Issue No. 9 Summer 2003

th RUN DAY 2003! Sunday June 15 2003 Full of confidence, Paul then contacted De Havilland Aviation at Swansea who operates the world’s only Is nearly here, and all involved in the planning have flying Sea Vixen, based at Bournemouth. Paul knows b een burning the midnight oil to make sure XM655 is the chaps down there as his Vulcan cockpit XH537 is ready and that all the paperwork, insurance and also on site. Again, if you don't ask.….. and some publicity is completed in time. days later, a call from Brian Lewis confirmed that yes, the Sea Vixen will come to Wellesbourne of the 15th, We hope to see as many of you as possible on the 15th sporting its new colour scheme. Brian added that the June. This being also Fathers Day could make a great Vampire would also turn up for a flypast. day out for dad or granddad! We do have some competition as on the same day there is a classic During all this, our Chairman Derek Powell was airshow on at Kemble and Cockpit Fest at the Newark contacted by someone who wanted to bring his Air Museum. classic car along. Derek was then asked, "Would you like the RAF Display Jaguar to flypast the run day on Here's a taster of what we have confirmed to date. As the 15th"? Of course Derek said yes, and a few days always, the appearances are subject to aircraft later he was informed that the Jaguar would take on serviceabil ity and events outside our control. Towards extra fuel that day and would fly past Wellesbourne. the end of the day on previous run days, the volunteers pack XM655 away and we often agree that it would be The resident Antonov AN Colt, the worlds biggest nice to have 'something' fly in. The favourite single engined bi plane will be over with us and you 'something' is always the RAF Red Arrows. So, back in will be able to look around as well as find out how Feb ruary we wrote to Strike Command asking if we you can enjoy a flight in it. It is also planned for it to could have the Red Arrows at Wellesbourne. (Working take off and carry out a short display. on the basis that if you don't ask...... ) Indeed, one aviation publication is promoting our run Soon after, Paul Hartley got a phone call from a lady day as a Wellesbourne Air Day! from RAF Scampton asking for Ordnance Survey Grid References for Wellesbourne Mountford. A quick look The 15th June should be a fantastic day and the on the Airfield web site and the details were given, control tower will be, by the sounds of it, very busy. followed by “Why?” - and Paul was politely informed We will hopefully have timings of the appearances that the Red Arrows were coming to us at near to the 15th, and we will put them up on the web Wellesbourne on the 15th June. The conversation site - www.xm655.co.uk. finished and Paul had this silly grin on his face for several days. The paperwork arrived and the CAA Back on the ground, we have some classic cars informed, and that was it. So we have the RAF Red coming on the day, plus a selection of stalls providing Arrows performing a fly past for us! memorabilia along with hot and cold food and drinks. We will have a PA system this year, so one of us will For those who are local, listen out to our radio ads chat to you to let you know what’s flying in next! on the Bear 102 FM that week.

IN THIS ISSUE………….

Page 1 Run Day 2003 Page 2 Engineering Report Page 3 Engineering Report & AGM Page 4 Brakes!!! – a piece on XM655 Page 5 Volunteer Profile Page 6 Run Day Guest Line Up Page 7 Financial Report Page 8 Financial Report & MaPS News Page 9 MaPS Merchandise

655 NEWS 1

ENGINEERING REPORT has been assembled and run and it just remains By Derek Powell to dry run the engines on 655 with it. This is

expected to take place within the next week or As usual, I would like to start my report by saying a big so. thank you to the members of the Saturday working party who have turned up to work on 655 right In November, BEAGLE AIRCRAFT provided us throughout the Winter which included some really with a superb set of new jet pipe blanks to nasty stuff. Thanks to their efforts progress has been replace our very tatty set. What a difference they made with both the aircraft and also the ground have made to the aircraft’s looks. support facilities which are essential if we are to keep As a small token of appreciation for the work 655 in as full a working order as possible. Beagle have done for us, Richard Dick, Ruth

