two pots of gold for xm655 · a very good friend of maps is former avro test pilot, and current...

Issue No 30 Autumn 2013

Two pots of gold for XM655 ?

In this issue

Chairman’s Introduction Page 2

Engineering Report Page 5

Wings and Wheels 2013 Page 8

Recollections of XM655 5

Visitors Page 17

Vulcan v Lightning Page 19

Another Date for your Diary Page 23

Notice of MaPS AGM Page 24

Picture credits Page 24

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655 MaPS Newsletter Autumn 2013

The Chairman’s Introduction Charles Brimson

Welcome to another edition of the 655MaPS newsletter – my eighth since I had the

privilege of being elected Chairman of MaPS at the AGM in July 2009. Sitting here

searching for inspiration on how to open our 30th newsletter, it does occur to me

that I may be repeating things I have previously written on these pages, or indeed

on our website, or even (shock, horror!) on Twitter, as we have cautiously entered

the strange new world of social media. Anyway, if I do occasionally repeat myself I

hope that you will forgive me; please put it down to a net loss of grey memory cells

and an overwhelming desire to tell everyone all about our wonderful Vulcan as

often as I can. Before any eagle-eyed long-standing MaPS member should notice,

I will also mention that our newsletter editor and I have agreed that in future we

may re-publish the occasional article that has previously appeared in our earlier

newsletters – this is primarily for the benefit of our many newer MaPS members, but

also because they are jolly good articles…..

Since we first asked our members if they would be happy to receive their copies of

the newsletter via email, it is a rather pleasant surprise to report that 48% of our

membership will be reading this newsletter in PDF format on their computers – the

benefit to MaPS, of course, is a substantial saving on paper, printing, envelopes

and, most expensively, postage. If any others of you who are reading these words

in analogue and would like to upgrade to digital, please get in contact with our

Membership Secretary, Avril Magill, and we’ll ensure that the strain on your back

retrieving the biannual newsletter from the doormat is removed (although we take

no responsibility for any eyestrain involved in reading newsletters on your

computer). It is also worth informing you that membership renewals can now be

conducted via PayPal on our website (new memberships can also be started this

way – please tell your friends, colleagues and neighbours about us).

Whilst telling you about our website I should also mention that the PayPal facility

can be used for donations to MaPS as well. It would also be remiss of me not to

mention that (at long last) we now have a fully functional transactional webstore

on our website – PayPal is again the standard tender type. Bryan Hull is our

Webstore manager and he takes great pride in fulfilling orders in the blink of an

eye – he tells me that he normally has orders picked and packed within 20 minutes

of the order being raised on the website – this would put much larger businesses to

shame, believe me I know about these things. Go on, give Bryan a test and buy

something from our Webstore for someone in your life as a Christmas present! My

thanks to Eric and Len for setting the website facilities up over the last couple of

months, and to Bryan and Avril for keeping an entire ‘webstore fulfilment’

operation in their home!

Since the last newsletter we have operated the aircraft on three occasions, the

first being an unscheduled engine ground run (EGR) just before Wings & Wheels in

June. This proved to be necessary since we had been suffering a series of

electrical problems on the aircraft that first appeared during the VTTST aircrew

training day back in April. We thought that we had sorted out all the electrickery

and wiggly amps problems that had manifested themselves and we invited Mike

Pollitt along to help us give the Vulcan a good shakedown just before the big

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weekend. The EGR was successful and we were all very pleased and quietly

confident that the aircraft would (as usual) make us proud on 16 June. However,

as those of you who were able to join us at Wings & Wheels will no doubt

remember, the electrical gremlins reappeared just as the aircrew was crewing-in

with the result that we were forced into electrical problem solving in the middle of

our most important day of the year! Fortunately we were able to save the day,

and with some sleight of hand and amazing co-operation from the airfield

management and some of our exhibitors, the entire show programme was

salvaged, albeit in a rather different than advertised running order. There is more

on our Wings & Wheels show elsewhere in the newsletter and also a far better

technical description of the electrical problems we have been dealing with written

by Eric in his Engineering Report. The third time we chose to conduct an EGR and

short taxy exercise was last month with the two aims of once again establishing

that the electrical systems are behaving and also that the Vulcan’s braking system

is now more effective after maintenance work was carried out after Wings &

Wheels. I am happy to say that in both cases, we were successful. With our regular

Captain, Mike Pollitt unavailable that day, we took the opportunity of the EGR to

introduce two ‘new’ people to operating the aircraft from the pilot’s perspective.

Firstly, John Tye, who is a British Airways B777 Training Captain and former Concord

pilot, was invited to join us. John has very kindly agreed to be our Wings & Wheels

commentator next June, as our regular commentator, Dave Rowland, will be out

of the country for the whole of June. John has already begun a programme of

‘swotting’ for his commentating role, and I thought it would be an added bonus

for him to be able to talk to our audience knowledgeably about sitting in the

Vulcan cockpit by allowing him to participate in an EGR. Our other invited pilot is a

former Vulcan Qualified Flying Instructor (QFI), Nick Dennis, who lives not far away

from Wellesbourne and has become a regular visitor over the last year. Back in

1984, not long after Nick had left the RAF to join Britannia Airways flying B737s from

Birmingham, Nick was to have become one of the pilots recruited by Roy

Jacobsen to fly XM655 on the air show circuit, but as we all know, that was not to

be. Anyway, back to our EGR, under the watchful eye of our Chief Engineer, Eric,

the aircraft had two smooth and uneventful sets of engine starts, together with Eric

and Nick each taking it in turns to taxy the aircraft whilst exercising the nosewheel

steering and trying the brakes. As the AEO sitting in the back of the cockpit, my

only complaint was that the brakes are now so effective that my head made

sharp contact with my seat back, such was the rate of deceleration – lucky I was

wearing a bone dome! Elsewhere in this newsletter, you will read an article written

by Nick Dennis on his Vulcan-based career which culminates in his reintroduction

to type after a gap of 35 years!

