Issue No 29 Spring 2013

A golden winter sunset over XM655

In this issue Chairman’s Introduction Page 2 Engineering Report Page 4 Displaying the Vulcan Page 10 Visitors to XM655 Page 12 QRA – A Personal Reminiscence Page 14 A Date for your Diary Page 18 655MaPS Financial Report Page 20 Picture credits Page 20

The Chairman’s Introduction Charles Brimson

Welcome to the Spring 2013 MaPS newsletter. By the time you read this our ‘sister’ Vulcan, XH558, will almost certainly have flown again in preparation for the start of what may well be her last ever flying season. I mention this because XM655 has once again, after a break last year, been used by the ‘558 aircrew as their simulator for the purposes of emergency procedural training and crew abandonment procedures. We are always very pleased to be able to provide our aircraft for VTTST at this time as ’558 still undergoes the final part of her extensive winter servicing. Besides, it gives us a chance to blow the winter cobwebs off ‘655 and to give the aircraft a good shakedown in preparation for our own Wings & Wheels open day on Sunday 16 June – more details on this elsewhere in this edition of the newsletter. We also received some very welcome feedback from Martin Withers and his team about how they get so much value from being able to familiarise themselves with the aircraft after a six month break in a relaxed yet professional atmosphere. It is also great to be able to catch up with Martin, Barry and all our other friends who make up the ‘558 aircrew (and of course our aircrew from time to time as well).

What will happen to XH558 after the 2013 flying season is, at the moment, completely unknown. If the aircraft is to be allowed to continue to fly beyond 2013 then an extensive (and very expensive) engineering project will need to be undertaken to strengthen the leading edge of the wings in order to safely extend the fatigue life of the airframe. This, together with the question of the airworthiness of their remaining stock of Olympus 200 engines means that it will be unlikely that the Trust is able to make any firm decisions regarding their future until much later this year. In the meantime all of us at MaPS wish everyone involved with XH558 every success for a stunning 2013 flying season and we will continue to offer every practical support that we can to keep the world’s last flying Vulcan in the sky for as long as it is possible....

______655 MaPS Newsletter Spring 2012 Page 2 Meanwhile back at Wellesbourne, the winter of 2012/13 may not have been quite as bad as 1963/64 (which I can remember as a boy of 5 living in married quarters at RAF in where we were cut off from the outside world for weeks and had endless hours of fun playing in 20’ snow drifts), nonetheless this last winter was the first since I have been at Wellesbourne where we had no volunteer activity at all on two separate Saturdays – that made this winter exceptional! In fact, it is a rare thing for us to consider the weather when planning our engineering activities, fortunately Eric and I decided that the ‘routine’ annual Olympus engine drop, inspection and reinstallation should be postponed until the early Autumn of 2013 – I am very glad that we did this as we might otherwise have had just too much work to do before Wings & Wheels (and indeed the VTTST aircrew training last month).

I am delighted to report that after a very extended period of discussion and negotiation that we have recently taken delivery of ten new main wheel tyres from Dunlop Aircraft Tyres Ltd. Our fortune in being able to buy, at reasonable cost, new tyres for an old aeroplane is yet another reason to be grateful to our friends at VTTST as without their need for a ready supply of tyres from the OEM Dunlop would no longer have these tyres on their production line at Fort Dunlop in Birmingham. Our Chief Engineer, Eric, explains elsewhere in this newsletter why we have bought only ten tyres and yet plan to replace all sixteen main wheel tyres before Wings & Wheels in June!