and myself went down to Beagle to present Back in October we realised that we needed more Managing Director Rob Ludford with a framed workshop area to enable us to put a few ideas into photo of 655 signed by the aircrew. practice, most notably that we should have a backup During the middle of last year we became aware system to start the engines if we have a problem with of an Olympus 301 engine situated at RAF Brize our trusty Volkswagen airstart. We already had in our Norton. Although a non- runner it had a number possession the bulk of two Palouste engines and a of pieces of ancillary equipment over which we dismantled 15ft x12ft metal building, which we had cast covetous eyes. After much negotiation with purchased some time ago. Just as importantly we now the MoD the CO of Brize allowed us to make two had the services of a new member, Eric Ranshaw. Eric trips to the station over the Christmas period to had attended a presentation about 655, which I had recover spares. Everyone at Brize with whom given to members of the Rugby branch of the Institute we came into contact was most interested in of Mechanical Engineers. He was SO impressed by my what we are doing and went out of their way to talk that he decided to come along and give us a hand help. at Wellesbourne. The other 40 members present were obviously somewhat less impressed! During January and February we had some poor weather which slowed work on 655 but enabled Eric undertook the task of producing a working us to catch up in other areas. We installed a Palouste if we could provide a workshop. Members compressor in the workshop and, mindful of the Dale McCann and Andrew Cardus did most of the importance of the Houchin, Dave Gladwin construction which included a strong wooden floor and carried out a service of the big diesel engine. insulating the metal walls and roof and installing By February we were ready for more engine lighting and power. At the time of writing the Palouste runs and this time we had Dave Thomas, Mike Pollitt and Barry Masefield with us. Dave In November, BEAGLE AIRCRAFT provided us with a continued the training of John Foreman and superb set of new jet pipe blanks to replace our very Fred Barter to enable us to eventually perform tatty set. What a difference they have made to the our own ground runs. Particular attention is looks. being given to emergency procedures needed in As a small token of appreciation for the work Beagle the event of any problems. Mark Alcock was the have done for us, Richard Dick, Ruth and myself went crew chief for the duration of the tests. down to Beagle to present Managing Director Rob Ludford with a framed photo of 655 signed by the The runs highlighted a number of problems with aircrew. the aircraft systems. Some of these have been cured and the remainder are being addressed. A particular area giving concern is deterioration in the cockpit due to condensation over the winter months. The decision was taken to purchase a dehumidifier to fit into the cockpit. Sounds easy but of course the unit needs mains power and we are parked on a large concrete pan. Safety considerations ruled out overhead cables or simply trailing wire across the pan so we were left with no alternative but to lay armoured cable in a trench round the perimeter of the pan until level with the cockpit and then chisel a channel by hand across the concrete pan. An isolator and connection point was installed under the nose wheel bay. Andrew and Dale not only supplied all the electrical equipment needed but they did most of the hard graft with everyone else helping out where they could.

655 NEWS 2

Engineering report cont’d XM655 MaPS 2003 AGM A lot of time and effort but worth it to provide a stable environment in the cockpit. Notice is herby given that the 2003 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of the March 1st was the day we picked to refit the XM655 Maintenance and Preservation rudder with all fingers crossed for a calm day. The Society will be held at St Peters Church conditions were not ideal but we decided to go for it. We had arranged to hire a crane from Centre in Wellesbourne village at 1 pm on th ALLELY’S CRANE HIRE and they gave us a rock Saturday 7 July 2003. bottom price for the Saturday – and they assured us that the driver would be amongst the best. This Any member wishing to move a resolution at fortunately was true for conditions were not ideal the meeting must give notice to the Group with a 15 knot wind blowing at near right angles to th the aircraft. Mark Alcock managed to turn 655 Secretary no later than Saturday 14 June almost into the wind, no mean feat in the confines 2003. of the pan, and so minimise the effects of the wind on the rudder. After a couple of aborted attempts The Church Centre is located off the one- due to it not being at the exact angles (both way system in the village. We will have backwards and sideways) and with the invaluable XM655 merchandise for sale and, as always, help of the crane driver the rudder was finally fixed into position. This however is just the start of all members will be welcome. Hot drinks the operation. To complete the installation, much and biscuits will be available. of the work requires the services of a six fingered ambidextrous contortionist. John Foreman and th Between 10am and 12 noon on 7 July, James Partridge proved up to the job but it still XM655 volunteers will be on site with the took four weekends to complete. Refitting the aerodynamic shroud between the fin and the aircraft at Wellesbourne Mountford Airfield rudder could not be done from the Giraffe but where the cockpit will be open for members