Talking of newsletter articles, I am also thrilled to have the author’s permission to

reproduce in this newsletter an article on ‘fighter affil’ written by a Lightning pilot

(Sqn Ldr Clive Rowley) on the joys of coming up against the Vulcan.

A very good friend of MaPS is former Avro test pilot, and current aviation author,

Tony Blackman. You may well have seen Tony on the recently broadcast BBC

documentary about the Cold War ‘Cold War, Hot Jets’ when he was interviewed

up at his old place of work, Woodford, standing in front of a very scruffy and rather

forlorn XM603. Tony’s next book will be ‘Vulcan Boys’, whose publication date is set

for May 2014, just in time for him to sell it at Wings and Wheels on June 15! As well

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as tales of everything (and everyone) to do with Avro’s finest bomber, Tony has

also included a chapter on 655MaPS, so look out for that next year….

I am sure most of our readers will have been keeping a watchful eye on the

fortunes of the world’s only flying Vulcan, XH558, over the last few months. It has

been a roller coaster ride (as the history of this aircraft seems to have been ever

since 1984, when the rest of the Vulcan fleet was withdrawn from service), with the

latest instalments being raising the cash necessary to undertake an extensive and

critical wing modification which will allow another two year’s flight before eventual

retirement at the end of 2015, and also the upset of a fuel leak developing in one

of the starboard wing tanks at the beginning of what was to have been one of

VTTST’s busiest display weekends towards the end of the flying season. MaPS has

agreed to help VTTST in purchasing (at an attractive price to MaPS) 27,000 litres of

AVTUR fuel that has to be drained from XH558, which would otherwise have had to

be disposed of. In aviation, as soon as fuel is removed from an aircraft it cannot be

used again and is normally scrapped, however as XM655 is not airworthy, we can

use this fuel. 27,000 litres will last us for probably three years, and it does mean that

we can make a sizable cash payment to VTTST which will help them through the

winter maintenance period. We have also been able to help ‘558 in providing

them with two pressure reducing valves which form part of the emergency

undercarriage blow-down system as their valves had developed leaks. Everyone

at MaPS wishes all at VTTST every success over the winter and we look forward to

the spectacle of seeing a Vulcan flying for two more flying seasons. Who knows,

maybe we will see ‘558 flying over her sister ‘655 at Wellesbourne in the not too

distant future?

Looking after a 49 year-old complex military aircraft requires some good people,

and we are blessed with our group of volunteers who spend 50 Saturdays every

year looking after the Vulcan and all the kit and accommodation that goes with it

(a collection that is growing every year as well). Volunteers are our life blood and it

is a great treat for me to be able to tell you that during the course of this year, we

have increased our number of volunteers considerably. In no particular order, I

would like to introduce to you: Dougie Hales, an aircraft maintenance engineer

who since leaving the RAF now works at Luton airport, Adam Harris, coincidentally

another ex RAF Rigger who now works at Luton (albeit a different outfit to Dougie),

Jon and Kay Prestidge (who take our number of ‘couple’ volunteers up to three),

John Wood (who also volunteers at VTTST) and Alex Jack who has been incredibly

helpful in providing IT and other kit to MaPS.

As well as our volunteers, we are also always indebted to our many friendly and

helpful OEMs and other suppliers. In the last couple of months, Satair Ltd of

Heathrow, have once again provided us with two more Saft aircraft batteries – we

now have five serviceable batteries! With so many batteries to maintain (Avril is our

battery bay technician), we need an effective battery charger and analyser, and

this year our machine developed a fault on its motherboard but after just one

email the Technical Director of CasC in Norwich, Colin Freeston, came to our

rescue and repaired the charger then calibrated and certified it all within two

days – his charge for this tremendous service? A new MaPS mug for his secretary!

To bring you right up to date, we are in negotiation with Cover Systems Ltd of

Wellingborough for them to supply us with a new heavyweight cockpit cover as

well as new wheel covers. The use of these covers may seem like a luxury, but in

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fact they are very much a necessity; the aircraft canopy on a Vulcan is of course

removable to allow emergency egress of the two ejection seats, the method of

sealing the canopy is by nitrogen filled rubber seals, all very well when you’re flying

but not when the aircraft is sitting on the pan open to the weather. So, a

weatherproof cover is essential and also provides some protection against ultra

violet damage to the cockpit windows as well. The 18 aircraft tyres, too, need ultra

violet protection, particularly as six of our current tyres were actually made by

Dunlop Aircraft Tyres in 1965! Although, to be fair, we want to preserve the 10

made by Dunlop last year just as carefully.

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Engineering Report Eric Ranshaw

The ten new tyres purchased from Dunlop and the six new-old-stock items from our

stores have now all been fitted to the aircraft. In the process, all the wheels have

been inspected and new seals fitted throughout.

During our investigation of the electrical gremlins which have beset XM655

recently, we were concerned that the main rudder PFCU was imposing more

electrical load than it should. This eventually proved to be incorrect, but as a

precaution prior to Wings and Wheels the PFCU and its associated electric motor

were changed out by Roger. Although no progress on our electrical problems was

achieved, this did cure a niggling oil leak.

During Wings and Wheels, the aircrew complained that the brakes had become

rather spongy and were not sufficiently effective considering the very short

Wellesbourne runway. Bleeding the main hydraulic circuit on the Saturday evening

failed to provide a cure, so we have now made up an adaptor to allow us to

pressure-bleed the top circuit between the brake valve and the foot motors. This

has proved to be the solution, and as Charles remarks in his introduction the brakes

are now very effective indeed.

