Vulcan XH558 Final Season..???

Maybe they should base it at Machrihanish, it would fit easily in the Gaydon hangar. It’s a bit of a drive to visit it though……………

They already have permission to erect another T2 hangar on the site, and there is quite a bit more room than you may think. A Vulcan would add to an already enviable collection of cold war jets that Elvington has.

They had permission for another and purchased a T2 however it appears that permission was not granted or there was a lack of finance available or the state of the new hangar was not good and there it stood in the corner of the museum
Trenchardbrat

They already have permission to erect another T2 hangar on the site, and there is quite a bit more room than you may think. A Vulcan would add to an already enviable collection of cold war jets that Elvington has.

Wish it could go to Elvington it would be able to ground run on their long runway next to 2 other iconic cold war jets(4 engined) drum up money for the museum at such events and they could build the hangar of learning on an airfield that is hardly over developed ,infact build it big enough to house or service the other live jets.Lets get all the historic jets together not spread out where you cant afford to travel to regularly.

Planning permission was applied for by the owner on a couple of occasions to build hangars for commercial aircraft of the business type this was refused by the local authorities on a couple of occasions.

Trenchard Brat

Wish it could go to Elvington it would be able to ground run on their long runway next to 2 other iconic cold war jets(4 engined) drum up money for the museum at such events and they could build the hangar of learning on an airfield that is hardly over developed ,infact build it big enough to house or service the other live jets.Lets get all the historic jets together not spread out where you cant afford to travel to regularly.

Elvington Runway is 10,000 long but the surface is not in a good condition. There is 6,000ft tarmac covering done in the 1980,s for the JP to use on a daily basis. The airfield is privately owned and as far as I am aware the museum has to apply to use it each time they want to use it. There were no facilities the last time I was there. The museum is running out of space and I doubt if they wanted the Vulcan along with its entourage and supporters. Still we can but wait and see
Trenchardbrat

There is quite a bit of merit in that! There has to be a realisation that ground running cannot go on for ever if at the expense of a roof over her head.

Wish it could go to Elvington it would be able to ground run on their long runway next to 2 other iconic cold war jets(4 engined) drum up money for the museum at such events and they could build the hangar of learning on an airfield that is hardly over developed ,infact build it big enough to house or service the other live jets.Lets get all the historic jets together not spread out where you cant afford to travel to regularly.

Yes they have said where they want it to go – Finningley

So they have. Helps if I pay more attention!

The Vulcan is airborne today as I post this message.

David, you seem to have misunderstood what I said – suggest you read it again more carefully 😉

There is no basis in fact that people who are appreciative of aircraft and have probably dipped into their pockets to give ten million plus for the Vulcan would not spend on similar projects if the opportunity presented itself !

I would give money hand over fist to see certain WW2 aircraft fly in the UK.

‘He was referring to just one of the countless comments from people who have complained about the Vulcan project for years, claiming that the money raised should have gone to some other supposedly worthy project. Of course these fools never stopped to realise that the money had been raised from people who wanted to see a Vulcan fly – not people who wanted to see a Whitley or anything else’

If you ask people for money they are often willing to dip their hands in their pockets ! Hence why the likes of the Dornier project and countless other worthy historic projects have found money from the general public.

There is no basis in fact that people who are appreciative of aircraft and have probably dipped into their pockets to give ten million plus for the Vulcan would not spend on similar projects if the opportunity presented itself !

Just witnessed XH558s practice display over Elvington, and it is the best display I’ve seen so far. Absolutely incredible, I’m always overwhelmed by how agile such a big aircraft can be.

So, as I said before, I can only conclude that VTTS are only interested in securing their future, not XH558’s. If they really were serious about the long-term future of XH558, they would not be proposing to leave it at Finningley.

Whilst not forgetting the huge enjoyment they have given to so many people over the last few years.

That wasn’t quite what Meddle was referring to. He was referring to just one of the countless comments from people who have complained about the Vulcan project for years, claiming that the money raised should have gone to some other supposedly worthy project. Of course these fools never stopped to realise that the money had been raised from people who wanted to see a Vulcan fly – not people who wanted to see a Whitley or anything else. I’m not sure that Meddle was correct to say that enthusiasts will criticise anything, but he’s right that a lot of people frowned upon the Vulcan project simply because they didn’t like Vulcans – usually because they were obsessed with WWII-vintage machines.

