FlipflopmanAaah,
The magic “Hush Hush, Double Flush” rivets!!
A stash of which every true rigger should have!! 😀 😀
Flipflopman
FlipflopmanSuggest you contact Akzo Nobel in Leicester mate,
They are an enormous paint company, and an aerospace coatings specialist. They are supplying us with all of our paint, FOC too. Perhaps you could negotiate a deal with them?
Flipflopman
FlipflopmanThere will still be a dedicated team of Engineers and Ground Support staff following XH558 around the airshow circuit.
Obviously, for a large amount of these, she will take off and return to Brunty, however, at the venues she ‘Lands Away’, it will operate very much as in the RAF days, as a standard ‘Det’. There will be an Advance team detached to see the aircraft in at the away base, and a Rear Party, to despatch the aircraft, who will then follow the aircraft by car.
All necessary GSE, including the Houchin, STAD and Towing Arm, will be despatched along with the Advance party of engineers awaiting 558’s arrival.
This method has served the RAF and every other Display Team well for many years now, so ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’!! 😀
Flipflopman
FlipflopmanVulcan903,
No, Nuclear stike was still the Vulcan’s main weapon of choice, right up until her retirement. Loadout was a single WE177. Although 21 x 1000 was practiced, it did not form the main part of the Vulcan role. This is in part why the Black Buck crews had so much trouble brushing up their rusty Free-Fall skills, prior to bombing Stanley!
Flipflopman
Flipflopmangroundlocks are fitted with no hope of ever coming off again. problem is, one leg is depressurised and sitting on a steel strut lock which is causing a bit of damage – nothing major, but if we can get it inflated for the sake of a single pipe end, then I think we should try at least. Its not the main strut thats gone – its the smaller strut for the trailing axle… unless i’m talking gibberish of course…..
the bomb aimers window is smashed beyond recognition. its almost out as it is – the problem will be the bolts holding the rim in, and of course fitting the new one. its the first thing people see, so it needs to look good…… so the cover is a practical solution… same with all of the cockpit glass. Obviously, if we can get a set of screens for the front, (got any bogus parts lying about down there?) I’d prefer to give it a go rather than black out the interior…
James has done a great job so far, and he knows far more about this aeroplane than I…..
cheers!
Oooh!!! (Sucks air through teeth)
If it’s that strut that’s depressurised, then you’re stuffed mate. That’s the ‘Liquid Spring’ shock absorber, and as such, is pressurised to 15,000psi. You’re not ever going to be able to re-pressurise that one mate. It doesn’t run off system pressure you see, being a self contained unit. The ‘liquid spring’ uses OX-16 as it’s media, pressurised to 15,000psi, and there is a seperator above, charged with OM-15 and operated at system pressure, which allows for fluctuations etc. If the unit has failed, then sadly that’s it. You won’t be able to repair that. We’ve already had to change 2 over the last 2 years, before finding a good set. We attempted to recharge the units, to no avail, and there are no parts around now to recondition them. Best you make some more steel struts!! :diablo:
As goes the glass, the cockpit windscreens should not be too much of a problem, they are held in with 2BA screws from the outside. They’ll need a good whacking to get out, but come out they will, and replacement will be straightforward enough, however, the blister glass is a different kettle of fish. By all means try, but as I have said before, standard SOP was to place a 60 ton jack under the window and jack the aircraft up off the floor by the window alone, leaving the weight on, until the window gave way. Which was often a day or two later!!!!!
Flipflopman
FlipflopmanLL.
If the down locks are engaged, then the legs do not need to hold any pressure. They are held by the ‘Fluted Lockstrut’ which is the silver horizontal beam going from the Y shaped retraction group, to the main casting. Do you have groundlocks fitted? If not, these would be simple to make. Don’t bother wasting time trying to get the leg pressurised, there is genuinely no need.
As for the door, getting that working again would be a piece of p**s!! There is really nothing to it, and I believe young James ‘Pet Man Pet’ Carruthers is going to have a look around for some pipework for you.
I’d think on a bit with the windows mate. With respect, you’ve not a hope of getting the Bomb Blister window out, and a new one in after this long, with the equipment available to you at NEAM. Have you considered covering the window completely, as with XL361 at Goose Bay? This would be a far better, cheaper and Vandal proof solution to your problems.
Cheers, and happy fettling!! 😀
Flipflopman
FlipflopmanDon’t worry just yet,
603’s radome will be getting refitted to 603 in due course. As has been said, we have simply ‘Borrowed’ it for a while, in lieu of our radome having some adjustments and sprucing, prior to final fit. Once our engine runs are out of the way, 603’s radome will be winging it’s way back up the M6 to be returned to her aircraft.
Arthur,
Yes, a hammer was indeed used!! 😀 The 4 ‘Amal’ quick release fasteners had seized quite solidly over the years, so the only way to remove then was ‘percussive adjustment’. The radome is now sporting 4 brand spanking new fasteners from TVOC’s stores!!
Flipflopman
FlipflopmanOh, and the crew door is Pneumatic, rather than Hydraulic.
The charging points for the bottles (Which are located in the cockpit, under the AEO’s seat) are on the port side of the Rear Pressure Bulkhead in the Nose Wheel bay.