Some of you may have read in the Warwickshire press recently about a planning application to extend the ‘brown field’ site to the east and south of Wellesbourne Mountford airfield by building a mixed development of business, retail and housing on the site currently occupied by old units and a car storage facility. Although this does not at first sound particularly contentious, and indeed the application does not even mention the adjacency of the potential development site to an active airfield, if allowed it would put at risk future flying activity at Wellesbourne forever! You do not need to be an aviation expert to understand that building houses just a few hundred yards along the extended centre line of a busy and active runway threshold is not going to develop into a healthy relationship between those who fly and those who will live in such close proximity to each other... Putting aside the obvious risks associated with people and houses just a few seconds flying time from the end of the runway at the most hazardous time of any flight, it would be only a matter of time (months? maybe years?) before just one of those house occupants makes a complaint about the noise associated with the flying activity and the local authority insists on legally binding noise abatement for ever.... I am delighted to report that well over 300 objections to this application were sent to Stratford District Council by the time that the deadline for receipt of comments had passed. Although at the time of writing the application is still outstanding, I am also encouraged to learn from our airfield manager, Michael Littler, that the developer ______655 MaPS Newsletter Spring 2012 Page 3 is keen to meet with interested parties at the airfield and try to negotiate an amended development plan for the area to the south of the runway. I will update you on further news in future newsletters – it goes without saying that if Wellesbourne ceases to be the busy and vibrant centre for private aviation that it has been for the last thirty years then the knock-on effect on XM655 will be equally serious.....

We have been lucky enough to receive permission to reproduce a couple of fascinating Vulcan-based articles from two former 44 (Rhodesia) Sqn pilots in this edition of our newsletter. Many of you may remember Jon Tye as one of the two people of the same name who were my guests at last year’s Wings & Wheels (the other Mr Tye being a former Concorde pilot) – Jon writes about his experience as a squadron display pilot on the Vulcan. The other article is an evocative look back to life on the front line of the Cold War as a part of the V-Force QRA by Phil Leckenby, the editor of the Association Newsletter. Both of these articles originally appeared in the 44 (Rhodesia) Sqn Association Newsletter and I am indebted to Nick Dennis, also of that squadron, for alerting me to the articles.

Before you move on enjoy the articles and photographs in this newsletter, I would like on behalf of all XM655’s supporters and members of MaPS to pay tribute to the loyal and hardy bunch of volunteer engineers who toil, week after week, often in inclement weather in order that our 49½-year-old Vulcan is able to be kept in such remarkable condition and so that you can enjoy seeing and hearing it in action each year at Wings & Wheels. It is an under-statement to say that what they do is a phenomenal achievement. Thank you to all of them and long may they continue.....!

Engineering Report Eric Ranshaw

At the end of the Engineering report in the last newsletter, you may recall we had completed the overhaul of our four 25ton aircraft jacks, and positioned them under the Vulcan. On 1st December, with the assistance of 150 Sqn (City of Oxford) air cadets, we jacked up the aircraft, and all 18 tyres were off the ground together for the first time since the winter of 2004/2005. The purpose of the exercise was to recuperate the liquid springs which are the load-carrying components of the main under-carriage. With no weight on the springs, the internal pressure is sufficiently low that the aircraft hydraulic system can be used to top up the special hydraulic fluid inside.

______655 MaPS Newsletter Spring 2012 Page 4 On a flying Vulcan, this happens automatically every time the aircraft takes off. In our case, jacking the aircraft is the only way to achieve the effect, and having the assistance of a group of young, fit and enthusiastic air cadets to pump up the jacks makes the job a lot easier for all of us old-timers. We can report that the exercise was a great success. We knew that the aircraft was low on the starboard side, meaning that the stbd liquid spring need to be topped up, but we were surprised how much fluid was added to both sides of the under-carriage. The result is that the aircraft is now not only standing level but also somewhat higher all-round than before.