After many hours of work on the electrical system, and a number of false dawns

when we thought we had solved the problem only to have it re-appear, it seems

we have finally got to the bottom of the electrical problems. Initially it appeared to

be solely a problem with the Airborne Auxiliary Power Plant (AAPP), which was not

responding correctly to changes in electrical load. As the AAPP is not an essential

requirement for our activities, we decided to isolate the unit, and use only the

Ground Power Unit (GPU) and the four main engine alternators. This approach was

successfully demonstrated both at the unscheduled EGR on 1st June, and during

two start-ups on the Saturday immediately before Wings and Wheels.

However, we again suffered a total electrical failure during crew-in for the first taxy

run, which proved to be due to multiple blown fuses in the triple-redundant circuits

of the main distribution system. Replacement of the fuses got us through Wings and

Wheels, and after much further searching, a burnt contact was found on one

phase of the aircraft contactor associated with the Ground Power Unit. Following

replacement of the contactor with one overhauled by Tim, the aircraft has been

powered-up for systems demonstrations on several occasions and also started up

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twice during the autumn EGR, and the problem has not re-appeared. To ensure

we are not caught out again, we have also instituted a regular check of the main

distribution fuses.

Also on the electrical front, a problem with the Houchin 28v supply was traced to a

bad cable joint within the aircraft plug, and a persistent voltage fluctuation on the

aircraft 28v system proved to be due to worn contacts in the battery connector.

Following the previously reported partial skin and

rib replacement on the outboard half of the No 5

elevon trailing edge, the work was completed

with two new ribs and an end-plate being

manufactured and new top skin installed by Bry

on the inboard half.

We have now embarked on a rather more complex repair on the No 3 elevon. The

structure of the elevon is twisted, probably due to inadequate jigging when the

skin was replaced some years ago. Our new volunteers Jon and Kay, supervised by

Bry, have been punching out rivet cores and drilling out the rivets in preparation for

the removal of both top and bottom skins. We will then manufacture and install

new ribs as required before reskinning with the structure securely clamped into the

correct shape.

Roger P has continued with the unenviable task of preparing and painting all the

nooks and crannies within the bomb bay. Also Alex has been busy refurbishing the

main undercarriage ground locks and jury struts.

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The never-ending task of keeping XM655’s paintwork in shape has continued

throughout the summer. Before Wings and Wheels, Avril addressed many of the

panels under the aircraft and tidied up the faded roundels, and since then work

has continued on the upper surfaces, primarily on the port wing.

After many hours of relay contact cleaning and polishing, Len has succeeded in

getting the whole of the fuel contents system to work correctly, including the

group contents and the cg indication. We have also demonstrated that the fuel

system can be run on automatic cg management using tank groups 2 and 3, and

feeding the outboard engines via the crossfeed cocks. We used this technique

during the entire Wings and Wheels weekend, and the cg only moved by 2% of

the allowable range. It would be nice to get all four tank groups working on

automatic, but that would require the repair or replacement of the two leaking No

1 fuel tanks, which at the moment is not high on the priority list.

During a routine check before the autumn EGR, one of the igniters on No 4 engine

was found to be not working. The fault was traced to a defective High Energy

Ignition Unit which was replaced with one of our spares. Although this sounds easy,

the units are located on top of the engine air intake, and the replacement

required Roger to remove and replace the aircraft to engine make-up pieces, and

to be something of a contortionist to reach the ignition unit.

During the pre-EGR air intake inspection, Ian found a skin crack and several missing

or loose rivets. The crack has been stop-drilled and is being monitored, and work

on the rivets is ongoing.

Thanks to Roger’s eagle eyes on the internet, we have been able to acquire rear

crew parachute packs for all three rear seats and also the correct QR buckle for

the P1 ejection seat.

Recently, we have been busy preparing for the

major task of this winter’s work programme,

namely the removal, inspection and

replacement of the No 1 engine. As the

newsletter goes to press, the engine has been

removed and inspection is about to commence.

We will tell you the results in the next newsletter.

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655 Maintenance and Preservation Society’s shadow organisation – named 655

Making and Painting Sheds! – has been busy again over the last few months.

Under the leadership of Bob (Making) and Avril (Painting), and with the help of air

cadets from 150 (City of Oxford) and 240 (Darlaston) Sqns, all our buildings and

containers are now a fetching shade of RAF blue, and with insulated and

weatherproof roofs to boot. Bob has also extended his civil engineering expertise

to installing a new underground electrical feed to the aircraft which now supplies

light, heat and dehumidification to both the power bay under the fin and the

cockpit all through one connection at the rear of the aircraft. The next

improvement will be to add bomb bay lighting for our visitors as well.

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Wings & Wheels at Wellesbourne 16 June 2013 Damaris Tapp

For volunteers, Wellesbourne Wings and Wheels on 16 June 2013 started at 6:30am.

It wasn't raining and the forecast was looking good! One of our main concerns in

the run-up to the event had been the weather, another had been the

serviceability of XM655.

The Vulcan was looking good, too, having performed perfectly in the practice

engine run and taxi the previous day. Most of us were on site and preparation for

the day's activities were well underway. As the site was being set up, the classic

cars started to arrive along with our traders and exhibitors.

This year we had extended the

show from cars and military

vehicles to include motorbikes

and were allowing the general

public to vote for their favourite,

as well as vehicle owners

themselves. With well over 150

classic vehicles, it was a difficult

choice to make!

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The Vulcan was towed into place ready to

be the star of the day. Nearby we were

very lucky to have the largest flying model

aeroplane in the country (a Vulcan, of

course!) being set up by Dave Johnson,

Chairman of the Large Model Association,

along with Tony Hooper's large model

Lancaster. Although the Lancaster did not

fly during the day, it was wonderful to see

models of both of Avro's finest bombers

parked together on display.

Next to the models we were also lucky to

have a Bristol Hercules aero engine,

brought to us by Brian Mills.