GEM TOOL HIRE again gave us the free loan of a to view the ‘office’. ‘cherry picker’ for a weekend and this enabled us to complete the fitting. We also took the To contact any XM655 MaPS Committee opportunity to fit anti-pigeon spikes to the top of the fin. If anyone notices and asks about them we Member please write to: XM655 MaPS simply say they are ECM, not mentioning that this stands for Environmental Counter Measures! The PO Box 7119 installation and testing of the rudder was HOOK completed by the beginning of April. RG27 9GS

With a fine spell of weather in April, the seemingly never ending task of painting 655 was restarted Or ring the 24 Hour Information line on with the area forward of the bomb bay being 07754 532454 prepared ready to receive a new coat of paint. ************************************* The countdown for our first taxi day in over two We work in all weathers!!!!!! years is well underway. I sincerely hope that all the work which we have done in that period will mean that we have a very successful day and that those who can come to Wellesbourne will enjoy the sight and sound of 655 out on the runway once again.

Editors note:

Your membership dues this year have helped fund various projects for XM655. Items such as crane hire can be costly, but as a result of to negotiation by the 655 team, it can become affordable. Your subs paid for this as well as many others. YOU are keeping 655 alive. Thank you..

655 NEWS 3

Brakes!!!

When I sat down to write this article, I realised that that the date was April 25th and that the event described had happened exactly 36 years ago on 25 April 1967. I could easily imagine that the adrenaline levels on the flight deck of XM655 were fairly high as the crew overcame a number of problems that were thrown at them. I had hoped to produce the incident report in facsimile, but for some reason the writing is not as clear as you would expect! Many of the crew members that have flown 655 remember the aircraft as “a good one”, but obviously April 25th was an off day although to be fair, the initial cause of the problems was a servicing error. At the time of the incident the aircraft belonged to 35 Squadron and was operating out of RAF Cottesmore. She was just three years old.

Major Flying Accident Report 25th April 1967

Three minutes after take-off the No 1 brake accumulator pressure indicator fell slowly to zero. No increase in brake accumulator pressure above 4000psi had been previously noticed. Hydraulic fluid streaming across the underside of the aircraft was noticed and the appropriate checks were carried out. The sortie was abandoned and the aircraft returned to base. Low level runs were made across the airfield and the undercarriage was lowered using the emergency system but the pilot was instructed to reduce fuel down to 12,000lbs. Crash and rescue vehicles were deployed to the approximate point of landing. Touch down took place at 130 knots, 300ft from the threshold. ”Stream” was selected but the tail brake parachute failed to deploy. The outboard engines were shut down and aerodynamic braking was used to slow the aircraft to 75 knots. At this point the pilot started to lower the nose wheel but when half way down the brake parachute deployed and swung the aircraft 20 degrees to port. “Jettison” was selected at 50 knots and full right rudder applied. The brake parachute left the aircraft but the rudder had no effect. The brakes were totally ineffective due to the fluid loss.

The crew were now in the ’six barrels of snakes and only four lids situation’ as the aircraft left the runway and ploughed across the grass. The co-pilot closed down the inboard engines and the aircraft ‘porpoised’ to a standstill on the grass. The report states that “the crew left quickly”, which is probably something of an understatement.

Primary cause of the accident was found to be an incorrectly assembled pipe coupling in the cabin air conditioning system which allowed hot air to escape and cause a hydraulic pipe to fracture thus allowing a major loss of hydraulic fluid. Damage in the nose wheel bay by hot air and hydraulic fluid was fairly extensive and involved electrical, instrument and radio systems. Other damage listed was two broken runway lights and ‘ruts in the grass’. The cause of the failure of the brake parachute was never positively identified. It was probably just one of those days.

Many thanks to Neil Robson who found the incident report in the records of the Air Historical Branch.

February 2003, after a successful Engine Ground Run (EGR). Along with XM655 is our air crew, 655 MaPS Volunteers and 655 MaPS members.

Photograph by Paul Hartley

655 NEWS 4

Volunteer Profile – ERIC RANSHAW

Eric with the re built Palouste. This will be used as a back up air start.