For some time, we have been concerned about the trailing edges of the inboard elevons, which have been showing signs of increasing deterioration due to corrosion. We originally considered removal of the complete elevon, but each one is too big to be accommodated in our workshop, so we decided to investigate the possibility of an in-situ repair. Bryan and Ian removed the lower skin from half the trailing edge of the No 5 elevon to assess the damage, and found that the skin itself and several of the internal ribs were corroded beyond repair. No two ribs are the same, but they are all very similar. After some careful measurements, we were able to determine the relationships between them, and Bryan manufactured several hardwood jigs to produce the top and bottom webs, the end web, and the strengthening holes in the correct relationship for each rib. He then used the jigs to make replacement ribs for all the corroded ones. These were painted, and after the remaining structure had been treated to resist any further corrosion, re-assembly commenced with the installation of the new ribs to the top skin and forward structure.

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A new trailing edge filler strip needed to be machined, and this was riveted in place together with a new bottom skin. The end result is very satisfactory, and we are now confident that we have both the tooling and the experience to continue with replacement of the other corroded trailing edges in a planned manner.

Our programme of Powered Flight Control Unit overhauls has continued with Roger and Ben tackling Nos 5 and 6 during the winter. Each unit is dismantled and all the rod seals and wipers are replaced, together with various other seals which have been known to produce leaks in the past. The rolling diaphragm (“Bellofram”) in the reservoir is also replaced if required. Each unit is then re-united with its motor, overhauled by Charles, and is bench tested before being reinstalled on the aircraft.

As Charles has reported in his Introduction, we have recently been able to buy 10 new main wheel tyres from Dunlop. The reason for purchasing 10 rather than 16 is that we had amongst our stock 6 unused tyres of the correct size, but with an 18 ply carcase instead of the 20 ply specified for the Vulcan B2, and with a slightly different tread pattern to the standard tyres. The technical manager of Dunlop Aircraft Tyres has confirmed that these are suitable for use at the weights and speeds we operate XM655, and could be mixed with the 20 ply tyres without problems. We therefore decided to buy 10 new tyres and use the lower rated ones to make up the set.

______655 MaPS Newsletter Spring 2012 Page 6 We have constructed a jig to assist in changing tyres, and at the time of writing, we are about three-quarters of the way through our programme to change all the main wheel tyres before Wings and Wheels. Six of the eight wheels will be fitted with an 18ply tyre at the inboard position, with a 20ply outboard. The final 2 wheels will have 2 of the 20ply tyres. The difference can be seen in these pictures, with the 18ply tyre at the bottom, and the 20ply on top.

During the coldest of the weather in February we noticed fuel dripping from the airframe forward of the port main undercarriage bay. This proved to be a leak from the No 1 group pipework adjacent to the fuel recuperators. These leaks always happen in the very cold weather due to the rubber seals in the pipe-joints, which are already hardened with age, becoming even less compliant due to the ambient temperature. After we had sourced a pair of C-spanners of the correct size, everyone in the team attempted to reach the joint without success. It was fairly easy to get one hand in position, but then reaching it with a second hand (and spanner) to tighten the joint proved to be very difficult. Eventually, Ian was able to get just enough purchase to tighten the joint a little, and the leak stopped. So far we have had no further problems, but if the leak re-appears we will probably have to remove the two large fuel recuperators to get sufficient access to replace the joint.

One of the long-standing jobs which has been tackled this winter was the oil leak from the Rover AAPP. We have been living with this for some time, but it had reached the point where it had to be tackled. Once we had gained access to the unit, the leak itself was less difficult to fix than we had feared. A damaged thermostat seal and a failed gasket on the sump heater assembly were found and replaced. Whilst we had the Rover bay open, we also replaced hardened seals in the Avery coupling which had been making it difficult to connect the oil filling rig. After completing the work, the unit has been test run on several occasions, and to date appears to be leak- free.

______655 MaPS Newsletter Spring 2012 Page 7 After resolving a problem with the air delivery valve on our Palouste air start unit, we used it to successfully carry out some engine dry cycles on the pan. This gave us the confidence (subsequently justified at the Spring EGR) that we could rely on the Palouste for engine starting. This has allowed us to begin some major works on our other starter.

