XTR2Turbo Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 I see she took her final flight just now. All went out with a bit of a wimper. End of an era David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffrey Carter (Buttercup) Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 What a shame. Is there no way she will fly again. Here are a couple of pictures I took a few months ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooch Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 Just a short flight for the sake of the cameras so they could capture the last landing for posterity without bringing Yorkshire to a standstill I believe. Sad she's going, but we had lots of opportunities to see her this year. Came over my house with the Reds for Fairford in the summer, sadly she had to pull out of Goodwood Revival - she was there in the distance but sprang a fuel leak and had to go home. Wonderful aircraft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAFKARM Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 Saw her at Sywell a couple of weeks ago, photos and a video in my aviation thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 http://planestv.com/live/369 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Man On The Clapham Omnibus Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 I saw her at Airbourne (Eastbourne airshow) in August. It raises the old neck hairs just to see the sheer bulk of the aircraft rising above the clifftops of Beachy Head. A tragic loss to Britain's aviation heritage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooch Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 Nice quote at the end: "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s2rrr Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 That's a bummer I missed the recent flyby over East Cheshire and Manchester and thought this last flight would be somewhere I could drive too but sadly not. Maybe it will fly again but like most things it takes engineering skill and loads of cash. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odin's_Beard Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 Saw this scene whilst out walking the dog a few months back... Long distance phone camera shot, hence the high quality. Great to see, shame I won't see it again. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CraigHew Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 I dont think its a case of money From the website.... We are sure you are asking why this has to be the end of this phase of XH558’s life, particularly as many of you will be aware that we have been trying hard to find a way to extend her life for at least one more season beyond the additional two years (2014-15) that were promised when we completed the wing modification. The answer is that having evaluated a great many factors, the three expert companies on whom we depend – known as the ‘technical authorities’ - have together decided to cease their support at the end of this flying season. Without that support, under Civil Aviation Authority regulations, we are prohibited from flying.At the heart of their decision are two factors. First, although we are all confident that XH558 is currently as safe as any aircraft flying today, her structure and systems are already more than ten percent beyond the flying hours of any other Vulcan, so knowing where to look for any possible failure is becoming more difficult. These can be thought of as the ‘unknown unknown’ issues, which can be impossible to predict with any accuracy. Second, maintaining her superb safety record requires expertise that is increasingly difficult to find. Our technical partners already bring specialists out of retirement specifically to work on XH558; a solution that is increasingly impractical for those businesses as the necessary skills become distant in their collective memories. We have recently been made aware that the skills issue is particularly acute as our engines age and will require a considerable amount of additional (and costly) inspection and assessment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peet Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Sad and emotive but even I'm reluctant to admit it's the right decision now and I have seen these things at airshows since the 70s as a kid! When it's that far beyond any other Vulcan is it worth the risk when the 3 expert companies cannot guarantee her safety record - how would everyone feel if it did break up? Retire on a high - it was only supposed to fly for 1 season anyway - that team have been fantastic to have achieved what they have!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooch Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Sad and emotive but even I'm reluctant to admit it's the right decision now and I have seen these things at airshows since the 70s as a kid! When it's that far beyond any other Vulcan is it worth the risk when the 3 expert companies cannot guarantee her safety record - how would everyone feel if it did break up? Retire on a high - it was only supposed to fly for 1 season anyway - that team have been fantastic to have achieved what they have!!! Spot on ^^ If she had speared in, it would have made the Shoreham Hunter tragedy look like a garden firework and would have left the team open to all sorts of recriminations. Vulcan is a very different thing to a Lancaster to keep flying and there's lots of things that can fail catastrophically. I'm glad they finished on a high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AidanPlace Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 Managed to get a couple of pics of it at Portrush Airshow this year. stunning piece of engineering Aidan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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