Slightly later than the other volunteers, the Vulcan crew for the day, Mike Pollitt,

John Laycock, David Thomas and Barry Masefield, along with friends of XM655

Andrew Laycock and David McCulloch, settled into the cockpit and began the

start up procedures.

Unfortunately at this point it all went wrong, an electrical fault causing the Vulcan

to be shut down and the slow taxi run to be delayed.

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XM655 is a forty-nine year old extremely complex military bomber, so these things

happen! It is testament to the skill of the volunteers that the problem was cured

within a couple of hours and that both the slow and fast taxi runs were able to

happen with only the slight delay.

Throughout the day our commentator, Dave Rowland, kept

the crowd informed about the changes to timings and the

running order as well as entertaining them with his vast

knowledge of all things aviation and interviews with a

range of visitors, including Vulcan air crew.

While waiting for the Vulcan to taxi, there

was an ideal opportunity for the model

Vulcan, liveried as a 50 Squadron XH558

in anti-flash white, to fly its stunning 8

minute display, impressing everyone

there - including those who have

actually flown the full scale XH558!

As the model was taxied back to its temporary pan next to XM655, Dave's display

was rewarded with a spontaneous, and well deserved, round of applause by the

aircrew, ground crew and other MaPS officials who were standing in front of the

Vulcan - it takes a lot to impress a bunch of hardened old timers like that!

We were also entertained by a couple of runs of

the Hercules aero engine and, in the traders'

and exhibitors' town square, the Perfect Vintage

duo entertained the crowd with songs from the

1940s. Other stars in our town square were the

Shackleton Preservation Trust's Cockpit from

Coventry, Hunter XE597 cockpit from

Wolverhampton and a glider from the Stratford

on Avon Gliding Club, all of which were open for

people to have a look and a sit inside.

If you wanted to talk to experts about Vulcans, Avro test pilot, Tony Blackman,

could be found in his gazebo chatting to people and selling copies of his books

and another Vulcan author, Craig Bulman, was also promoting his new book.

Craig also had lots of fascinating photos of Vulcans in service and, particularly,

pictures of XM655

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But, back to the real star of the day, XM655, all fixed and ready to roll for the slow

taxi. For this run, XM655 is taxied to the northern end of the runway, with plenty of

opportunities for photos as it passes the crowd, then the engines are run up to

about 85% before the brakes are released. This is not enough to get the nose

wheel off the ground but is quite dramatic, nonetheless!

As XM655 taxied back to its position on the inactive runway it passed some of the

static aircraft that had come to display at our event. This included Peter

Teichman's Hangar 11 Kittyhawk, which had just been repainted after starring in

the movie Red Tails

Other visiting aircraft included a Chipmunk with a colour scheme from 1957 when

it was the personal aircraft to the Air Commodore of the Metropolitan Sector, a

Piper Cub and an Auster AOP.6. Earlier we had also had a Christen Eagle, which

had departed leaving a trail of smoke across the airfield.

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Between the two Vulcan runs we had an ideal opportunity to present the annual

655 Maintenance and Preservation Society Award to the Best Air Cadet from 150

(City of Oxford) Sqn. We have great support from both the staff and cadets of 150,

who come up to Wellesbourne once a month to help us with a range of jobs and

get their hands dirty (quite literally!) on a complex bomber and its ground

equipment. This year the winner was Sgt Finlay Moncur, who had been runner up

last year. The trophy was presented by Dave Rowland, who also presented the

runner up prize to Cpl Richelle Bartlett. Both Finlay and Richelle are well known to

all regular XM655 volunteers and we are delighted that their hard work throughout

the year has been rewarded in this way.

This was also a good time to judge the

classic vehicles, draw the raffle and

announce the winners of the silent auction.

The winning classic car (and there were lots

to choose from!), and overall show winner,

was a 1983 Tickford Capri owned by Les

Mather who had travelled all the way down

from Chesterfield. Second and third places

went to an MGTF 1500 owned by Mr L Deykin

and John Pugh's Triumph Spitfire Mk 4.

The winning motorbikes were a 1955 BSA

650cc owned by Anthony Jones from Solihull,

a 1952 BSA Gold Star owned by Martin Smith

and Mr G. W. Price's 1955 Francis Barnett.

We also awarded the top three places in

our military vehicles category to Mr N

Sawyer's 1952 Land Rover, Brian Henson's

Dodge WC52 and John Hayley's Land

Rover Discovery.

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Perfectly timed, after the departure

of the Kitty Hawk, we had a visit from

the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight

Dakota, en route from Holland back

to its home base at Coningsby. The

Dakota performed three passes,

before departing with a wing waggle.

Finally, it was time for the big event of the day, the fast taxi of Vulcan XM655! Due

to the speed the Vulcan attains during this run and the likelihood that the nose

wheel will be lifted off the ground, the direction of this taxi run is wind dependant.

This year this meant starting at the northern end of the runway again. As this is very

near the road, and each one of the Vulcan's four Olympus 301 engines is capable

of putting out 20,000lbs of static thrust, we had a team of people to close the road

briefly, just to ensure that no high sided vehicles were accidentally caught in the

efflux! The power of this efflux was demonstrated well enough by some loose

tarmac at the end of the runway which was kicked up by No.4 engine as it was

being spooled up ready to go! The crew then released the brakes and the Vulcan

sped down the runway, the power being quickly reduced, the airbrakes deployed

to the high drag setting and the nose lifted, showing off the delta wing and also

using it for aerodynamic braking.

Once the nose wheel was back on the ground the wheel brakes were applied

and the Vulcan brought to rest, all within the limitations of the 3,000ft runway we

have at our disposal. The eagle-eyed amongst our spectators will have noticed

that the pilots activated the brake parachute release (just as they would if they

were landing on a short runway) but instead of a 25ft. diameter silk parachute

appearing from the rear of the aircraft, an RAF ensign appeared instead! Another

very successful run by our highly skilled crew.