The Garrett AiResearch turbine which has been our main air start unit for many years has generally been very reliable. One minor hiccup at Wings and Wheels a couple of years ago was rapidly overcome. However, the same could not be said for the VW Kombi van in which it was mounted. Keeping the VW operational has taken a good deal of time and effort over the years, and of late has reached the point where the effort was out-weighing the benefit. We have now decided to take a completely different approach.

The turbine unit and all its equipment have been removed from the VW, which has been passed to an enthusiast for restoration. In its place we have obtained a heavy-duty twin axle trailer on which we intend to mount the turbine unit and the rest of the equipment. We will then be able to tow the air start with either of our tugs, in the same way we do with the rest of the ground equipment.

Speaking of tugs, the Coleman has been giving us some problems with the transmission, which was dragging severely and making it very difficult to hold the vehicle on the brakes. Initially we thought this was due to a defective torque converter. We removed the engine to access the transmission, and extracted the torque converter for repair by a specialist company. On examination, it was found that there was no fault with the converter, but it was the wrong type for the vehicle, being suited to a low speed diesel engine. Luckily we were able to exchange it for a refurbished unit of the correct type, and after re-assembly, the Coleman is somewhat easier to drive. We have no idea when the incorrect torque converter was installed, but it was probably before the Coleman left its USAF duties at Upper Hayford.

______655 MaPS Newsletter Spring 2012 Page 8 During our combined Spring EGR and VTTST Aircrew Training in April, one of the drills involved the emergency abandonment of the aircraft after a simulated landing, with the engines still running down. Unfortunately this lead to abnormal loads in the 200v electrical system, and we were subsequently unable to restore electrical power to the aircraft. After investigation, we found that a large number of fuses in the main distribution system had blown, and since no direct indication is available, each one had to be tested and if necessary replaced. The picture shows just one of four sets of alternator fuses; all of these plus the individual load fuses had to be checked, and Len spent many (happy?) hours in the power bay working through them all.

Whilst the aircraft was away from the pan for the Spring EGR, Bob and Isi took advantage of the extra space to install a new power cable across the pan to supply power to the aircraft for our heaters and dehumidifiers. The previous arrangement had developed an earth fault, and the opportunity was taken to not only install a new supply, but also to relocate the connection point to a more convenient location.

Some years ago we obtained a seized Olympus 301 engine from the Avro Heritage Group at Woodford. This has been used for training and to develop our inspection techniques, and we have also recovered some spare parts from it. Following major modifications to the stand to make it more suitable for display purposes, we have now passed the engine on to the Wellesbourne Wartime Museum which is also located on Wellesbourne Mountford airfield. The picture shows the engine, on its stand, being pushed along the taxiway in front of XM655, on the way to its new home.

______655 MaPS Newsletter Spring 2012 Page 9 As well as all the activities mentioned above, there have many other things going on during the winter. On the aircraft, leaking walking joints on the main undercarriage brake pipes have been re-sealed, a fault with the pitch damper controls has been traced to a broken electrical wire and repaired, contact cleaning and relay repair on the fuel contents system is ongoing, and surface preparation and corrosion removal on the bomb bay outer doors continues. Off site, Tim has been rebuilding a complete pitch damper gyro assembly.

We have also replaced the security lighting on the pan, installed a new consumer unit for our domestic electrical distribution, re-organised the contents of two of our storage containers, and assembled a quantity of old scrap metal which we have been able to sell.

Displaying the Vulcan Jon Tye

I’m different to the RAF College Cranwell graduate entrants to the RAF as I was a direct entry which meant that I couldn’t read or write! My friend Ed Jarron and I went into the V-Force kicking and screaming. I had won the aerobatics trophy during my initial training at RAF Leeming on the Jet Provost and I didn’t do badly enough on the Gnat, so I thought, to deserve going on to the Vulcan. When I was sent there, I was not pleased – it was almost too much, but off I went. I’d been an apprentice at Rolls Royce and spent all my spare time riding motorbikes, trials and motocross (scrambles in those days) but when I joined the , I gave the bikes up. However, when they posted me on to the V-Force, I thought “you b*stards” and went straight back to my motorbikes again! In fact, I still ride a motorbike today.

