East Midlands Airport Today

[spesh]

nice shot piltdownpaul.

personally I can't understand the fuss about the Vulcan. it was a filthy inefficient, and in military terms, useless plane. called into action, in anger, only once. even then it flopped. (Port Stanley Airport). now we spend millions, at a time when emissions are right at the top of our agenda, to get one flying again. it beats me! i lived in Cumbria in the 70's. these things use to practice low level runs through the hills and valleys. so i have seen them, whilst flying, from the top bottom and side. even if you didn't see it you could follow it trail of filthy exhaust, for some time after it passed by.

nice shot piltdownpaul.


Now if you give me a Spitfire, Hurricane of Lancaster, well that, imo, is a different matter.

Didnt really flop.... Was pretty much a finished plane and in the process of being decomissioned when it was called on to drop iron bombs in the falklands. A plane that was no longer set up to drop iron bombs, that was so old it shouldn't have really been in service yet it still managed to drop its full payload in a 30degree run over the runway scoring a hit almost smack halfway in the runways metalled surface and causing an awful lot of damage around it. Plus it flew in from Ascension Island way overweight and far far beyond its operational capability.

I'd say that was quite a success and a testement to it. If you read, and enjoy war type books get hold of Vulcan 607, awesome book

Just my 2p, of course

 

[raptorrex]

nice shot piltdownpaul.

personally I can't understand the fuss about the Vulcan. it was a filthy inefficient, and in military terms, useless plane. called into action, in anger, only once. even then it flopped. (Port Stanley Airport). now we spend millions, at a time when emissions are right at the top of our agenda, to get one flying again. it beats me! i lived in Cumbria in the 70's. these things use to practice low level runs through the hills and valleys. so i have seen them, whilst flying, from the top bottom and side. even if you didn't see it you could follow it trail of filthy exhaust, for some time after it passed by.

nice shot piltdownpaul.


Now if you give me a Spitfire, Hurricane of Lancaster, well that, imo, is a different matter.

Didnt really flop.... Was pretty much a finished plane and in the process of being decomissioned when it was called on to drop iron bombs in the falklands. A plane that was no longer set up to drop iron bombs, that was so old it shouldn't have really been in service yet it still managed to drop its full payload in a 30degree run over the runway scoring a hit almost smack halfway in the runways metalled surface and causing an awful lot of damage around it. Plus it flew in from Ascension Island way overweight and far far beyond its operational capability.

I'd say that was quite a success and a testement to it. If you read, and enjoy war type books get hold of Vulcan 607, awesome book

Just my 2p, of course

the red marked area is where the Vulcan bombs landed the green area is where a bomb from a Harrier was dropped. as i said a complete flop. and if you read the account of the raid, one Vulcan had to return with technical problems, and the others suffered many technical and mechanical problems on the way. the remarkable thing about the raid was that they actually found the islands at all.

 

[Lateral Line]

The Vulcan was designed to drop nuclear bombs, you don't need pinpoint accuracy with such a weapon. Retrofits into inappropriate airframes are never going to be totally satisfactory.

The Harrier is a much newer aircraft designed with a strike capability and properly equipped to do so with modern systems.

 

[Ace Of Spades]

The Vulcan was designed to drop nuclear bombs, you don't need pinpoint accuracy with such a weapon. Retrofits into inappropriate airframes are never going to be totally satisfactory.

The Harrier is a much newer aircraft designed with a strike capability and properly equipped to do so with modern systems.

Something about fighter planes is so appealing, I always see the army helicopters going over etc its quite cool.

And boboboy I have to say, you got schooled..

 

[raptorrex]

The Vulcan was designed to drop nuclear bombs, you don't need pinpoint accuracy with such a weapon. Retrofits into inappropriate airframes are never going to be totally satisfactory.

The Harrier is a much newer aircraft designed with a strike capability and properly equipped to do so with modern systems.

lol, that's my point. this was the only, nearly, successful mission the Vulcan ever did! a high point if you like. lol even the newly restored plane nearly didn't get its airworthiness certificate, because it kept developing faults. Nimrod/Comet and the Vulcan are both planes from the same period, both are now accepted as "not being fit for purpose". what i will say if the pilots must have been brave men, every time they took off, they really didn't know if they would make it to their objective, and that was without anyone shooting at them. , as i said brave men.

comparing it with a Harrier is interesting. even though there was only 10 years between the first flight of both prototypes. the Harrier will continue in service, for far longer, in terms of number of years, than the Vulcan did. the Harrier has developed with the times, the Vulcan was obsolete when it was first built, making it impossible to upgrade from the onset.

 

[Piltdownpaul]

I see the bournemouth airshow visit by the vulcan was cancelled-bit of a shame

 

[raptorrex]

I see the bournemouth airshow visit by the vulcan was cancelled-bit of a shame

yep it broke down again! or more correctly, recent repairs have not been passed by the authority's in time.

 

[Shrimper]

You both might be intrested to know its supposed to be flying over at the Victory Show in Cosby (Leicestershire) next weekend, even if it doesn't you'll be able see the WWII planes.

 

[Nick16]

it failed to make an appearence at dunsfold last wkend.