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Our regular fire cover provided by Warwickshire Fire & Rescue Service

(Wellesbourne) was supplemented this year by retired fire tenders from Paul Brooks

(ex-Birmingham Airport tender) and Tate Middleton (ex Ronaldsway I.O.M. airport

tender).

It is traditional that, once the taxi runs have been

completed and it is safe to do so, the public are

allowed under the Vulcan to see the star of the show

close up.

This year, we had a full bomb carrier

mounted centrally in the bomb bay

carrying seven 1,000lb high explosive

bombs, a third of the load delivered

to the Falklands during the Black Buck

raids. Although ours are inert and,

being made of fibre glass, weigh

nothing like 1,000lbs, it is an impressive

sight and a reminder of the Vulcan's

role as a bomber during its service

life.

Although sleek and agile in the air, which is what makes it such a great display

aircraft, its real role was as a Cold War warrior and it was well named after the

God of Fire!

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Recollections of my Association with XM655 Nick Dennis

During my nineteen years I spent flying in the Royal Air Force, thirteen of those

years were spent flying the Vulcan. In all I accumulated 3,000 hours on type and in

that time I flew XM655 many times…..

After flying training I attended No 230 Vulcan Operational Conversion Unit (OCU)

at RAF Finningley. On completion of the course I joined 12 Sqn at RAF Coningsby as

a co-pilot at the tender age of 21 years in 1963. Following promotion to captain I

served on 44 (Rhodesia) Sqn at RAF Waddington; we were the first Vulcan B2 crew

on the squadron, replacing the Vulcan B1As. After this tour I was posted to Central

Flying School at RAF Little Rissington. On completion of the flying instructor’s course

I was posted to Aberdeen University Air Squadron. Then in 1975 it was back to 230

OCU at RAF Scampton as a Vulcan flying instructor before completing my final

tour with IX Sqn, RAF Waddington as the Squadron QFI. I left the RAF in 1980.

When I was initially posted onto Vulcans I remember that I was a little

disappointed; as a 20 year old I wanted to fly low level ground attack Hunters.

Somehow the thought of flying high altitude, white monsters did not appeal!

However, shortly after I joined the V-Force at the height of the Cold War the

expected wartime flight profile of the Vulcan changed from purely high level

attack to a high-low-high profile due to improved Soviet SAM performance. As a

result, I achieved my ambition for low level flying.

A word about the role of the Vulcan. The aircraft was designed for a very serious

purpose – it was the lynchpin of Britain’s nuclear deterrent capable of carrying

and launching a one megaton Yellow Sun nuclear bomb. Quick Reaction Alert

(QRA) was maintained 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. Dispersal exercises to

one of the 26 dispersal airfields dotted around the UK was practiced/carried out

regularly. Scrambles from the Operational Readiness Platforms (ORPs) were

practiced with the aim of being airborne within four minutes – four minutes being

all the warning of impending missile attack by the Soviets that we would get from

Fylingdales Early Warning Station in North Yorkshire. Crews were always well aware

of the serious role that they and the Vulcan played in the defence of this country

during those tense years of the Cold War.

The Vulcan force, as well as being committed to NATO, was also assigned to

SEATO (South East Asia Treaty Organisation). As a result, we carried out

reinforcement exercises to the Far East using either a West-about route or an East-

about route. By the end of the sixties my crew had flown the Vulcan three times

around the world and I was still in my twenties.

Training and flying currency were taken very seriously and all aspects of operating

the Vulcan were continuously practiced. Special emphasis was put on the

following:

1. High altitude bombing attacks using radar bomb score sites.

2. Low level flying in the UK low level route terminating in a simulated low level

bombing attack.

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3. Fighter affiliation over the North Sea using Lightnings and Phantoms.

4. Live practice bombing.

5. Navigation exercises sometimes just using the sextant as the only navigation

aid.

6. Electronic Counter Measure (ECM) runs.

7. Circuit training usually at the end of a sortie.

A spirit of pride and professionalism was encouraged within crews and squadrons.

Consequently, an annual Bombing Competition was held within Bomber

Command. Here crews and squadrons competed against each other. My crew

and I were lucky enough to win one year and came second in another. The

Americans were also invited to compete in their B52s and F111s. They reciprocated

by inviting selected crews to take part in their American Bombing Competition. I

remember in 1969 we took XM655 to Fairchild AFB, near Spokane, to take part.

Only the best and most accurate bombers were taken to participate; ‘655 was

one of the elite….

Looking back, I thoroughly enjoyed my time flying the Vulcan. The aircraft had

everything – power, manoeuvrability, good looks and fabulous display

characteristics. Wherever we went we were given the red carpet treatment; the

world had never seen a bomber like the Vulcan. I feel proud to have flown the

aircraft with the nuclear deterrent and am totally convinced that this aircraft

helped to keep the peace during a period of great uncertainty and instability in

the world.

When I left the Royal Air Force in 1980 I thought that my Vulcan days were over.

This was not to be the case….

Having joined Britannia Airways based at Birmingham Airport, I moved from

Lincolnshire to Kenilworth. One day in 1984 my old friend and fellow instructor Sqn

Ldr Joe L’Estrange landed XM655 at Wellesbourne Mountford airfield. I made

myself known to Roy Jacobsen who had bought ‘655 from the RAF and the next

thing I knew Joe and I were taxying the Vulcan around the airfield. This we did at

regular intervals up to the point where Roy realised that he would never be

allowed to get ‘655 airborne again. I still keep in touch with Joe – he’s doing fine

but has finally given up flying.