It will be marked up with one charging point for NORMAL/T4 BOMBSIGHT and one for EMERGENCY opening. The pressures involved are 2000psi for the storage bottles, which is reduced to 400psi for the closing jacks.
Flipflopman
FlipflopmanLL,
As I said before mate, we’d be more than happy to help. We have all the Vulcan repair manuals, in particular, the Vol 6 SRM. If you want particular pages, or just fancy a jaunt to Brunty, you can photocopy to your hearts desire. Unfortunately, we wouldn’t be able to lend it out to you directly, as it’s still in daily use, but as I say, you can come and photocopy to the max!! 😀
Original rivets on the Vulcan are almost all 60 deg and 90 deg solids, with Avdels used in repair areas. Pops are used massively also, these being your standard Monel Tuckers, AGS 2050/1’s and mainly 1/8″ and 5/32″
SRM will give you the metal thicknesses for the respective areas, but from memory, the fin planks are 14swg.
Hope that helps a bit mate.
Flipflopman
FlipflopmanOn that note Vulcan fans, what is the defining difference between the 200 and 300 series olympus, and why does xm603 have shorter exhaust end caps that 319?…..:confused:
300 Series has an extra LP Compressor stage, John. It lives in front of the LP1 of the 202 series, and is referred to as ‘Stage Zero’ This is what gives the 300 series a larger cross section compared to the 200 series. Also among other differences, another large one, is that the oil tank is contained within the ‘Bullet’ on the 200 series, this is why it is so large compared to the 300, which has a seperate oil tank on the lower port side of the engine.
Obviously, with the 300 being more powerful than the 200 series (20,000lbf thrust as opposed to 16,700lbf thrust) the jetpipe of the 300 series is different to the 200 series. This is why the 300 caps are much shorter, and actually wider than the 200 series. There is much less of a noticeable outward cant to the pipes of the 300 too.
Hope that helps. You seem to be doing a great job with 319!
Flipflopman
FlipflopmanPlease tell me that you can achieve the impossible?
David,
Although, I clearly cannot speak for the entire TVOC team, I can achieve the impossible. 😀
Seriously though, I think that the truth falls between the two. Having experienced both the TVOC and RAF methods of operation, I can see both sides of the argument. Sad Sam is completely correct in all of his statements, and you are correct in many of yours. He rafers to the entire team of Airframe engineers working the Vulcan. To appreciate this, you must understand that the “Fuselage Team” and the “Mainplane Team” and the “Fuel Tank Team” etc…etc… were spread over many Vulcans, however, over 15 personnel constituted each team, and were available to each aircraft. I agree that not 150 people were working on each single aircraft as it passed through, however, if you read the threads thst this related to, you would see that this was not what was implied.
There is an ENORMOUS amount of work going on behind the scenes, far beyond the 200 or so people being referred to in this thread, however, as usual, you are way behind the drag curve regarding the work that has been required on XH558. As I have stated many times, if ever you get the desire to authoritatively state ACTUAL FACTS, if you care to send me a PM, I will be more than happy to enlighten you as to the actual state of the aircraft.
Cheery bye,
Flipflopman
FlipflopmanDavid Burke,
With respect mate, total rubbish.
Almost the entire TVOC team have at some stage served in the RAF, with many of us having been employed 2nd or 3rd line, with engineers actually coming from Vulcan and Victor servicing. What Cypherus refers to, is a conversation between myself and others, including an ex-Vulcan Major team member. Cypherus and the gentleman in question are quite correct in the team make up for Major services, and we can testify to this, having actually had experience of the St Athan Major team set up. It is a moot point in reality, with the smaller team at TVOC having taken much longer to turn the aircraft out, not withstanding the fact that we have carried out FAR more work on XH558 than was ever included in the Major schedule, but still facts are facts, and we have operated to a far deeper level than any St Athan team, with an incredibly small team in comparison.
If you would like a complete breakdown of what has been done, and by whom, can I suggest that you PM me, and I can set you straight, before peddling even more rubbish as 100% fact on an internet forum.
Flipflopman
FlipflopmanIn the main, it will be stripped in order to provide 558 with a healthy supply of spares, but whether or not TVOC will be able to rebuild it, partially or otherwise, with unserviceable items from the TVOC inventory, I do not know.
Flipflopman
FlipflopmanOoops! :p
Flipflopman
FlipflopmanFantastic, Sea Hawk. :rolleyes:
Link from one misinformed thread to another. I’m sure that between the two, you’ll be able to come up with enough conjecture and speculation to sully even the most positive of minds.
As for Geoffrey Pool’s resignation! My my, talk about mountains from molehills!! Geoffrey was the Chairman of the Vulcan 558 Club. NOT TVOC or VTTS Geoffrey had held the post for quite a while, and had decided, at this years AGM, where it is tradition for a percentage of the committee to stand down for re-election, to himself step down and let somebody else take the reins. He is quite an old chap, and wanted to spend a little more time with himself and his wife. No great conspiracy there I’m afraid.
Can I suggest you do indeed visit http://www.tvoc.co.uk and the forums, where you can ask questions to your hearts desire, that will be answered honestly, and by the people actually rebuilding XH558.
Flipflopman
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