Eric Ranshaw

I have always been interested in all things mechanical, and on leaving school I joined Bristol Siddeley in Coventry as a graduate apprentice. They were taken over by Rolls Royce, and for my first “proper” job, I joined their Industrial and Marine Division as a Service Engineer. After a short while on Avon generator sets, I became involved with the marine version of the Olympus 201, and worked with the navies of Malaysia, Thailand, Libya, Finland and The Netherlands as well as the Royal Navy.

After leaving RR in 1977, I spent 25 years in the Middle East working in various different parts of the oil and gas industry, and I retired in April 2002. Later in the year, Derek Powell gave a talk on 655 MaPS to the Rugby group of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and indicated a need for Olympus experience. After a visit to Wellesbourne to check out the atmosphere, I decided to join and get involved with 655.

My projects so far have been the “liberation” of spare parts for our engines from a rather unloved Olympus 301 at RAF Brize Norton, and making one good Palouste from our two part units. The Palouste is now virtually complete and has been run to idle speed. We expect to test it at full load shortly, and then we will have a back-up starter in case the “VW” unit ever fails to perform.

My wife and I spend the summer travelling the canal network on our narrow boat, so I will be absent from Wellesbourne from May until later in the year, although I will be back for the taxi day in June.

© 2003 XM655 MaPS. All rights reserved. No part of this newsletter may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical including photocopying recording or any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the author. All contents supplied by Paul Hartley, Derek Powell, Damien Burke, Nigel Brown & Eric Ranshaw

655 NEWS 5

XM655 RUN DAY FLYPAST LINE UP (Wish List!)

AIRCRAFT TYPE De Havilland DH.115 Vampire T.55 REGISTRATION No. G-VMPR This aircraft was built by De Havilland at Hatfield in 1955 as part of a batch order for the Royal Air Force. Service commenced on 16th February 1955 as XE920 with the Flying Training School. Final duty was with Central Air Traffic Control School at Shawbury until it's retirement in December 1971. Given to the RAF Museum, the aeroplane was stored at RAF Henlow until it was recalled by thr Royal Air Force as a replacement for the Vintage Pair Display Team at RAF Scampton. After a further loss to the Vintage Pair Display Team (Meteor Mk. 7 in 1988) the Royal Air Force made a policy decision no to continue flying a vintage Vampire/Meteor pair. XE920, in the course of refurbishment was sold to the present owner in October 1992 and moved by road to RAF Sealand, where refurbishment was completed including a major inspection. In 1996 the aircraft was by road to Swansea Airport to join the De Havilland Aviation team and gain a Permit to Fly.

AIRCRAFT TYPE De Havilland DH110: SEA VIXEN REGISTRATION No. G-CVIX The aircraft was purchased by De Havilland in 1996 and flown to its engineering base in Swansea. After three years of custodial maintenance and intense negotiations with the CAA it has now received permit status and is ready for the display circuit in 2001. The Vixen will fly as a tribute to the Naval pilots that flew fast jets through the 1960s and 1970s when the Royal Navy still operated large carriers with fixed wing conventional strike aircraft. In its current scheme the aircraft also represents the important work of the research and support services provided by the Navy. The aircraft may be repainted for future seasons.

RAF THE RED ARROWS The Royal Air Force Aerobatics Team, the Red Arrows, was initially based at RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, then a satellite unit of Central Flying School. The first team had seven display pilots and were equipped with the Folland Gnat jet trainer. At the end of their first season, the Team had performed 65 displays in Britain, France, Italy, Holland, Belgium and Germany and were awarded the Britannia Trophy by the Royal Aero Club in recognition of their outstanding contribution in the field of aviation. When it was decided to continue the Team in 1966, two spare pilots were established but the Team continued to fly just seven aircraft in displays. The practice of carrying spare pilots proved unsatisfactory because the display is so specialised that each position has its own demands and requires much practice to perfect. A spare pilot, who must be capable of filling any position at very short notice, requires more training than any other member of the team, and as a result becomes more skilled. He then becomes dissatisfied with his role as a reserve. In 1968 the Team was increased in size to nine and adopted the classical Diamond Nine formation which has come to represent the peak of precision flying: it is now the Team's Trade Mark and is recognised world-wide. The Red Arrows took delivery of the Hawk trainer in the Winter of 1979/80. During that Winter the pilots converted from the Gnat and worked up a display using the new aeroplane in time for the 1980 Summer Display Season. Since being introduced into service with the Red Arrows, the Hawk has taken the Team on tours of Eastern and Western Europe, the USA, the Middle and Far East, Africa and Australia - in all the Red Arrows have displayed in 50 countries.

