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| My Birthday present to me |
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| This is the home of XH558 |
It is really at Doncaster Airport - but that does not sound so good so they renamed it...
Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield - of course everyone knows that Robin Hood is a Yorkshire-man and not from Nottingham at all and with Sheffield airport now closed...
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| XH558 is in the hanger for some TLC |
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| What a very big wing |
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| Now that is a #proper# tailpipe |
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| Andy Marson planned the navigation for the Black Buck missions - and for his pains was secretly moved out to Goose Bay - beyond the reach of both spies and media |
The book is on Amazon -
here. What the book does not mention is that, what with aircrew earning less than bus drivers in them mid 1970s round the world Vulcan trips became major trading and import exercises - it is a VERY big bomb bay.
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| Sum total of the on-board conveniences* - oh and a can heater that, after an hour would just about get to luke warm |
*the flight to Moscow was only going to take a few hours - and no one expected to be coming back - so no toilet or galley facilities were included in the design. There would not have been room anyway as the Vulcan cockpit is an Anti-Tardis - amazingly smaller on the inside given how large it is on the outside.
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| "RED END POINTS NORTH" Escape and Evasion kit contains a Silva Compass |
The Vulcan won many navigation and bombing exercises - beating the best
of the B52 fleet - when seeking the secrets of the RAF astro-navigation computer one US crew were directed to the bar where
they would find "a fat Welshman" - it was all done by sextant and
brainpower - no automatic long distance navigation system was every
fitted "if you can win using eye and chart then why go to all that
expense..." It is reported that one B52 mock-bombed the west coast of Ireland instead of Scotland - too much trust in automated technology.
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| Really - I was very happy just had an awful head cold, recovering from migraine and bruised ribs |
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| A final glimpse - next time XH558 should be airborne- make a date this summer as it might be the last time |
Send your money to
http://www.vulcantothesky.org/
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