The icing on the cake to complete my Vulcan story occurred one fine Saturday in

October this year. Charles Brimson invited me, along with John Tye, a B777 and ex-

Concord pilot with British Airways, to sit in ‘655 for two EGRs and a taxy. To say that

this experience was memorable would be an understatement. To be in that

cockpit again with two men dedicated to ‘655, Charles Brimson and Eric Ranshaw,

and an ex-Concord pilot, was indeed an honour. The whole day was a joy. The

two EGRs went well; the crew even had to deal with 200v tripping off line during

the crew-in, a problem that was dealt with most professionally. To hear and feel

those four Olympus engines running from inside the cockpit and to taxy the aircraft

again brought back a rush of cherished memories.

Thank you MaPS – long may you continue to keep ‘655 Alive….

_______________________________________________________________________________________


Visitors to XM655 Charles Brimson

We have had our usual eclectic mix of visitors to sample the Vulcan over the

summer, including:

The Vulcan Restoration Trust (VRT) that looks after XL426 at Southend airport visited

us in the guise of their Chief Engineer, Matt Lawrence and two of his colleagues

back in early summer. This has now resulted in a revitalised relationship developing

between the two groups on the engineering front.

The Chipping Norton Amateur Astronomy

Group came along for their third visit in

June with their organiser Robin Smitten.

They will also be having a stand at Wings

& Wheels again next year to cement their

relationship with MaPS.

Calne Lions Club visited with a full group

of 24 people one Sunday in early

summer. The group consisted of several

ex-V-Force people who thoroughly

enjoyed their coach trip.

The Royal Enfield Owners Club visited on

their 750cc Interceptors – organised bike

club visits are becoming a firm favourite.

The Institute of Advanced Motorists

(Banbury) came along at the end of June

with their organiser Kromer Rogers.

_______________________________________________________________________________________


In July we had the Cotswold Vale TR

Register club visiting. This was a large

group visit, so we were very pleased to

have our regular Captain, Wg Cdr Mike

Pollitt, along to help us with cockpit tours.

August and another organised bike club

visit – this time the Benelli Motorcycle

Club – a very rare Italian marque, whose

owners were a fascinating bunch of

people.

We have had booked, but individual, visitors from Germany, Belfast, the Isle of Man

and Australia this summer. The couple from Australia enjoyed themselves so much

that they have already visited us again on another UK trip and will be with us at

Wings & Wheels next year as well.

One of our volunteers, Ben Tapp, is an air

cadet in 125 (Cheltenham) Sqn, and the

whole squadron came along to

Wellesbourne in August with their OC, Flt Lt

Matt Medland. Once again, Mike Pollitt

was in attendance.

The Porsche Speedster Club had its AGM

weekend at Gaydon in September, and

in conjunction with our photographer,

Clive Hanley, they squeezed in a visit to

‘655 in between other appointments.

They obviously enjoyed it as one of their

group confided to me that he wished he

had not bothered with the AGM and

spent the whole day with us….

In October the Birmingham Photographic Society descended on us…..I have

never seen so many people pointing their cameras at ‘655 in so many different

ways!

Finally, we have had two former Vulcan pilots and their families visit us this summer;

Bill Downs who was on Vulcans in the ‘60s and ‘70s, and Bill Turnill (ex 44 and 50

Sqns) who brought nearly 20 members of his family with him on the day after his

son got married at Stowe – the visitors included his new daughter-in-law.

_______________________________________________________________________________________


Vulcan versus Lightning Clive Rowley MBE

“At its operational height the Vulcan can outfly and outmanoeuvre any fighter in

squadron service today."- Air Ministry Press Release (1958).

Squadron Leader Clive Rowley MBE RAF Rtd recounts the story of one occasion

when two icons of the jet age – the Vulcan and the Lightning – met in simulated

aerial combat.

In my Pilot’s Flying Log Book there is an entry for 13th April 1976 which shows that I

flew Lightning F2A XN731 (a 19 Squadron aircraft coded ‘Z’ for ‘Zulu’ on the fin) on

a sortie detailed only as “Exercise Cold Cape versus Vulcan”, a flight which lasted

55 minutes. That is all the detail my logbook gives but, as is often the case, there is

much more of a story behind that brief logbook record. This was a sortie that still

lives in my memory today, the only time I ‘fought’ against a Vulcan at high altitude

on what was actually a 2v1; two Lightnings versus a single Avro Vulcan. I took off

from Gütersloh, in Germany, that day thinking it was going to be easy – it wasn’t!

I don’t remember my wingman and I spending much time briefing the sortie or

considering the capabilities of the opposition or our own tactics. Air Defenders

routinely flew sorties that were not planned, tackling whatever opposition came

along using ‘SOPs’ (Standard Operating Procedures). We gave some brief

thought, perhaps rather overconfidently in retrospect, as to how we were going to

visually range the gun sight against such a large target (the Vulcan B2 had a

wingspan of 111 feet). We decided that we would set the distance between the

Vulcan’s outboard jet pipes on the wingspan setting of the sight and match the

stadiametric diamonds to that rather than to the entire wingspan.

We launched, climbed to our typical Lightning cruising altitude of 36,000 feet in a

mere 3½ minutes and cruised out towards our ‘target’ at 9 miles per minute. We

received vectors (headings to steer) and information on the target from a German

GCI fighter controller. We were grateful that we had his assistance and that the

Vulcan crew were not allowed to ‘jam’ the R/T frequency on this exercise as their

Electronic Counter Measures (ECM) equipment potentially enabled them to do.