Normally each pilot, including the Leader, stays with the Team for three seasons, and in this way maximum expertise is retained within the Team from year to year. The Synchro Pair, Reds 6 and 7, perform the highly popular solo manoeuvres in the second half of the display. They provide extra excitement and ensure that there is always some activity going on in front of the crowd whilst the Team Leader is re-positioning the remaining aircraft for their next flypast. There is one other qualified Hawk pilot, Red 10, the Team Manager. He flies the 10th Hawk to displays away from base, ready for use in case one of the others becomes unserviceable, but he never flies in public displays.

Sea Vixen in her new colours! Vampire The Red Arrows

655 NEWS 6

XM655 Maintenance and Preservation Society Financial Report: 4th April 2002 to 2nd April 2003

Introduction

The Financial Year just completed represents a complete twelve month period and therefore the comparisons can be considered as true ‘like for like’. Similarly, a Taxi Run did not take place last year so we do not see the attendant expense and income that such an event generates.

In an effort to further indicate where the Group’s expenditure takes place, several extra categories have been included this year which should provide extra detail for the Membership.

Income and Expenditure Account for period ended 2nd April 2003 (2001/2)

Income £ £ Subscriptions 1590.00 1436.00 Donations 1078.62 290.04 Merchandise Sales inc Postage 1211.84 591.28 Bank Interest 3.24 11.93 Airfield Open Day 0.00 225.00 TOTAL 3883.70 2554.15

Expenditure £ £ Purchase of Merchandise 916.20 204.94 Aircraft Spares and Repairs 1337.75 1342.27 Ground Equipment 650.64 608.77 Transport Expenses 158.17 224.29 Group Postage, Telephone etc 29.85 210.88 Cold War Day 2000 0.00 50.00 Membership Expenses 214.97 0.00 Buildings, Occupancy e.t.c. 163.58 0.00 Tools, Consumables e.t.c. 202.69 0.00 Public Relations 149.03 0.00 2003 Open Day & Taxi Run 76.38 0.00 Miscellaneous Expenses 20.00 487.71 TOTAL 3919.26 3128.86

Surplus of Expenditure over Income for 2002/2003 £35.56

Bank Balance as at 2nd April 2002 £3,455.55 Credit

Continued ………………

655 NEWS 7

XM655 Maintenance and Preservation Society Financial Report

The following items of Expenditure are all over £75 and as such required Committee agreement:

21/05/2002 £227.00 FAMOUS VULCANS (Paul Hartley) x50 “Roar of the Vulcan” Videos 15/06/2002 £99.70 FAMOUS VULCANS (Paul Hartley) x10 Vulcan Models + Greeting Cards + Postage 29/06/2002 £94.15 Derek Powell Vehicle Hire/Fuel 27/07/2002 £180.07 Derek Powell Vehicle Hire/Fuel + Equip + Dep for Pictures 27/07/2002 £130.00 Ruth Powell Balance of cost of x10 Picture Frames 26/09/2002 £100.00 Charles Toop x10 XM655 Run Day Prints 16/10/2002 £1097.25 Flitfleet Ltd x10,000 litres of Aviation Fuel 07/02/2003 £100.00 Charles Toop x10 XM655 Run Day Prints 08/02/2003 £450.32 Derek Powell Compressor + Houchin Parts + Fire Ext + Fuel 27/02/2003 £190.00 Ruth Powell x10 Picture Frames 01/03/2003 £76.38 Paul Hartley x500 2003 Run Day Leaflets 10/03/2003 £170.00 Derek Powell Crane Hire and Driver Tip 01/04/2003 £76.38 CFS Aeroproducts Ltd Annual Lease of Nitrogen Bottle

I confirm that the information provided above is a true and accurate record of the financial activities of the XM655 Maintenance and Preservation Society for the 2002/2003 Financial Year.