As for the possibility of the airport (in this case Finningley) getting too busy, it’s the opposite problem that prevails. The airport was a proverbial white elephant from the day it opened. The MoD cynically sold-off RAF Finningley after having spent millions on it, and (big surprise) a plan was put in place to build a prison. Unfortunately for the government, the plan didn’t work and local opposition killed-off the prison plan, so the airfield was left abandoned. Finally, Peel came along and created the airport (because it was cheap and helped their cynical plan to buy development land in Sheffield – which is an even darker story), but it was pretty clear from the outset that there was no commercial interest in the airport, being situated between two existing successful airports. The airport is hardly any busier than on the day it opened, and given Peel’s ruthless commercial attitude, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if the airport was suddenly closed. If that does happen, the site is pretty certain to be used for housing, as it is now sandwiched between two large housing areas, and perfect for the kind of development that the government keeps blithering about. If this does happen, XH558 probably wouldn’t be “crowded out” as it will presumably be inside the shiny “Academy” hangar, and so one would assume that housing will simply spread around it, much like the plan for Woodford. But the point is, it cannot perform taxy runs in a housing estate, and even if the airport stays open, there is no public access to the airfield to see a taxy run even if one was made. But the biggest problem is that XH558 stuck in a hangar will attract nobody. Why would it? There are other static Vulcans in far more interesting surroundings.

Personally, I find the saga very sad as I live fairly close to Finningley and it’s an airfield for which I have a lot of affection, having been frequenting it since I was a toddler. Likewise, I appreciate the opportunities to see XH558 take-off and land through each summer, so it doesn’t give me any joy to be saying that it should leave Finningley. But one has to be realistic. If it stays at Finningley it will inevitably be destroyed, the only question is just how long it will survive. If the “Academy” project works (which personally I doubt) then XH558 might stick around for a few years, even though we’ll not be able to see any high-speed ground runs unless it’s on an informal basis, peeking through a perimeter fence… and even that seems unlikely as nobody is going to donate fuel money to something they probably can’t even watch. So VTTS’ glamorous “plan” is actually pretty simple – stick XH558 in a shed and pretend that it’s of some interest to visitors or engineering students. Clearly it will not be, and even if the “Academy” survives in some form, XH558 will inevitably be an irrelevant waste of valuable space.

So, as I said before, I can only conclude that VTTS are only interested in securing their future, not XH558’s. If they really were serious about the long-term future of XH558, they would not be proposing to leave it at Finningley.

www.aeroplaneicons.com

I found a discussion on Facebook earlier, on the War History Online page, whereby one commentator was insistent that XH558 money should have been ploughed into a nice static Whitley project somewhere. I think aircraft enthusiasts will criticise anything for the sheer sake of it. :highly_amused:

Let’s play devil’s advocate….would you (and anyone else here) be in favour of spending millions to build a hangar/educational center for XH558 that may or may not be feasible in the long term (or if the airport chosen gets too busy it might be crowded out in 20-50-100 years leading to the airframe getting the axe)…or spending the same amount of money on a Stirling/Whitley/Whirlwind static?

It is difficult for me to say, as I live close to DSA but 558 should not stay at the airport. I actually think for exactly the opposite of the reasons I have seen above. The threat will be from the airports success rather than its closure. Its time to take the aircraft from the operating company and put into the care of the club. Only real enthusiasts can ensure a safe future for the aircraft after the blood suckers have moved on to something else.
If I was cynic I would think that VTTS maybe saw the declining donations, realised that would put and end to the flying and thought if the public wont pay our wages maybe we could get the government to pay them. The ridiculous academy idea was born.
I really do see the aircraft dying a lingering death in the corner of the airfield, racking up parking fees and eventually being scrapped.

I look forward to seeing XH558 fly at every possible opportunity this year but no more money from me, they have nothing to hold over us now.

Also, its time to pop the rivets and show people what that aeroplane can really do !

Ben

…just looking forward to my two bites of the seasons final cherry!!

Lucky you! I didn’t see any Scottish dates on VTTS’s web page earlier. 😀 Typical. Schedule an appearance for every village fete in the home counties… its like the Canadian Lancaster all over again. :highly_amused::highly_amused::highly_amused:

I found a discussion on Facebook earlier, on the War History Online page, whereby one commentator was insistent that XH558 money should have been ploughed into a nice static Whitley project somewhere. I think aircraft enthusiasts will criticise anything for the sheer sake of it. :highly_amused:

Perhaps they should send XH558 to RAF Machrihanish for last rites. That way it is in the armpit of nowhere for everybody and we can all share the pain equally. :applause:

And on that toothsome 😉 note I’ll leave you all to it as we seem to be going round in circles…..just looking forward to my two bites of the seasons final cherry!!

It’s an interesting idea but not very likely. Based on what VTTS have said, it seems likely that the engines will still have a bit of life in them after the final flight is made – they appear to be basing the grounding decision on the lack of forward OEM support etc., rather than the very end of the engine’s life (which is slightly ironic, as it was supposedly engine life that would ultimately end the flying). Plus, it would have to be a pretty dire emergency to cause a diversion (flying on three engines was never a problem – back in the VDF days XH558 took-off on three engines at least once to my knowledge). I suppose the outcome would be even worse in any case – nobody is likely to grant free accommodation to an unwanted arrival, even one as special as XH558! Mind you, it reminds me that more than a few people have been harbouring romantic notions of what the very last flight might be like. If the Vulcan pilots no longer have any need to satisfy the CAA, I guess there’s no reason why (like the Canberra) XH558 couldn’t be really flown for the last time – it’s been a long time since a Vulcan completed a barrel roll… (well we can dream) 🙂