www.waddingtonairshow.co.uk/ (this weekend)
Mods i hope you don't mind a little advertising!!
This should be a great event if the vulcan does fly? it didn't last year very dissapointing.
Plenty to see and do not just aircraft, there's cars motorbikes tanks etc.
Im off sunday please be sunny!!!
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No worries - and take some extra cash for Help for Heroes.
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Don't you worry i give generously.!
The vulcan is not in the display list but i hear it "may" fly but i very much doubt it, it's a huge lemon.
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>>Im off sunday please be sunny<<
Take ya brolly just in case!
news.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast/23
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>>>The vulcan is not in the display list but i hear it "may" fly but i very much doubt it, it's a huge lemon.
Lemon is a bit unkind.... a near impossible task is a more appropriate thought. The good lady had a great deal of involvement with military jets at end of life and has always been concerned that it is so so hard to keep the big/complex ones going in private hands.
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XH558 - Update: Thursday 1st July 2010
01 July 2010 - VTST
Herculean efforts continue to ready Vulcan XH558 for RAF Waddington Airshow
Huge efforts are being made to complete the final servicing procedures & tests that would allow Vulcan XH558 to appear at the Waddington Airshow this coming weekend. The Vulcan to the Sky Trust (VTST), in partnership with the CAA, Marshall Aerospace, BAE Systems, Messier-Dowty, Kearsley Airways and Rolls-Royce, continues to do its utmost to try to ensure XH558 takes her rightful place in the skies above Waddington in celebration of her 50th Birthday. XH558 was the first Vulcan B.Mk2 to be delivered to the Royal Air Force at Waddington in July 1960, so it is a particularly significant & poignant year for this iconic and much loved aircraft.
Dr Robert Pleming, Chief Executive of VTST said: "Given where we were at the start of March, to be able to reach this stage and to have the aircraft almost on the brink of flying again has been an incredible achievement. Without a huge amount of commitment, energy, determination, problem-solving and hard work from all at VTST and at our partner and supplier organisations, this just would not have been possible."
"The Winter Service, Undercarriage Overhaul & Structural Fatigue Life Extension Modifications carried out on XH558 over the last four months have been a one-off & complex engineering project, which has had to be carried to the highest technical standards. Some of the work had never been carried out on a Vulcan airframe before. This was all performed in the light of the October 2009 Haddon-Cave report on the Nimrod MR2 crash in Afghanistan in 2006, which has sensitised the aerospace industry to the issues of ageing aircraft airworthiness.
We now stand at the point where we are working to ensure that all of the engineering, technical, regulatory and safety requirements are in place and correctly documented, to maximise the chance of appearing at the Waddington Airshow. Please bear with us, because while this vital work is moving forward positively, we remain uncertain it will be completed in time. We will continue to publish regular updates on our website to ensure that everyone is fully aware of our progress."
In recognition of all the efforts to return this unique British aircraft to flight, Vulcan XH558 has had the inscription "The Spirit of Great Britain" added to her livery. It is clearly only through this “Spirit” and the immense help and support that the public have so generously given that she is able to fly, to honour the brave people who remained on alert during the Cold War, to thrill crowds and to inspire the young throughout the United Kingdom.
Dr Pleming continued: "We would like to thank all the people who have given so generously to help support this superb example of British engineering and heritage. I believe that XH558 and the VTST exemplify the "Spirit of Great Britain", which I hope will inspire young people and encourage them to consider a career in the fields of engineering and technology, such an important part of all of our futures. All of the team at VTST are very proud to be associated with this endeavour, especially in this the major milestone of XH558’s Golden Anniversary year."
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It does seem to guzzle up money at an alarming rate. Ohh and from someone I know who is working there can you bin your rubbish, some of the things left on station are eye opening:)
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And the Royal International Air Tattoo is on at RAF Fairford on 17th & 18th.
www.airtattoo.com/
Kevin...
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The vulcan took to the sky this afternoon as reported on various Aviation forums so fingers crossed she may make it to waddington!
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Dont forget however the biggest and best of them all -
I shall be there on the trade days.
Farnborough 19th to 25th July.
www.farnborough.com/Site/Content/Farnborough2010/default.aspx
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They do list the Vulcan as flying at Farnborough but we shall see - I saw it fly at Biggin Hill many moons ago.
Vulcan was at Farnborough on the ground two years ago but did not fly - I did however see it in the air purely by chance in Yorkshire near Catterick a few months afterwards.
I still get that buzz at an air show that I did when I was a lad.......
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My only air show outing this year will be one of the RAF base family days. OK they only have a small aircraft static/display list but there is a great up close barrier/crowd free feel to both static and flying.
