Flight of the Vulcan
This afternoon I headed out to East Fortune to watch a fly past by the last remaining airworthy Avro Vulcan. XH558 is the last of Britain's 1950s / 60s nuclear deterrent before Polaris submarines replaced the airborne nuclear weapons.
However the Vulcan will be best remembered for the daring raid on Port Stanley during the 1982 Falklands War where one Vulcan bomber flew from Ascension Island in the Mid Atlantic down to the Falklands and bombed the only airfield on the island's capable of supporting the Argentine jet fighters.
It was more of a propaganda show than an effective bombing raid but it announced to the Argentine forces on the island that Britain could hit back and the Royal Navy and the Army were on their way to defend British territory.
Four more raids followed in support of the Task Force that was there to retake the island.
I also have a personal story of a flight of a Vulcan. On the 30 June 1982 I was taking part in a pass out parade at RAF Swinderby in Lincolnshire. I had just completed my six weeks basic training after joining the Royal Air Force and the parade was to mark the fact we had the right to be called Airmen, rather than recruits. I had just turned 18 and I was very proud to be wearing the uniform of the Royal Air Force.
The Falklands War had ended on the 14 June and the troops were on their way home. The whole country was jubilant on a successful campaign to retake British sovereign territory from an invading force.
The Vulcan force was on their way home to RAF Waddington, which was 5-miles from RAF Swinderby and we had been informed that morning that the traditional fly past, which was normally conducted by four Chipmunk trainers from RAF Cranwell, would be conducted by one of the return Vulcans from Ascension.
In front of a grandstand full of our families who had travelled from all over the UK to watch their sons and brothers we marched onto the parade ground to give the salute to a Group Captain from Strike Command. We then had to stand in ranks for the inspection. At the appointed time we saw the Vulcan begin its approach over the parade ground. We were facing towards the grandstand packed with happy faces and the Group Captain standing on the podium. The Vulcan was behind them and we could see the approach but the guests couldn't.
Anyway the Vulcan bomber, which is a massive aircraft, came over some trees about a mile away and then dropped to ground level. The first thought that went through the heads of the 60 airmen on display was 'crikey' (or words to that effect!). I still remember to this day my Drill Sergeant, Sgt Logan, saying under his breathe to all of us on no2 Flight 'Don't you bloody move a muscle' and it was said in a way that kept us all rooted to the spot.
The Vulcan came closer and closer and it looked like the underside of the mother ship in the film 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'. As the aircraft came over the top of us the pilot had to throttle up to apply power to climb over the hangar that was behind the parade square and the thrust from the four Rolls Royce Olympus engines (the same as was used on Concorde) sent hats flying and blew the top of the grandstand off . We had to stand very, very still and I remember the applause from the visitors who thought it was part of the show. I also remember the anger on the Group Captain's face.
Here is a shot of the Vulcan as it flew over us on the 30 June 1982 taken by RAF Swinderby's photographer.
It was one of those never to be forgotten experiences and I remember talking about it years later with someone on guard duty who had also been on that parade as a steward. He was bitterly disappointed that when he passed out two weeks later he only had Chipmunks for his parade.
I had heard on the grapevine that the pilot got a severe dressing down for flying too low but was then promoted a few weeks later and decorated for his service during the war. Again it was just hearsay but the story goes he said after that after 17 hours flying the Vulcan and all of the crew wanting to get home to see their families, 'if they want a bloody fly past, I'll give them a fly past to remember!'
Whether he said it or not, my hat goes off to the pilot (literally in my case). Thank you sir, you gave me a wonderful story to tell 33 years later about the beautiful Avro Vulcan bomber.
Today I remembered that story as XH558 flew overhead as it will probably be the last time I see the Vulcan flying above my head.
All images taken on the Fujifilm X-T1 + XF55-200mm f3.5/4.8
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I saw the pass out parade fly past of the Vulcan from your point of view as well (I was the only plonker on parade in No.2 jacket as my No.1's had not been tailored), all that was going through my head at that time was "OH Boy that's coming close"
ReplyDeleteHi Richard, good to hear from someone else who was on that parade. At least it is still a good talking point 35 years later.
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