Vulcan XL426 in the news

I can only speak regarding my experiences with Lindy at Elvington – we maintained her to the AP including scheduled servicing based on hours run, and calendar events. Certain systems could not be cycled such as the undercarriage retraction and auto pilot. Everything else worked as advertised. She was regularly washed down (including the jet pipes) and inspected for corrosion at every opportunity. If she was a static exhibit, I guarantee she would not have the regular servicings such a large aircraft requires (I use Vulcan xl319 as an example of corroded airframes here) and would have corroded further than she has. As a runner, she is treated to a five year re-paint, which agin, she would not have in a museum collection. It is BECAUSE she is a live aircraft that she has so many people looking after her, and THAT is what makes the difference.

How many static aircraft have such attention lavished over them? Keep the runners running – overall, its the best way of keeping the airframes going. Look beyond the hangarage / chemical corrosion / and all of the other INDIVIDUAL factors – view it as a whole.

I agree that the BEST way of preserving an airframe is to keep it in an air tight hangar, constant in humidity and Ph level, but how many museums can afford to run a hangar like that let alone buy the thing in the first place?

The big running jets were bought by individuals, not museums, and they certainly could not afford to buy /rent hangarage to house a Vulcan or Victor.

Be thankful we can still hear Conways or Olympus fire up.

And lastly, on the issue of safety in an emergency- Most if not all groups use ex-pilots and crew for the runs (other ‘pilots’ can be trained easily for ground runs and emergency proceedures), and ALL follow the RAF safety and servicing notes. MOST if not all have fire appliances on standby for engine runs.

Good luck to the crews (air and ground) of XL426, may she continue making a noise. And by the way lads, don’t drop the new fuel filter when you rob it out of my jet………

Peter – this is one that is difficult to quantify . Engine exhaust contains various bi products of the burning process so you then have corrosion forming from those elements . Adding to that are the seals that wear out with use and various other components which work best when used daily and not once a month. Ground running can be beneficial but the aircraft has to be operated as it would have been in service. If you are effectively not using a number of systems due to unservicabilities you need to fully explore all the consequences i.e it’s great fun blasting down the runway in a former military
jet but you need to know what to do if something goes wrong and all those systems that protect you from fire and make you stop need to work .

my humble opinion

It was my understanding that it was far easier to look after an aircraft that can be kept live than it is looking after a static aircraft. The static aircraft will corrode faster than a live aircraft. Just look at the tailpipes on the vulcans for example.

If all your fuel tanks are being filled to the brim and using FSII . The use of commercial parafin might not quite have the same effect. Similarily how many of the ground runners have air conditioning systems which work in accordance with the AP?

So running up an aircraft and getting the air-con running, supplying all that nice DRY warm air the the inside and avionics bays doesn’t do any good? Circulating fuel within tanks, preventing the sealant / bag drying and cracking is a waste of time???

Fair enough as regards weathering, but please look beyond that!

The effort in getting these things and indeed keeping them ground running is something we should be grateful for . However the likes of the QRA building at Bruntingthorpe will get rid of what I am sure the LPG guys hate – the slow decline due to weather and the fact that time is spent on maintainance which is purely weather related and not keeping them serviceable.

insurance and fuel costs will stop ground running in the short term future.

Good point Dave look at the LPG guys. When the avpins gone thats it for runs??

Andrewman – I was working on the notion that if it cost’s say £50 thousand per year to keep one ground running and able to taxy – realistically over ten years that money could have bought it a hangar if done slowly.
Regards ground runners lasting longer – there is no real evidence to support that. Certainly two Vulcans side by side with a similar amount of maintainance done to them would deteriorate pretty much at the same rate. Indeed a ground runner would tend to wear out components faster . The aircraft which do ground run at Wellesbourne and Southend are certainly in better condition than other Vulcans – but that is just down to maintainance . The weather will effect them all pretty much exactly in the same way.

The idea regards putting her in a hangar would be to slow her deterioration to a marked degree plus I forsee that insurance and fuel costs will stop ground running in the short term future.

XL426

Would be good to see some of the smaller groups finally get a large amount of funds to either build a hangar or help in the aircrafts upkeep.

That’s an intresting point David but id have to say that it would be wrong when you consider all the work done (by volantiers) and the money donated by the public over the last 15 or so years to say the only condtion for building a hanger was that the Vulcan must become static.

As most people on here know ground running aircraft will last a good deal longer outdoors than a static aircraft kept outside, so its fair to XL426 has a somewhat safe future.

One would also have to wonder why when there are about 15 static Vulcans that could do with a hanger anyone would wish to build a hanger for a ground runner on the condtion it was no-longer ground run.

or a much better idea – someone could build a hangar with a BIG DOOR in it – best of both worlds….

Generally the report is quite upbeat – the Cutty Sark reference is a comment from one person. If someone were to suggest building a display building for her in return for her being static what would your opinion be?