vulcan captain with No 44 squadron and as well as captaining his own crew, was also the Squadron Instrument Rating Examination and Flying Instructor and had gained the reputation of being the best Vulcan display pilot in Strike Command. He was also chosen to fly with Prince Charles on a Vulcan sortie during the Prince's Royal Air Force flying training. (He is the one looking down at Prince Charles's helmet). In 1973 he was awarded the Air Force Cross and in 1975 he achieved an almost unique achievement when he was awarded a Bar to the AFC.
My own hands-on experience of the Vulcan was to frequently enjoy trips in the Vulcan flight simulator based at RAF Waddington. It was in this environment, sometimes with a full crew, that I learned to take off, do a couple of circuits of the local airfield and land all on my own. It was always a thrill though to watch the experienced air crews simulate various missions with plenty of problems and emergencies thrown in for good measure. One of the more technically challenging manoeuvres was the air to air refuelling with the victor tanker. This kind of flying required exceptional skill, not to mention nerve, with the Vulcan nudging ever closer with its protruding probe into the Victor's trailing drogue, all the while being buffeted by the tailwind.
Rare ride inside the world's last airworthy Vulcan
Courtesy of The Telegraph
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