We easily gained radar contact on the Vulcan even with our puny AI 21 radar sets;

it was, after all, a pretty large radar cross-section target and it appeared at the

maximum range of the radar display – 28 miles. The Vulcan was heading towards

us at quite a decent speed, somewhere around M0.9, the same speed we were

cruising at, giving a closing speed of 18 miles per minute. Of slightly more concern,

it was flying at 40,000 feet. The Lightning was famed for its high level capability

and had a ceiling similar to the Vulcan. (Both aircraft were officially limited to a

service ceiling of 56,000 feet because the aircrew equipment assemblies and

oxygen systems would not keep the crews alive at heights above that in the event

of a cabin depressurisation). The problem for us was that in order to manoeuvre

hard at high levels the Lightning really needed to be supersonic (it could pull +5G

in a hard turn at M1.3 above 36,000 feet) but the turn radius was, inevitably, very

large at these speeds and it would be very difficult to get a shot against a hard-

_______________________________________________________________________________________


turning Vulcan. In any case, we were not allowed to go supersonic on this sortie in

this overland location. The Vulcan, with its huge 3,964 ft² of wing and a wing

loading less than half that of the Lightning, would be able to turn well and at much

lower speeds than us at these sorts of altitudes, giving it a significant turn rate and

radius advantage over our Lightnings. It appeared that this Vulcan crew knew

their business and were not planning to be the ‘sitting duck’ we had expected.

Radar jamming wasn’t part of this exercise so the Vulcan crew was not able to

hamper our radar intercept as I’m sure they would have attempted to do ‘for

real’. Not that this particularly mattered, as we gained visual ‘tally’ on him not

long after getting radar contact. The Vulcan’s low-level grey/green camouflage

scheme employed at this time was not ideal for high levels and its Olympus

engines were smoky. I called, “Judy” on the radio, to inform the GCI controller

that I was taking over control of the intercept and required no further assistance

from him, aware that the Vulcan was on the same frequency and would be using

the controller’s commentary to work out where we were coming from. We turned

in behind, in wide ‘battle’ formation planning to take simulated Firestreak air-to-air

missile shots and that’s when the fun started!

The Vulcan rolled on an apparent 90 degrees of bank and turned like the

proverbial ‘dingbat’, presenting a plan view in no time at all and creating an

angle-off-the-tail well beyond the limited 30 degree capability of our Firestreak

missiles before we could take the shots. We both engaged full reheat and

attempted to turn with him, hoping to lag his turn (in truth there was no

alternative!) and fly a wider, faster turn, to reduce the angle off. Pulling as hard as

we could, we both flew through his turn to the outside of his turn circle and just as it

began to look as if I might solve the angle-off problem he reversed his turn back

toward us and as we merged we were head-on. This wasn’t going well!

Calling my wingman on the radio, I said, “I’ll stay engaged. You go free”. ‘Free

and Engaged’ tactics were something that we practised regularly and routinely

employed against fighter opposition. I had not expected it to be necessary

against a single bomber! The concept was that the engaged fighter would keep

the ‘bandit’ tied up and keep it predictable – turning in a constant direction –

whilst the free fighter disengaged, gained energy and re-committed to the fight in

an advantageous position, ideally unseen and with low angle-off for a missile shot.

My turn rate was considerably worse than the Vulcan’s and my turn radius was

larger as I tried to maintain my speed at M0.9. Starting from opposite sides of the

circle, the Vulcan was actually gaining on me. I think he was beginning to enjoy

this! At least I was keeping him predictable in a left hand turn whilst my wingman

re-positioned but it was becoming increasingly embarrassing and it was just as well

that the Vulcan was not equipped with any forward-firing armament, as he was

now almost in guns range behind me! In my mind I can still see that huge shape

closing behind me in a left hand turn.

As my wingman re-engaged from outside the turn, the Vulcan suddenly broke off

his pursuit of me, reversed his turn towards the new threat and negated my

wingman’s missile shot with angle-off. This ‘cat and mouse’ game continued for

several iterations as we switched ‘free and engaged’ roles. With no rearwards

view from the Vulcan cockpit and limited visibility across the circle in a steeply-

_______________________________________________________________________________________


banked turn, how did he know where we were coming from and when to reverse

his turn? Perhaps some more detailed target study may have been a good idea.

The Vulcan B2 had a sophisticated self-defence and ECM suite and this crew was

working incredibly well together and apparently making full use of it. The ARI

18105 Blue Saga radar warning receiver (RWR), fitted in the Vulcan B2’s square-

topped tail fin was giving the Air Electronics Operator (AEO), who was also in

effect the aircraft’s Electronic Warfare Officer, indications of where the fighters

were coming in from. We worked this out fairly quickly, and “strangled” our radars

by turning the transmitters off so that there would be no RWR indications in the

Vulcan for them to work with. We did not need our radars in any case, as we

could take visually-ranged shots if only one of us could get into a firing position.

What I had not appreciated at the time was that the Vulcan AEO also had the

benefit of a rearwards looking radar, codenamed ‘Red Steer’, mounted along

with other components of the Vulcan’s ECM suite in the B2’s enlarged tail cone

with its prominent radome. Red Steer was a fighter intercept warning radar,

actually derived from a Meteor night-fighter radar. The AEO was the operator and

had the display and control in front of him. The Red Steer 2 was able to scan the

sky behind the Vulcan to +/-70 degrees horizontally and +/- 20 degrees vertically.

It could actually detect and remain locked to a target at least as well as our

Lightning F2A’s AI 21 radar. When it was anticipated that the fighter was in the

launch bracket the radar could be switched to narrow scan +/- 5 degrees. In this

mode it could theoretically detect an air-to-air missile separation from the launch

aircraft, prompting the firing of the appropriate decoys – infra-red flares and/or

chaff – to break the fighter’s radar lock. Remembering that this was 40 years ago,

this was pretty advanced technology. Finally, the AEO had a periscope that gave

a view to the rear, mainly so that the bomb bay and the underside could be

checked, but I suspect that he was making use of this against us too. The lack of a

rearwards view from the Vulcan did not seem to be inconveniencing this crew at

all as they utilised all the equipment at their disposal and, no doubt, some

excellent crew co-operation to negate every attack we attempted.

