Avro Vulcan Bellyflop

[Phil Perry]

This story was recounted to me at the flying club recently, and I've no doubt it is registered somewhere ( ! )

 

My friend retired Sqn Leader Graham Taylor, ( now aged 79 ) had 3,000 hours on Tiger Moths, 15,000 hours on Canberras and around 5,000 on Avro Vulcan / Valiant / Victor Vee Bomber types, and just prior to retirement he was located at an undisclosed RAF Station watching Vulcans doing circuits and bumps (they used to do that years ago, whilst there was still government funding to cover the fuel cost ! ) ( this WAS just before the Falklands war by the way )

 

One of the Vulcans ran out of fuel on final and belly - flopped onto the runway. I asked him if it was carrying a nuclear weapon and he told me not to be so bloody childish ( ! ) [ I only asked. . . ! ]

 

At the court martial he was asked what his speciality in the RAF actually was, he replied, . . . . . . at the moment,. . . . . " Airborne and tactical Fuel Management." But I couldn't do much about this situation as I was standing in the tower at the time. . . . . . .

 

I promise that this is true, ( would I lie to you ?? )

 

 

[facthunter]

They perfected fuel management with the Vulcan episode in the Falklands war. To really appreciate what was achieved it is an advantage to have done some long range flying ( orat least thought hard about the variables). The Concorde ops are another example. Fuel management and weight and balance were always 100% correct required, subjects. Nev

 

 

[bernieh]

They perfected fuel management with the Vulcan episode in the Falklands war. To really appreciate what was achieved it is an advantage to have done some long range flying ( orat least thought hard about the variables). The Concorde ops are another example. Fuel management and weight and balance were always 100% correct required, subjects. Nev

Just finished reading a book called "Vulcan 607" the story of the Falklands bombing raid... rivetting stuff.. B