Nigel Brown Treasurer c/o 57 Denholm Road SUTTON COLDFIELD West Midlands B73 6PL

655 MaPS NEWS

At the beginning of November we were shaken by the news that John Foreman had been taken to hospital and had been given only a short time to live. John however is made of much sterner stuff than the NHS is used to and remarkably John has confounded the medics and is now back with us fit and well.

Also on the medical front we are very pleased to learn that Fred’s son Wayne has recovered from an operation for the removal of a spinal tumour. Our very best wishes go to everyone concerned in these two news items.

On February 26th we had our works outing when almost everyone involved with 655 at Wellesbourne went to the factory of ALCOA in Birmingham to see the manufacture of aircraft grade sheet aluminium. After a brief introduction and talk on the history of ALCOA we were kitted out in safety gear and given a full tour of the factory from smelting to finished product. This was followed by a buffet lunch and a question and answer session. I must admit I had never really thought about the metal from which our aircraft is made and I found the visit most interesting. The visit was arranged by Richard Dick who knows more about the aluminium industry than he cares to admit. Thanks to Richard and to ALCOA manager Ron Smith who made us most welcome.

It looks as if James Partridge who at 15 is our youngest member has been bitten by the flying bug. He has started lessons with the South Warwickshire Flying School with a view to taking his PPL when he is old enough. Good luck to you James.

XM655 featured yet again in the winter edition of RAFA Air Mail. Chairman Derek Powell updated its readership with the progress on XM655. We are please that the local RAFA ‘chapter’ will be with us on June 15th. Also RAFA has helped tremendously of promoting the run day in the Wet Midlands area.

655 NEWS 8

XM655 MERCHANDISE UPDATE – Summer 2003

The Vulcan Story by Tim Laming (updated and reprinted)

This is a comprehensive reference work and an authoritative history of the Vulcan. It provides details of every major production variant and also describes the aircraft's use as a test-bed for a variety of missile, engine and equipment technologies The Vulcan remained in RAF service as a tactical bomber and was only retired with the introduction of the Panavia Tornado. It was nonetheless to write a spectacular epilogue to its operational record when, in 1982, the aircraft was pressed back into the frontline to undertake the longest bombing raid flown - to the Falklands (£5.00 off the RRP to MaPS members).

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Please complete this order form (or a photocopy) and return it to: 655 Maps, PO BOX 7119, Hook, Hampshire, RG27 9GS. Please make cheques payable to 655 MaPS.

Mr/Mrs/Ms………………….. Initial…………………. Surname……….……………………..…………….……

Address………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………….

……………………………….……………………County…………………………………..Postcode…………….……………. Although we aim to fulfil all orders within 14 days, please allow 28 days for delivery.

ITEM PRICE Total

“Roar of the Vulcan” VHS video £5.99 The Vulcan Story by Tim Laming £10.99 Avro Vulcan Video £5.99 XM655 Signed Photograph & Framed £44.99 (+£6.00 P&P) Vulcan XA903 History written by our very own Chairman! £2.00 post free Display Case for Corgi Vulcan XM655 £29.99p XM655 Postcard £.25p (+20p P&P) Concorde Fridge Magnet £1.50 XM655 Fridge Magnet £2.00 XM655 Bookmark £0.75p (+25p P&P) Vulcan XM571 by Model Power Inc £14.95 XM655 Key Ring £1.50 Sub Total P&P £1.50p Grand Total £

XM655 Signed Photograph Framed – Available on the 15th June for collection! A limited edition framed photograph of XM655. The photograph was taken by top aircraft photographer Charles Toop during XM655's September 2000 taxi run . The photograph shows XM655 'plugged in', engines running and ready to roll onto the 'active'. The aircrew Wing Commander Mike Pollitt, Sdqn Ldr David Thomas (Vulcan XH558 Display Pilot) and Sqdn Ldr Barry Masefield (Vulcan XH558 Display and 'Black Buck' AEO) have agreed to sign the print. Comes complete framed as shown.

Squadron Prints in conjunction with Vulcanshop.co.uk have produced a new Vulcan Bookmark, featuring our very own XM655 in 101 Squadron colours. The front side shows the side on view of XM655 and on the reverse has information on 655’s history as well as 101 Squadron.

655 NEWS 9