Agree with the buzz of a fast jet... it never leaves you at any age.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Fri 2 Jul 10 at 10:35
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I think one needs to see the vulcan ASAP, there is no way anyone other than the military, with military sized budget, can keep that thing flying.
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>> I think one needs to see the vulcan ASAP, there is no way anyone other
>> than the military, with military sized budget, can keep that thing flying.
>>
Have to agree with you Z, I talked about that sort of thing to a retired air commodore a few years back, he said the complexities of modern and recent military aircraft was a generation too far for the private owners.
He had gone into some detail a couple of years previously with a group who wanted to try to restore a lightning to flying state, they finally decided it was not possible to do privately either technically or financially.
I believe there were one or two in the US and S Africa but don't know whether they are still flying
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>>lightning ...>> I believe there were one or two in the US and S Africa but don't
>> know whether they are still flying
>>
They grounded the local ones, after a guy put the T6 into the ground at a local airshow at Overberg last November.
Problems with the ejection seat, and he was trapped inside.
Saw it at Ysterplaat show a few years back - wheels up and clean over the runway, then shoved in afterburners, pulled back the stick, and did 45000 ft in a minute. Awesome.
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...don't forget the biggest and best of them all...
Sunderland would give you an argument:
www.sunderlandevents.co.uk/event-detail.asp?EventID=2973
Quoting: "Sunderland International Airshow will take off from 10am – 6pm on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 July.
"The two-day event, which attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators to Sunderland’s stunning coastline at Roker and Seaburn, is now the biggest free airshow in Europe."
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If the B52 was to bomb the Type 23 frigate, I would queue up to see that one.
If the yanks are flying it, its a distinct possibility.
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It's display at the Silverstone Airshow last year was breathtaking, flown by the crew who did the first raid on Stanley. But it is inevitably on borrowed time.
Big commercial sponsorship might have kept it going but that's entirely dried up. It's only massive personal donations that have got it airborne and kept it there for recent seasons.
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i might have a drive down and have a lear over the fence
£18 for a ticket? i can get bed n breakfast for that in blackpuddle
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>>>£18 for a ticket? i can get bed n breakfast for that in blackpuddle
Hmmm.. in the almost certain understanding that a previous room occupant will have *confused* the kettle and toilet.
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Four years ago a B52 came over specially to give display at Farnborough -
We all waited expectantly on the ground whilst they apparently gave their display over Dunsfold........
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A few years back, we were in the Lake District on Windermere on holiday. Just as we arrived a Lancaster bomber flew over the caravan which was a surprise. It was the annual air show which I knew nothing about at the time.
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The last-flying Shackleton often comes across our neighbourhood. Awesome with those big contra-rotating props and RR (Griffon?) engines in full chat...
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The shackleton was known by the crews as "a collection of rivets flying in loose formation"
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SAAF had a fair few, all Mk3s, and kept them in the air for a LOOOOOOONG time, due to sanctions.
They flew one to UK in 1994 (?) but for some reason everything went wrong, and it ended up crash landing at night in the deserts.
Look up Pelican 16 on the net.
Back to the lightnings - I used to live near Killarney race track ... one day they had a big race meeting, and the Lightning came over my place giving it 'through the wall' on afterburners at about 9am... NOT fun, as I'd only crept in at 4am.
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you want to be behind the vulcan with with its throttles wide open. Its genuinley scary and actually quite painful.
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Was in close proximity to a Harrier once.
Worse than a vuvuzela, I tell you!
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I know someone whoi lives next west wittering airbase, they only have harriers. Noisy beggars.
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I'm not complaining - 'The sound of freedom' - but in my hungover/comatose state, having a lightning giving it afterburner aimed right at my window was a tad harsh...
Local airshows are great - Cheetahs (modified mirage), some chinese stuff which the Zimbo airforce fly, Grippen (we bought a few), privateer Lightnings and bucaneers... hoowah, and the beer tent is cheap!
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hoowah, and the beer tent is cheap!
It's not here in good old blighty £3.50+ for larger better stay there old pal..............
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Ha! off topic, saw a few lads in the pub earlier... one wearing a southampton shirt.
Gave him the obligatory 'scummer' taunt.
The guys couldn't believe it - Castle Lager (5% by volume) at R15 a pint... £1.27 to you.
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...Gave him the obligatory 'scummer' taunt...
For those not well up on the tribal aspects of football:
Fans of Portsmouth FC see Southampton FC as their rivals and tend to call Southampton fans 'scummers'.
I may be wrong, but I think some Southampton fans use the same term to describe followers of Portsmouth.
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And all over a dock strike.
Fortunatley either team seldom meet.
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Southampton Corporation Union Men - according to urban myth...