I flew five years as display pilot during which time I did 69 displays on the Vulcan and they were tremendous times – absolutely fantastic. I went from being a co- pilot into (as a non-volunteer!) and it was there that Ed Jarron and I became firm friends, which we’ve remained to this day. I refused to take my promotion exams, because it would mean that I would stop flying, and was sent to the OCU, kicking and screaming once again, to fly the Vulcan and train people to fly it. In fact, when Ed came back into the training machine to become a Vulcan captain and Squadron Leader, I was his QFI! Eventually, on leaving the OCU, I went to 44 Sqn and became both the Squadron QFI and the Display Pilot.

Now Ed says that the best way to display a Vulcan is to fly it quickly but I fervently disagree, my approach being totally different. They didn’t actually tell you how to fly a display, they just gave you the aircraft along with some rules of things that you could and couldn’t do and from those parameters you had to try to work out a display routine. I looked at the Vulcan and thought how best to get the crowd going. My feeling was that the Vulcan was good at two things: making an awful lot of noise and turning very tightly. To do both of those things, you need an awful lot of power so, if you fly it very slowly you need a huge amount of power to keep it in the air. In fact I found you could fly the Vulcan quite satisfactorily down to around 105 knots but you had to be very careful because it would slip and slide, and you had to use an awful lot of rudder to keep the aircraft on the straight and narrow.

______655 MaPS Newsletter Spring 2012 Page 10 For this it needs a huge amount of power but that was good from the noise point of view.

To take it to a further extreme, I found that if you put the Vulcan in spiral climb and you climbed at 105 knots, which it would happily do, it would make an IMMENSE amount of noise for a long time!

At the end of my spiral climb I used to descend and gather speed for a laydown attack on the airfield at the end of which I would pull into a nearly vertical climb and the Vulcan would climb to 11,000 feet in an instant. If you looked out of the little window by your head you could see the runway apparently directly below you which confirmed that the aircraft had indeed climbed very nearly vertically. By this time the speed was decaying very rapidly and you had to sort that out, which could be easily achieved by turning the aircraft onto its back and rolling it down and away. A wonderful machine!

So, having made an awful lot of noise and turned very tightly as low as you’d dare, the final part was the landing. Now the standard operating procedure for the Vulcan was very strict about how to deploy the tail braking ‘chute because, as you’ve seen, it is a huge piece of silk that you throw out of the back. If you threw it out in any sort of crosswind then it had a great yawing effect on the airframe and would drag you off the runway if you were not ready for it. The procedure was that when you’d landed and had the nosewheel on the ground (providing nosewheel steering), you could then deploy the ‘chute which took five seconds to fully deploy. I was a rebel, a juvenile delinquent (I’m now a senile delinquent!) and I thought that this was bit boring. I discovered that you could actually deploy the ‘chute whilst still in the air!

You had to be very careful because there is a weak link that is designed to snap at about 140 knots and you must not deploy the ‘chute at more than 125 knots for exactly that reason. Therefore you had to be going slower than 125 knots which I think was the lowest threshold speed we were allowed to fly at. Anyway, you’d get the Vulcan down to about 120 knots with a bit of power on and you’d estimate five seconds back up the glide path. Remember this isn’t Don Briggs talking, this is a juvenile delinquent talking! You’d stream the ‘chute at what you thought was five seconds to touch down and sure enough, if you got it right, out would come the ‘chute and very quickly you’d be on the ground. I have a photograph taken at Waddington at an air display I gave there and you can see the ‘chute fully deployed and there’s only one mainwheel just touching the ground.

