By: pagen01 - 22nd December 2011 at 10:22
pretty sure (ie from memory!) that the Shack had curtains & covers to protect most positions.
I would agree with Fedaykin.
By: wl745 - 22nd December 2011 at 00:46
Curtains
Shackelbomber had curtains at the radar pos!
By: Fedaykin - 21st December 2011 at 19:48
Flash blinds were they not? Something common to other bombers used for nuclear strike like the B52.
By: pagen01 - 21st December 2011 at 19:40
Not the only one, there’s a few examples of post-war military aircraft with them.
The Vulcan has a shaded blind and a solid blind for the windows, but I think the main ‘sunshine’ it was to prevent the glare from was the stuff that came from what the aircraft was planned to drop!
Regarding window size, they apear pretty much the same size as Comet and a few others of the day, when these aircraft were being developed and built pressurisation at high levels was a real issue and windscreen panels were relatively small, thick, and heavily framed, they also had to have demisting qualities especially for the descent stage of flight.
The Vulcans main windscreen panel and frame also had to act as a protective screen for the pilots when the main canopy was jettisoned at height.
By: AutoStick - 21st December 2011 at 19:10
The only Bomber in the world fitted with window curtains !! Yep they drew across the portholes so you could see the screen on a sunny day .
By: vulcanised - 21st December 2011 at 18:45
Vulcan windows
Simulator for rear crew in a Vulcan?
A vacum cleaner in a cupboard under the stairs.
ex waddo line and 44(R) line
By: Tin Triangle - 21st December 2011 at 11:53
and Barbara Hepworth sculptures…
By: slicer - 21st December 2011 at 11:14
Blimey, don’t make it common knowledge that there’s gold in them thar Vulcan windows.
They’ll be going the way of copper cables and war memorial plaques !!!
By: Rocketeer - 20th December 2011 at 22:23
That plus gold to counter/reduce effects of EMP possibly
By: TerryP - 20th December 2011 at 22:06
I thought the gold films were the heating elements, certainly was on the rear view periscope windows, IIRC!
By: ACID319 - 20th December 2011 at 21:36
More likely to be to compensate for the differential in internal / external air pressure at high altitude.
By: dhfan - 9th November 2004 at 16:43
IIRC it was for nuclear flash reasons.
By: Vulcan903 - 9th November 2004 at 11:14
The front windows had a layer of gold in them. At the time each window cost about £18,000 each.
By: benyboy - 9th November 2004 at 11:06
the windows are not that small. the only problem i had (me being 5 ft nothing) is not being able to see over the instrument pannel.
By: John C - 9th November 2004 at 10:53
The view from the pilot’s seat isn’t that bad – and the windows aren’t as small as they appear (It is a large aircraft). One can, however touch most of the flight deck glazing from the pilot/co pilot seats so it’s rather cramped up there. The rear crew on the other hand really were in a dungeon like gloom! Although I guess there wasn’t much time to look out of the windows……
JC
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November 9, 2004 at 10:41 am