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>> Four years ago a B52 came over specially to give display at Farnborough -
>>
>> We all waited expectantly on the ground whilst they apparently gave their display over Dunsfold........
Hey give them a break, they got the right country didnt they?
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Saturday at 14.00hrs the Vulcan flys over waddington and sunday at 14.30hrs but won't land coming out of Brize Norton.
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Just hope the B-52 doesn't do a slow turn over you. See this video...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=E21byPXR1ek
Very sad. You couldn't make up the story of the flight though. The pilot was a risk taking maverick who was finally shopped by his peers as a crash waiting to happen.
The crash in the video was on a practice day for an air show where one of the bosses was flying with him to assess his suitability to continue display work.
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>>
>> The crash in the video was on a practice day for an air show where
>> one of the bosses was flying with him to assess his suitability to continue display
>> work.
was that a minor fault or a fail?
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>We all waited expectantly on the ground whilst they apparently gave their display over Dunsfold........
Nope. They gave everyone at Blackbushe a severe case of dire oh eeh ahh!
>there is no way anyone other than the military, with military sized budget, can keep that thing flying.
I really can't understand why they are having so many problems keeping the old girl flying.
The expertise is readily available.
tinyurl.com/333surm
Kevin...
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Trouble is GFS or Euro carparts dont have the bits & Halfords is useless.
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You are correct Kevin - My memory played me wrong - I believe it was Blackbushe and not Dunsfold. It does not say much about their navigation skills though.
It certainly was not Farnborough......we were all on the Colonial club verandah clutching our glasses and wondering where they got to.
Must have been quite interesting in Blackbushe control....
See below extract from pprune forum.
Tee hee: USAF B 52 tasked to make exciting fly past at Farnborough shows superior nav skills and stonks the hell out of Blackbushe.
“Lootenant Kerblonski: my office, your hat.”
Happens a lot, apparently. My mate in the Army Air Corps relates an amusing take of a super-ace helicopter display team en route somewhere who call up Duxford and offer to wire the place and please the punters. Go for it, says Duxford, and make it a biggie. Hurtle, roar, zooom, wokka wokka wokka, ker chunka chunka chunka etc.
"How was that, Duxford?"
Pause
"Er, [xxx] Leader, could you give Cambridge a call, please, they want to have a word".
Ooops. Tea, no medals.
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Also on pprune is a tale of a US SR71 Blackbird that was due to arrive at a Farnborough airshow and completely overshot the UK, turning back over Holland....
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Landing at the wrong airfield?
On first moving to Harrow c1980 I was puzzled by the massive letters 'NO' on a gasometer. There's another near Southall (this one still extant) with LH on it.
The latter was a landmark on approach to Heathrow's then runway 23. The other is close to RAF Northolt. Letters added to more clearly distinguish after a PanAm 707 ended up at Northolt. Northolt's runway is barely a mile long; a complete strp out of seats and minmal fuel for the hop to LHR meant it just got off the ground.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Sat 3 Jul 10 at 19:15
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Recall reading the story of the RN pilot putting his sea-harrier down on the deck of a spanish freighter. Oops!
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Not a bad day today but windy some aircraft not flying in wndy stuff like the old ww1 replica bi planes and the bob memeorial flight, but nice to see the vulcan and a good day out got burnt to bits!
Still not exiting and a few slots got missed and all a bit slow come on waddington get a grip £22.00 entrance fee we want more!!
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...get a grip £22.00 entrance fee we want more!!....
Bigtee,
Get yourself up to Sunderland - it's free.
www.sunderlandevents.co.uk/event-detail.asp?EventID=2973
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Booked on the calender im off the saturday thanks.................
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Bigtee,
What do you think of the flying programme at Sunderland?
If you listen to Sunderland Council, the show's a world beater.
As someone who goes to the paid-for shows, how does Sunderland stack up?
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include a United States Air Force B-52 bomber. Well we didn't see one of these!
They do a dvd of the day at £15.00 at sunderland it's £9.99, it looks superb just hope it is, what is the catch is parking £20.00?
I 'll go anyway as i can't make it to flying legends next weekend as im at Silverstone but may see the vulcan fly by or the bob flight they come i think.
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...what is the catch is parking £20.00?...
Park and ride is £5 a car, and you haven't got to use that, but it's probably the simplest way.
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>> Still not exiting and a few slots got missed and all a bit slow come
>> on waddington get a grip £22.00 entrance fee we want more!!
Nothing at an Air Show will ever be as exciting as the first - Church Fenton 1975 in my case. The £22 price might seem steep but compare with a Premiership Match, rock concert or West End Show.
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RAF Waddington Airshow......3 & 4 july - R.P.
