By: baloffski - 3rd August 2011 at 17:05
The Combustor starter on the Victor was, as I recall, essentially a tube which had high pressure air out of the bottles and fuel forced in at one end, lit and the expanding gases coming out of the other were used to start the engine.
As you can imagine these got flippin’ hot in use and so had a lagging jacket fitted to them.
These jackets used to get soaked in oil and I was on quite a few Ground Runs on Victor Servicing Flight when you could see them start to smoulder a bit after they were used.
Robert Hilton will be able to tell you a lot more – I just remember him giving me the fire extinguisher off the Land Rover ‘just in case’; as we would want to keep the 10Kg CO2 bottle for a real fire.
By: efiste2 - 3rd August 2011 at 15:56
LOL great info mate, when you mention CHARGING is that charging the compressed air bottles onboard ?
By: madjock mcgrok - 2nd August 2011 at 22:31
Had a look through the flight test schedule and engineering book for the Valiant- no rapid start in those birds!
What no one mentions is the fun of charging the Vulcan rapid start system- serious consideration had to be given to not dropping the spanner [ 3/8th- 5/16th whitworth] down the jet pipe tunnel- mind you a good whack with a hide face normally bounced it back up so you could reach it. Always tied mine to my wrist with a bit of para chord especially when it was cold.
Cheers
Mad Jock
By: efiste2 - 2nd August 2011 at 16:43
Thanks for sharing your expertise with laymans like me:o it is most appreciated!!!!
By: OllieS - 2nd August 2011 at 11:41
The Victor K2 has a rapid start system fitted to 1 and 2 engines with the bottles charged up to 4000psi with dry air. When they were B2s all 4 engines on the Victor could be started simultaneously. In the Victor it is called a combustor start and it is actioned by selecting combustor on the starter panel, opening the hp cocks and pressing the button…simples!
By: exmpa - 2nd August 2011 at 11:13
The Rapid Air System was only fitted to the Vulcan B2. The B1 had an externally powered electrical system. As Sven says, I believe that the Victor 2 had a similar system to the Vulcan 2.
I have enquired of an acquaintance who flew both the Victor and Valiant and shall post his reply.
exmpa
By: Sven - 2nd August 2011 at 10:47
The Victors did. I believe when the B2s became tankers they left the system on two engines (though I forget which two, 3 & 4?).
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August 1, 2011 at 10:10 pm