The Last Vulcan: XM657

XM657 the last Vulcan built was flown to RAF Manston on the 5th January 1982 for crash rescue and fire fighting duties. 
I was part of the team sent from RAF Waddington on the 13th January 1982 to ensure the aircraft was safe for fire fighting duties. 

Hello all,

I looked at my photos last night and can confirm that I visited in August 1992,
Wrecks and relics 13 have a note of XM657 as there in April 1992, but state that sightings are not to be taken for granted…..

So I concluded that, either it went through a major torching in four months or they developed a clocking device for it :dev2: :diablo:

Cheers

Tim

Hello All,

*Zwitter*

I don’t know which RAF base is the Parent for the Fire training part at Manston, as it is only an RAF enclave, within Kent International Airport or whatever they call it nowadays.

I think RAF Odiham might have been the parent station responsible, even though they are a long way from Manston!!

I don’t know if they still have a CRO, someone at the museum might be able to tell you.

Otherwise

Cheers

Tim

How do you get to look round this area now?

As you should have done before, you write a nice letter to them!!! 😉

I had a visit around the firepits in August 1992 and the only Vulcan left then was XL386

Tim

Are you sure of the dates as my records show August 1993…

How do you get to look round this area nowadays?

when I was a kid you could just walk right in, past the blokes playing football! and around the aircraft, but one day I got ‘escorted’ out by some raf blokes in a land rover…

Re The last Vulcan XM657

Hello All,

I had a visit around the firepits in August 1992 and the only Vulcan left then was XL386, with a large hole cut into the nose to enable the rookie firecrews to practice extracting aircrew from large aircraft.

The CRO couldn’t remember when they had disposed of XM657. Although there was a large pile of charred aircraft bits there at the time awaiting collection by Hanningfields Metals.

I will have a look at my photos tonight to see what else they had at the time.

Cheers

Tim

Can anyone confirm for me when XM657 was finally scrapped? 🙁 I know she was flown to RAF Manston on the 12th of January 1982 to become an instructional airframe, and that she was still clinging on to life in early 1993, but does anyone know how long she survived after this date? Any pictures chaps?

Hi XL391, here’s 2 shots I took of her when I visited the RAF Fire Training School at Manston in October 1985. She still looked pretty good then.

Early in 1988 the School dug a hole and positioned her nose leg in it which simulated a nose gear collapse and more challenging rescue scene for fire figthing practice. I believe she stayed in this nose down attitude until being scrapped by well known Essex based aircraft scrappy, Hanningfield Metals during August 1993 (XL386 was scrapped at the same time). Hope this answer’s your question, I’d like to see if anyone post’s any photos of her after I took mine.

According to this website she has been scrapped 🙁

Not surprising as she spent her final days being used by the Manston Rock Apes on the fire dump.