It's a boy's thing ... or is it?!

[Mary Chambers]

The Spitfire was -is- indeed a thing of great beauty, and the Merlin engine makes a wonderful noise. But to me one of the most beautiful aircraft ever built was the Avro Vulcan; and what a sound THAT made!!
:

No wonder we are still having wars.

[teamsaint]

No wonder we are still having wars.

indeed. And its not just bad luck, is it?

Dodgy regime? there will be an agent for one (or lots) of the big arms manufacturers not too far away.

[amateur51]

No wonder we are still having wars.

When Thatcher insisted on having her triumphalist parade for the Falklands War, i was attending a housing course in Waterloo. I was walking back over the Hungerford Bridge just at the moment that a Vulcan flew overhead & the sight and sound of it made the hair stand up on the back of my neck as the words 'Angel of Death' popped into my mind.

[Dave2002]

The Spitfire was -is- indeed a thing of great beauty, and the Merlin engine makes a wonderful noise. But to me one of the most beautiful aircraft ever built was the Avro Vulcan; and what a sound THAT made!!

Brilliant. I was once walking along the cliff tops near Rottingdean, and a Vulcan came down to my level from the sea side and turned at the edge of the cliffs right in front of me. I could see the pilot rather clearly. Great stuff.

[Dave2002]

Re msg 19, I didn't realise that there are 5 crew members in a Vulcan - http://studysupport.info/vulcanbomber/crew.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Vulcan

[amateur51]

Re msg 19, I didn't realise that there are 5 crew members in a Vulcan - http://studysupport.info/vulcanbomber/crew.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Vulcan

It was the nuclear bombs that worried me

[Dave2002]

It was the nuclear bombs that worried me

I sympathise. I don't think Hungerford Bridge was a designated Nuclear Free Zone - unlike Camden perhaps.

[Flosshilde]

I sympathise. I don't think Hungerford Bridge was a designated Nuclear Free Zone - unlike Camden perhaps.

I think the whole of the GLC area was at the time.


Is the aeroplane in your picture the one that screams up & down the West coast, flying low enough to be below the mountain tops, shattering the peace (in more ways than one)? Sometimes I almost wish they'd crash into the mountains (if it wasn't for the damage they'd cause).


The only graceful & beautiful plane was the Concorde - unfortunately also useless.

[ardcarp]

Incidentally, has anyone read this?

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/20/usaf-atomic-bomb-north-carolina-1961

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

look ma no planes

[Mr Pee]

Is the aeroplane in your picture the one that screams up & down the West coast, flying low enough to be below the mountain tops, shattering the peace (in more ways than one)? Sometimes I almost wish they'd crash into the mountains (if it wasn't for the damage they'd cause).

No, it wouldn't be, since there is only one airworthy Vulcan now in operation, and that only comes out on rare occasions. And anyway, a Vulcan doesn't scream- it roars!

The planes you mention are probably Tornadoes, or possibly Typhoons. There are certainly Tornadoes at RAF Valley, on Anglesey, and possibly Typhoons now as well, so the West Coast would be on their flight path in and out from training runs up in Scotland.

Talking of the Vulcan, I was playing at an officer Graduation ceremony at RAF Cranwell back in the days when the aircraft were still in service with the RAF. The flypast was from a Vulcan. It flew in extremely low, and as it ascended over the parade ground it blew all the graduating cadet's hats off. I believe the pilot was given a bit of a talking to!

The only other aircraft I have heard that makes a similar sound to a Vulcan is the U2 spy plane, which still operates out of RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. It is a remarkable looking aricraft:-



I have been to Akrotiri a few times and when these things take off, it rattles the windows on camp!

They leave the runway and then almost immediately make a pretty much vertical ascent up to extremely high altitude. The pilots wear pressurised suits, not unlike an astronaut:-

[Dave2002]

I thought that the U2 belonged to another era. I guess I'm wrong.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960_U-2_incident

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_U-2 A plane which has been operated for over 50 years.

[LeMartinPecheur]

The Spitfire was -is- indeed a thing of great beauty, and the Merlin engine makes a wonderful noise. But to me one of the most beautiful aircraft ever built was the Avro Vulcan; and what a sound THAT made!!

Now THAT certainly is/was a boy thing for me!

Aged 5 to 8, c1959-62, I lived very close to Farnborough, Hants and therefore saw Vulcans, Victors and Valiants very often. Farnborough Air Show was the best. Can you believe it went out LIVE on TV (Raymond Baxter presenting IIRC)? We watched it, then looked out of the window to see the same plane going over.

One year I got banished from the TV show, I think for cutting myself deliberately with the carving knife in a 'dare' with my sister Got sent out to the garden - the pictures were just as good and in COLOUR

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

vertical ascent

[EdgeleyRob]

look ma no planes

Brilliant.
Trains,planes and automoblies don't really do it for me,it's ships that float my boat.