Airfix A12011 Avro Vulcan B2 Aircraft

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Vulcan B.1 XA902 was withdrawn from RAF service after a landing accident in 1958. After rebuilding, it replaced VX770 as the Conway test bed, fitted with four RCo.11s. The two inner Conways were replaced with Rolls-Royce Speys, flying for the first time in this configuration on 12th October 1961. The B.1 had four elevators (inboard) and four ailerons (outboard). In the B.2, these were replaced by eight elevons. The Vulcan was also fitted with six electrically operated three-position (retracted, medium drag, high drag) airbrakes, four in the upper centre section and two in the lower. There were originally four lower airbrakes but the outboard two were deleted before the aircraft entered service. A brake parachute was installed inside the tail cone. Electrical and hydraulic systems

Doncaster Sheffield Airport owners reiterate that it 'cannot continue in its current form' and admit 800 jobs are at risk Yorkshire Post, 27 July 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2022The original Vulcan B.1 radio fit was: two 10-channel VHF transmitter/receivers (TR-1985/TR-1986) and a 24-channel HF transmitter-receiver (STR-18). [91] The Vulcan B.1A also featured a UHF transmitter-receiver (ARC-52). [40] The initial B.2 radio fit was similar to the B.1A [92] though it was ultimately fitted with the ARC-52, a V/UHF transmitter/receiver (PTR-175), and a single-sideband modulation HF transmitter-receiver ( Collins 618T). [93] David Walton (3 July 1993). "The Vulcan – Gone – But Not Forgotten". RAF Waddington Air day official programme. Will 'howl' of the Vulcan bomber be heard over Bournemouth again?" The Daily Echo, 30 December 2009.

On 11th May 1964, Vulcan B.2 XH535 crashed during a demonstration. The aircraft entered a spin while a very low speed and high rate of descent was being demonstrated. The landing parachute was deployed, stopping the spin briefly before it began to spin again. At around 2,500 ft (760 m) the aircraft commander instructed the crew to abandon the aircraft. The commander and co-pilot ejected successfully, but none of the rear compartment crew did so, presumably due to the g forces in the spin. A process to give two perimeters to the top 1 mm of some parts may assist with gluing; I’ve left that to your judgment. On 26th October 1959, Vulcan B.1 XH498 participated in an airshow marking the opening of Wellington International Airport, formerly Rongotai Airport. After a ‘ touch-and-go landing’ on Runway 34, it came around for a full stop landing. Turbulence and wind shear caused XH498 to land short of the runway threshold. The port undercarriage leg clipped the embankment at the Moa Point or southern end, damaging wing attachments, engine fuel lines and the main landing gear drag link, which was ruptured and unable to support the aircraft. The port wing tip nearly scraped the runway surface before it was able to lift off again, spilling fuel over the crowd. Pilot actions prevented a possible disaster as spectators were present on the western apron. XH498 flew to RNZAF Ohakea for a safe emergency landing on just the nose and starboard landing gear with little further damage. A UK repair team returned it to airworthiness; on 4th January 1960, XH498 departed, remaining in service until 19th October 1967. A Vulcan B1A of the Waddington Wing at Filton during a public air display in the 1960s Operational history IntroductionNov, We have released v2.0 which has the Fuse pieces and the wing attachment plates slightly modified to move the wings forward a little. There are a few other minor improvements too. XH558 was crewed by a team of former RAF personnel, headed by Martin Withers DFC, its then Chief Pilot and Operations Manager. [ citation needed] Cold War [ edit ] On 16th July 1964, Vulcan B.1A XA909 crashed in Anglesey after a midair explosion caused both No. 3 and No. 4 engines to be shut down. The explosion was caused by failure of a bearing in No. 4 engine. The starboard wing was extensively damaged, the pilot had insufficient aileron power, and both airspeed indications were highly inaccurate. The whole crew successfully abandoned XA909 and were found within a few minutes and rescued. The squadron also inherited its secondary role of air sampling from No. 543 Squadron. This involved flying through plumes of airborne contamination and using onboard equipment to collect fallout released from both above ground and underground nuclear tests for later analysis at the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment at Aldermaston. Five aircraft had small pylons fitted to the redundant Skybolt hardpoints, which could be used to carry sampling pods modified from drop tanks. These pods would collect the needed samples on a filter, while an additional smaller “localiser” pod was fitted to the port wing, inboard of the main pylons. The Vulcan had no defensive weaponry, initially relying upon high-speed high-altitude flight to evade interception. Electronic countermeasures were employed by the B.1 (designated B.1A) and B.2 from circa 1960. A change to low-level tactics was made in the mid-1960s. In the mid-1970s nine Vulcans were adapted for maritime radar reconnaissance operations, redesignated as B.2 (MRR). In the final years of service six Vulcans were converted to the K.2 tanker configuration for aerial refuelling.

