Best Vulcan

Hi

Talking of powering up Vulcans do they run the systems on XM605 over in the USA.

Someone got most of the systems working again and would have got it in running condition but they banned him from working on the Vulcan.

Shame.

Also do they still power up the Vulcan at East Midlands XM575 ?

Hi alamo

Yeh I appreciate that the APU, sorry AAPU, provided electric power also, but the point I was trying to make (albeit badly) that it was originally designed to make the aircraft self sufficient, but as the bleed air facility was removed, it wasn’t, you needed a ground cart as well (not unless you relied on the rapid start fuction).

Just seems a typically British way of going about things, reminds me of the Trident 3B, “the worlds first five engined tri-jet”:D

Originally posted by Joe Petroni
Which was a shame ‘cos that was the whole point of having an APU in the first place!

The Rover was an AAPP = Auxiliary Airborne Power Pack and designed to produce 200 V 400 Hz 3-phase AC as standby electrical power on the ground and in the air below 20000 ft. The use of using the exhaust of the AAPP for starting the main engines was of secondary consideration.

Olympus 301s and Olympus 202s (which replaced the original 201s in the 1960s) had Rotax air starters that used either low pressure air from a trolley such as a Palouste or a STAD or by cross-feeding from another engine. Engines could be started without external air by the ‘rapid’ system in which compressed air was mixed with fuel, burnt and passed across the turbine of the starter. The advantage was that the four engines could be started a second apart or simultaneously by pressing the ‘Mass Rapid’ or ‘Sim Start’ button. This button also wound up the PFCs and autostabs etc. When serviceable, each engine had enough rapid air charge for three starts before the compressed air needed replenishing. Thus the AAPP starting was largely redundant though it would have been useful when operating away from base.

If you look at the elevons on a Vulcan it is usually a good indication as to weather the aircraft is still powered up or not.

If they are in line with the trailing edge of the wing then it is, if they are drooping down then probably not. The Norwich ones are in line in the picture, so it looks like its been powered up recently.

The Olympus engines are fitted with air starter’s, so you need an external air supply to start them, ( a Palouste trolley or similar). Originally they could be started internally off the APU, but they found it wasn’t man enough for the job and discontinued the practise. Which was a shame ‘cos that was the whole point of having an APU in the first place!

Hi

On a serious note the Vulcan at Norwich XM612 still has many of its system in working condition the engines are still good enough to run so with work could taxi.

Doubt it will but it could.

Anything is feasible – remember the 747 that had to windmill all four engines to start them up again ! I guess a good team of volunteers of Geoff Capes proportions could achieve the requisite
‘bump’

Then just pop the clutch. 😀 😮 😮 😮

Scott C

Handbrake off, and just shove it down a hill in gear…

Bump start! 🙂

a winch…???????

How can you manually start a jet engine with a winch?

Probably Peter. I was talking to the bloke at the museum about the aircraft in general, and he just mentioned that they start it manually once a year using a winch. He didn’t go into detail.

Pic from cnam.co.uk

run the engines every year..?

I would think that what you mean is that they reun the engines on the starters every year at norwhich?? I remember the Vulcan at Newark used to have this done. They were “dry” turned on the starters to keep them free..

I’d also like to put a good word in for the Newark one… what swings it for me is that you can access the cockpit, something which I did this year after being a fan for years..

Neil (sad old git!)

Best preserved vulcan must be

Blackpools! what a fine aircraft it is, well looked after, complete and not a sign of any corrosion

:confused:

Interesting comments about the various Vulcans – Ours at the North East Aircraft Museum is in a pretty complete state yet as a previous poster correctly stated is in a salty atmosphere. What this means is that superficially the skin is corroding. However when it was last assessed this can be corrected by reskining and repainting those bits not yet decaying. The reskinning seems to need to be done on the elevons mainly. Not sure how long this can go on though as we need manpower to paint etc. Any takers?:)

No one has mentioned the one at Norwich Aviation Museum… its in good nick, but could do with a complete new paint job. They run the engines every year, but do it manually with a winch of some sort.

www.cnam.co.uk

Preserving a Vulcan in any condition is a mammoth task. RAFM and IWM have got more resource at their disposal than many other organisations, but also many more airframes to allocate that resource to. The fact that both RAFM and IWM have got theirs under cover certainly helps them long term.

But if I was to put my neck on the block and vote for the (static) Vulcan which I think is most lovingly cared for, I’d say the one at Newark shades it.

What about Cosford’s example..sure it might look pretty
rough on the outside but it might be complete? anyone
seen inside that one? and it will someday be preserved
indoors or undercover someday(hopefully soon)

I suppose it depends on your definition of ‘best’,whether it’s to do with how complete or how well looked after it is.It’s probably true that the Hendon Vulcan has the most certain future and is probably the most corrosion free,even if it isn’t 100% complete.
The example at the North East Air Museum is pretty much 100% complete,but it’s outdoors in mildly salty air and is therefore in a sorry state.I’d therefore say that ‘best’ has to be judged more on the aircraft’s long term prospects,and that means going for the one at Hendon,with the Duxford example a close second.

I have to agree

How can a striped out airframe be called the best preserved example i dont know what the duxford example is like inside but i bet it is far better.

Scott C