In 2005 CHK6/UK visited the Vulcan’s lair at Bruntingthorpe Leicestershire, this is our first update since that visit and things are really moving on for XH558. Checksix spoke to Felicity Irwin the campaign director and then talked to some of the Marshall Aerospace staff working on Vulcan XH558.
Here is the full interview with Mrs. Irvin
From the interview we went onto the hangar floor, the hangar is under the control of Marshall Aerospace and all visitors are managed by them. The
change in the hanger is clear, work stations are located all over the area and some areas are clearly partitioned to create specialist workshop areas and parts logistics control areas. With sections of structure and skin panels,
removed for repairs and many access panels open to allow access for the technicians and engineers to the interior of the airframe, this is really a busy area compared to our previous visit. Work platforms are located under
the engine bays and in the bomb bay this is clearly work in progress and progressing it is. Denis Parker accompanied us around the hanger and introduced Checksix to members of the team who could spare a few
minutes to talk. Tom Fair from Marshall’s showed us around the work space and in conversation told us that the 4 engines had the capacity to supply electricity to the 4 villages around Bruntingthorpe if they could
stand the noise! Tom also made it clear that the Marshall’s team were enjoying the challenge of XH558 and many of them, like him, had volunteered for the project. He said we encountered some problems but nothing
major and not more than was expected in an aircraft that entered service in 1960. One gem of information from Tom was that over 7 tons of redundant wiring had been removed from the aircraft to date; this is wiring
that does not need to be replaced.
Scattered around the work area are parts and systems awaiting servicing or storage, one in particular caught our attention. It was the radar system;
a development of the H2S system used in Lancaster’s, the unit was tied into its frame position to stop the bearings free wheeling and spinning the unit around. The bearings are in such good condition. Next to this was the
avionics test rig originally worth Ł3million in 1960 it now holds equipment and gauges not required in the aircraft anymore and will become part of the ground display and was donated by the RAF as an alternative to being
scrapped. To one side of the hangar is the airframe bay where new sections of skin are made and existing ones repaired. In the bay under repair was the canopy section that housed the emergency 5 man dingy.
Just beyond that area is the parts bay, all the parts are inspected by Marshall’s and returned as inspected and are then placed in a bonded storage area. The logistics on this part of the project are critical and very
closely controlled. Even the unused original rivets are sent for inspection by Marshall’s and there are thousands of them!
Behind these are flight control surfaces awaiting transfer to Marshall’s and then we see the bomb bay doors. Only when faced with the bomb bay
doors on the ground do we truly appreciate the size of the aircraft, the doors are in 4 sections that fold in on themselves. The bomb bay will allow for advertising space and income opportunities, the doors are signed by
many people including the Sultan of Brunei and the Red Arrows pilots. The engines, ( 8 Rolls-Royce Olympus 201’s) all with zero hours on them are quarantined behind fences and 1 of ‘558s old flight engines has been
moved to Rolls-Royce at Ansty, Coventry to allow the engine test rig to be set up. Each engine, which can generate 17000 to 18000lb of thrust or 9 tons, was zero time overhauled in 1981 and kept with the relevant
husbandry being carried out, for instance changing the silica gel to stop moisture build up every 6 weeks, spraying of inhibiting oil into the fuel galleries to stop them furring up due to corrosive elements in the air, every 6 months.
Alan Rolfe, the project propulsion engineer (or “Sooty” so called because they were regularly found to be covered in soot after inspecting jet pipes)
took a few minutes to talk about his part in the project. He is now employed by the Vulcan Operating Company for VTST but was previously with Rolls-Royce. The engines have been kept in WVR bags (Water Vapour
Resistant) and are in great condition you would not believe how new the engines look when they come out of the bags and we are looking forward to the confidence running later this spring and then the preparation for
installation into the aircraft can start.
CHK6: Question, what is an actual engine cycle?
Alan Rolfe: these engines had a 2000 hour life in service and that’s it, there are no more spares available to extend this life span. A cycle is from
stop to max throttle and back to stop using this as a basis and RAF anecdotal evidence we have calculated that .6 of a cycle per hour was the in-service rate. We have applied that rate to this project; we will review
this rate after the first year of displaying.
With these calculations 2000 hour life and the .6cycle per hour gives us 1200 cycles for the life of the engines that should give us around 10 years
of flying. If the cyclic rate can be reduced the flying life could be extended.
We then moved on the cockpit of Vulcan XM602, this cockpit will perform a dual role of training for the technicians and fund raising on site and at UK
airshows for the return to flight project. On entering the cockpit we were surprised to find that it’s powered up and the low glow lighting on the instrument panels gave a taster of what it was like to work in “the
office”. Another surprise was to find a one hand grip fighter type stick, and not a two hand wheel. All the controls are free and workable giving XM602 a real feeling of being operational.
It’s clear from the amount of work on and off site that the return to flight project is moving along quite nicely, whether we will see XH558 in the skies
over Britain in 2006 remains to be seen. What can be said with certainty is that the right people have been assembled with the right aircraft and the right contractors have committed to the project. The key now is as always
money, as explained in our last report 10 Euros donated by you will release double that amount in lottery funding making your 10 Euros worth 30 Euros to the project. 2006 or 2007 XH558 will become the hottest display on the
UK air scene for quite some time as a whole new generation experience their first Vulcan moment that won’t be forgotten and Checksix will be there to bring you the pictures and reports. So don’t forget to checkout the web
site and e-donate to download the 2 great Vulcan clips at www.vulcantothesky.com , this is your chance to be a
part of what’s probably the most important Cold War return to flight project ever undertaken.
Visit the web site and make a donation and make a difference. In our last interview with Dr Pleming and Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Knight KCB AFC FRAeS, we mentioned the possibility of XH558 displaying over European skies, and were told that it was a possibility. So if you would like to see this Cold War warrior over your sky’s contact your airshow organisers now.
XH558 Time line:
Compiled by Dr R W Pleming & D Parker Reproduced by kind permission of the Vulcan to the Sky Trust
Perhaps the next date to be added to this list will be Vulcan XH558 returned to flight in 2006? WeŽll keep you up to date with developments at Bruntingthorpe during the course of the year.
Checksix UK would like to thank: Felicity Irwin, Denis Parker, Alan Rolfe, Tom Fair and the whole team for taking the time to talk to us.
Will Moore / CHK6 UK
!!! ATTENTION !!! As this report was created a crisis was developing at Bruntingthorpe that could bring this epic project to its knees. On the 18/04/06 a press release was issued by Felicity Irwin outlining the situation.
Release 4.0/2008
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