The overall result was that, even 2v1 and using our best co-ordinated tactics, it

took us an inordinately long time to achieve a dubious kill against this squirming,

well-flown Vulcan. In fact, we were never able to achieve low enough angles-off

for a Firestreak missile shot. In the end, just before we became ‘Bingo’ for fuel, I

finally got into a position for a simulated guns shot, which took some doing as the

sheer size of the target was daunting and pressing in to guns range at 500 yards

took some determination. Inevitably, in order to maintain my best possible

subsonic turn rate, my speed was significantly higher than that of my target, and I

had considerable overtake when I briefly managed to match my turn circle to that

of the Vulcan for a few seconds, enough for a quick snap shot. Then we were out

of fuel and it was time to go home. When we later ran my gun film in the ‘cine

room’ back at the Squadron to assess my guns kill claim, it was very short (definitely

not a feature length film!) but still impressive as the target practically filled the

screen! It is a matter of conjecture as to whether my quick burst of cannon fire

would have been sufficient to prove fatal to such a large aircraft even with the

hitting power of 30mm high-explosive shells.

_______________________________________________________________________________________


Two young Lightning pilots (both first-tourists) learned some lessons that day. The

Vulcan had turned out to be a much tougher opponent than either of us had ever

expected. Its turning capability and sheer performance at 40,000 feet were

extraordinary. Flown as well as this one was, with the AEO utilising the aircraft’s self-

defence equipment as far as he was allowed to within the limitations of the

exercise, this Vulcan survived well over 30 minutes of persistent attacks by two

Lightnings. There is no reasons to expect that it would have fared any worse

against the Warsaw pact fighters of the era ‘for real’ and in most cases attacking

fighters probably would not have had the same persistence as we did having

taken off full of fuel specifically for this exercise. I don’t know who that Vulcan

crew were, as I was not able to debrief with them after the sortie, even by

telephone, but I take my hat off to them! I was most impressed; the Vulcan went

up in my estimation no end after that fight and I have never forgotten it.

The last word should perhaps go to John Reeve, a Vulcan pilot with many hours on

type who said: "At high altitude, the Vulcan was a delight to fly. She needed

strange handling techniques – lots of rudder and very little aileron – but with a low

wing loading she could out-turn all the current UK fighters if you could determine

when to turn by using our radar threat receivers."

I can’t argue with that!

_______________________________________________________________________________________


Wings & Wheels 2014 – Our Double Anniversary Year!

We have set the date for Wings & Wheels 2014 – it will be our customary Fathers

Day choice – that is Sunday 15 June.

Our Wings & Wheels planning committee, which started the task of making

everything come together for the big day nine months in advance, has decided

that the 2014 show will be a very special celebration of two anniversaries involving

XM655….

In 2014 it will be 50 years since XM655 was manufactured at the Avro works at

Chadderton and Woodford near Manchester and delivered to the RAF at

Cottesmore on 20 November 1964.

It will also be 30 years since Roy Jacobsen purchased XM655 from the RAF and

had it delivered to Wellesbourne Mountford airfield on 11 February 1984.

We already have a logo for this unique event…….

……… and commemorative patches will be available from our webstore

very soon.

It is a sobering thought that by next year the aeroplane will have been a ‘civilian’

for thirty years and a ‘military’ aircraft for only twenty years….

We are determined to make Wings and Wheels a day to celebrate and

remember, so although we will follow a pattern to the day with which most of you

will be familiar, we are going to pull out all the stops for a great day!

Whilst things are very much in the early planning stages (the show is after all still

seven months away), I can let you know that we plan to have one or two

aerobatic displays, some large model aircraft displays (hopefully including the

fabulous Vulcan model), two new commentators (John Tye, former Concord pilot,

and hopefully Andy ‘Sponge’ Marson, former Vulcan Navigator Plotter and Black

Buck planner), some very different ‘ground attractions’, and possibly two fast taxy

demonstrations (well, we’ve got plenty of fuel!).

Please make a note in your 2014 diaries now – the entry to this great show is free for

MaPS members and the price will be held at only £5 for non-members…..

_______________________________________________________________________________________


Notice of Annual General Meeting 2014

The next Annual General Meeting of MaPS will be held at 10.30 am on Saturday,

3rd May 2014. This notice may appear to be somewhat premature, but the

publication date of our Spring Newsletter is such that we would be unable to give

the specified notice as required by the Society’s rules.

As before the meeting will be held in the Wellington Room at On Track Aviation,

Wellesbourne Airfield (near to the Control Tower and Touchdown Cafe). All

members are welcome and tea/coffee and biscuits will be provided.

The agenda will be:

Chairman’s introduction and annual report

Membership report

Treasurer’s report and approval of annual accounts

Appointment of auditor for the coming year

Any other business

Any items that members wish to add to the agenda must be sent in writing to

The Secretary,

655 MaPS,

Wellesbourne Airfield

Loxley Lane,

Warwick

CV35 9EU

to arrive no later than four weeks before the date of the AGM.

During the afternoon, XM655 will be open to visitors, and we will be carrying out

demonstrations of as many aircraft systems as are possible on the pan. We hope

that combining the AGM and an “open day” for visitors to the aircraft will

encourage a few more members to attend the meeting.

Picture Credits

Front cover and all other photographs in this newsletter except as listed below are

copyright Avril Magill.

All Wings and Wheels 2013 photographs are copyright Clive Hanley Photography,

except page 9 (top), page 10 (top) and (bottom), and page 11 (middle), which

are copyright Dougie Hales. Lightning F2A page 22 copyright Erich

Westersoetebier.

Clive Hanley’s many pictures of XM655 can be viewed in high resolution at

www.evergreen.zenfolio.com/vulcanXM655 or follow the link from our own website

www.xm655.com.

http://www.evergreen.zenfolio.com/vulcanXM655

two pots of gold for xm655 · a very good friend of maps is former avro test pilot, and current...

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