treker_ed Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 VTTS have announced that XH558 is to cease flying after next year! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-19926464 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-VIZZ Flyer Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Perhaps if they didnt pay Dr Pleming circa £80,000 per year salary then they might have more ££££ to fund the aircraft. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viper108 Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 thats so sad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy K Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 This may be sacrilege to some but it's about time. With the considerable amount of money needed year after year to keep her flying, in my humble opinion it would be far better to use that money to make a nice home and visitor centre for her. I'm sure with a modest entrance fee and the charity they would be able to keep the Vulcan in great shape for years. (puts on asbestos flame suit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffreyK Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 (edited) ...you kind of saw it coming, one day, but it still is very sad indeed - there are so few cold war aircraft flying and the Vulcan has been the star of many an airshow in recent years. When the engines spool up on take off and it lets off its mighty howl I always got a lump in my throat, every time. It doesn't say what exactly they mean by "modifications to the wings", but I assume they talking about modifications to accept different type of engines...? Wouldn't be the same without the RR Olympus's though. Edited October 12, 2012 by JeffreyK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffreyK Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 ...but does this mean the funds freed up will be put into restoring an F-104 to flying conditions??? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charley420 Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 they posted this on their facebook page earlier today, http://www.tinyurl.com/558FAQ, seems she is due new main spars 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-32 Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 This has been on the cards for a few months now, even at Fairford they were hinting. It had to end sometime, shame it's now but hopefully they'll go out in style! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigsty Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 What a shame. But it was something of a miracle she ever flew again - when the RAF gave up all those years ago we could never have predicted another six years' flying. She doesn't owe us anything, and I'm glad they did what they did for as long as they could. Perhaps if they didnt pay Dr Pleming circa £80,000 per year salary then they might have more ££££ to fund the aircraft. So what should he be paid? But even if he worked for nothing (why should he? would you?) that would still leave them £120,000 short for this job and no better off as to chances of success. but does this mean the funds freed up will be put into restoring an F-104 to flying conditions?? Well, no - because the Vulcan charity exists only to fly the Vulcan. Spending the money on anything not connected with that would be unlawful. Anyone wanting to restore an F-104 will need to find their own money. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neal Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 This may be sacrilege to some but it's about time. With the considerable amount of money needed year after year to keep her flying, in my humble opinion it would be far better to use that money to make a nice home and visitor centre for her. I'm sure with a modest entrance fee and the charity they would be able to keep the Vulcan in great shape for years. (puts on asbestos flame suit) It's sad to see the end of the flying, but I think I agree with Andy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 It's very sad, and I thought the spar was good for another 10-15 years of flying from speaking to them a few years ago. All it means is that I'm going to have to attend a lot of airshows next year 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PLC1966 Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 ...but does this mean the funds freed up will be put into restoring an F-104 to flying conditions??? Much as I grew up listening to kids cry and car alarms going off as Starfighters hammered up and down the runway at airshows, and loving it, why would the Britsh public put money into keeping an American built (or Italian under license I seem to remember) fighter that never flew for the UK MoD flying ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedfellows Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Ask the Americans who donate money to keep the Vulcan flying. Personally, they should have left the Vulcan grounded in 1993. Adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallisti Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Thank goodness it wasn't up to you then as I've enjoyed seeing her fly at many airshows the last few years. I suppose this was inevitable, eventually it would become too expensive and "risky" to keep flying. I'm grateful they were able to keep her flying for this long and was very happy to contribute to its continued presence at airshows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vickers McFunbus Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 (edited) Perhaps if they didnt pay Dr Pleming circa £80,000 per year salary then they might have more ££££ to fund the aircraft. If they hadn't paid Dr Pleming a reasonable salary for his work over the past decade we wouldn't have seen a Vulcan flying. I have to agree with Andy. We are lucky we're getting another year, particularly with the potential issues caused when the two engines were written off earlier this year. Best use the funds available to secure the airframe's future so it doesn't end up as most large aircraft do, or worse, as the Blackpool Vulcan did. as scrap. Personally when I heard an announcement was to be made today, my initial thought was it was going to announce that last weekend's UK mini tour was the last hurrah, and that was that. People who never had a chance to see or remember the Vulcan in its first life (anyone under 30 really - I vaguely remember seeing it as a kid) have been given the opportunity. For that we have to be thankful to all those who've been involved in the running of the project, from the Walton family for preserving the aircraft in the first place, the techies and engineers, the aircrew, to the (ridiculously much maligned by some) Dr Pleming for running the project full time since 2000, after voluntarily building a return to flight team from 1997 onwards. Edited October 12, 2012 by Vickers McFunbus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PLC1966 Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 Ask the Americans who donate money to keep the Vulcan flying. Adam I would like to see some figures to back that quote up. However,Bottom line is the average member Britsh Public may put in money to keep the Vulcan going but would not an American fighter. End of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alfisti Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 Sad news indeed.Used to live in a farm cottage as a kid on the edge of Bitteswell drome in the late 60's and was always in a constant state of awe and wonder when these beasties rumbled down the runway and roared into the air.Have been to several airshows since and still watched in awe at her magnificent spectacle.Indeed,the end of an era is marked. Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IXGR1 Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 -sad but ultimately, she can't last forever. (All good things.....?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafalbert Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 With regards to Andy's remarks, everyone is entitled to their opinion. Yes it has cost a lot to keep the Vulcan in the air, but those who wanted to see it fly contributed towards the fund; those that were not bothered didn't. Again, with regards to Lottery funding received, many different charities/schemes have received funding, some of which I agree with, some I don't. I will personally be gutted to see her grounded as she belongs in the air (as do all aircraft), but my thanks go to the guys who have kept her flying. If nothing else it proves what can be acheived with hard work and perseverance. Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charley420 Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 It would be great if she could be absorbed by the bbmf. Id much rather see the vulc pootling around the sky with the lanc as she's from a war of my generation (Im 30) and is a feat of British engineering and britishly different. Even tho she is just a plane she still brings a tear to the eye and eeks some of that long forgotten British pride out of me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard M Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 The wing spar would be an airworthy problem? Couldn't she still ground taxi like the jets at Bruntingthorpe? Not as good as flying, but at least you'd get the engine noise and there'd be some life in her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 I suspect the loss of 2 engines had more effect on her than people credit, and maybe the spar hasn't held up as well as they thought it would? I suspect that the costs of operating her are constantly rising, but I must say - this constant digging at the Director grates somewhat. It's an important and time consuming job... he needs recompense for his work. Does anyone ask what the Director of the RSPCA or Dr Barnados gets? Bet it's a bit more than £80k a year. Last time I looked, that's about what the RSPCA paid a Health & Safety bod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkippyBing Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 It would be great if she could be absorbed by the bbmf. I fear the problem with that is the Vulcan costs around as much as the whole BBMF to run, so which would you rather have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charley420 Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 I fear the problem with that is the Vulcan costs around as much as the whole BBMF to run, so which would you rather have? the vulcan as she has more relevance to me than spits and lancs im afraid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 Just a quick thought .....maybe large companys could be persuaded to adopt these aircraft .They waste enough in advertising costs They could run the plane and have flying adverts ,subtley done...............who knows could catch on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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