In 1956, VX777 was modified with the even larger phase 2(C) wing. Fitted with Olympus 104 engines, it became the aerodynamic prototype of the Vulcan B.2.) Video footage reporter: "And so they slide past, the giants of the US strategic air command, following them the huge white shapes of Britain's long range heavies, their vast bulks making their speed appear deceptively slow." Fundraising by the Vulcan to the Sky Trust commenced in 1999. [6] In terms of public campaigning, the Trust was also assisted by a supporters club, Vulcan to the Sky Club (formerly Vulcan 558 Club). It was estimated that 3.8 million [31] people saw XH558 in the summer of 2008, 1.5 million at displays. [32] In 2009, she made her first and only appearance abroad, when she attended the RNLAF Open Days at Volkel Air Base in the Netherlands. A popular feature of XH558 as flypasts and air shows is the so-called "Vulcan Howl", a distinctive sound made by some Vulcan airframes when the engines are at approximately 90 percent power, due to the arrangement of the air intakes. [33] [34] [35] In January 1947, the Ministry of Supply distributed Specification B.35/46 to UK aviation companies to satisfy Air Staff Operational Requirement OR.229 for "a medium range bomber landplane capable of carrying one 10,000lb (4,500kg) bomb to a target 1,500 nautical miles (1,700mi; 2,800km) from a base which may be anywhere in the world." A cruising speed of 500 knots (580mph; 930km/h) at altitudes between 35,000 and 50,000ft (11,000 and 15,000m) was specified. The maximum weight when fully loaded should not exceed 100,000lb (45,000kg). Alternatively, the aircraft was to be capable of carrying a conventional bomb load of 20,000lb (9,100kg). The similar OR.230 required a "long-range bomber" with a 2,000 nautical miles (2,300mi; 3,700km) radius of action with a maximum weight of 200,000lb (91,000kg) when fully loaded; this requirement was considered too exacting. [5] Six companies submitted technical brochures to this specification, including Avro. [6]

A note and intro from Geoff C…

While exploring VX777's high-speed and high-altitude flight envelope at the A&AEE, mild buffeting and other undesirable flight characteristics were experienced while approaching the limiting Mach number, including an alarming tendency to enter an uncontrollable dive. This was judged unacceptable for an unarmed bomber. Fitting the phase 2 wing removed the buffeting and an auto-mach trimmer countered the high-speed dive. The latter applied up-elevator as the speed critically increased. This up-elevator force was greater than the force required to counter the dive. Consequently, as speed increased, the control column had to be pushed rather than pulled to maintain level flight. This artificial pitch-up made the Vulcan handle more like other aircraft as its speed increased. [30]

The Avro 732 was a 1956 proposal for a supersonic development of the Vulcan and would have been powered by 8 de Havilland Gyron Junior engines. Unlike the proposed Avro 721 low-level bomber of 1952 or the Avro 730 supersonic stainless steel canard bomber dating from 1954 (cancelled in 1957 before completion of the prototype), the Type 732 showed its Vulcan heritage. [60] Vulcan Phase 6 (Vulcan B.3) Silhouette of the original study for the Vulcan B.3 patrol missile carrier Avro Vulcans of No 617 Squadron at RAF Cottesmore circa 1975 Proposed developments and cancelled projects Avro Type 718 The Vulcan however wasn't designed for that particular role. It was designed in the early stages of the Cold War as a nuclear high level bomber.

Further developments

The Avro Vulcan, consider the most recognizable and technically advanced of Britain’s V bombers, served the Royal Air Force from 1960 through 1984. The B.2 variant featured a larger wing than its predecessor, more powerful engines, upgraded electronics, and could deliver both conventional and nuclear weapons. The engine intakes took a long time to complete. After gluing the parts, I filled and smoothed the seams before painting the insides white, and fits were generally good. The problem arose when I had to add camouflage fairly deep into each intake because I wasn’t confident I could mask and paint them. The instructions provided a template of the demarcation line, so I ended up painting some decal paper with the appropriate colors and used the template to make a decal to go into the intake.