I have a great friend who rose to Air Vice Marshall and he was a fabulous fellow and a great personal friend to this day. When he was station commander at Waddington as a Group Captain (I was a mere Flight Lieutenant at that time and remained so for the rest of my career), he came to me and said “Jon, that deploying of the parachute, how d’you do it?” So I went through the routine: estimate five seconds back up the glide path, instruct your co-pilot to throw out the ‘chute and “as long as your speed’s right, sir” I said, “all will be well”. Well, he had to do a take-off in a scramble and then a short landing for a load of VIPs, I forget who they were, American generals, I think. He took off in the scramble and went around the circuit but he hadn’t practiced this landing technique, I hasten to add. Down he came on the approach and when he estimated he was five ______655 MaPS Newsletter Spring 2012 Page 11 seconds back up the approach, he called to his co-pilot to stream the ‘chute. Well unfortunately for him, the co-pilot was a graduate, which meant that he knew everything and he thought “silly old bugger, we’re not on the ground yet”, so he didn’t stream but the station commander thought that he had, as you would. He thought “God, we’re going a bit slowly here”, so he gave a burst of power just to make sure that when the ‘chute came out he wouldn’t just get hauled out of the sky. Well, two things happened.

They hit the ground with the hell of a thump at which point the co-pilot streamed the ‘chute because he thought he ought to. The power bit at the same time and they shot back into the air – to about 30 feet, at which point the ‘chute deployed and it just stopped the Vulcan dead in mid-air, at which point it fell out of the sky.

It was thought initially that they had written the aircraft off – the crew reckoned that you could go into the cockpit and actually see daylight through the airframe but that might have been an exaggeration! Furthermore it was no short landing because by the time the station commander had recovered his composure the Vulcan had rolled the full length of the runway, 9,000 feet of it! One of the visiting American generals was heard to say “I’ve seen men die in better landings than that!”, and my good friend never tried it again!

Visitors to XM655 Charles Brimson

With such a stunning example of British design and engineering as the mighty Avro Vulcan I suppose it is no surprise that even a colder and longer winter than usual cannot put off groups and individuals coming to visit us at our pan next to the South Warwickshire Flying School each Saturday. Speaking of the winter weather, we did suffer two Saturdays where the amount of snow prevented all of our hardy volunteers from being able to get to Wellesbourne – yet on one of those days, owing to a communication error, one visitor still arrived at the airfield to find a snow covered Vulcan..... and no-one else!

We have had no less than three visits from the Spice Adventure Group in Birmingham over the winter, each time sending between 12 and 20 people with extremely varied backgrounds to come and enjoy ‘The Vulcan Experience’ as it is known to Spice.

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A good number of former V-Force aircrew have come along to Wellesbourne with family members in tow to reacquaint themselves with the Vulcan; in many cases XM655 is recorded in their flying logs which they are kind enough to copy for our records. We have recently seen Alan Coles (navigator), Nick Dennis (a former 44 Sqn pilot), Neil Ryder (a former 101 Sqn pilot) and Tony Blackman (former Avro test pilot, and the first person to actually fly XM655 in 1964 from Woodford Aerodrome). Incidentally, it was whilst chatting to Nick Dennis that he put me on to the 44 (Rhodesia) Sqn Association newsletter editor who has provided a couple of marvellous anecdotal articles that appear elsewhere in this newsletter – thanks Nick...

Simon Turner, a local pilot, very kindly donated his 30 year collection of Pilot magazines to us in February with the wish that we raise money for MaPS with the proceeds of their sales. Anyone interested in purchasing either individual magazines or complete bound years should come to the MaPS merchandise tent at Wings & Wheels on 16 June....

The Bugatti Owners Club came for their fourth group visit in February on a bitterly cold, but dry, day – this time their stalwart organiser and good friend of MaPS, Frank Ashley, brought along their President, Charles Trevelyan and a really good turnout of people and cars for a thoroughly enjoyable visit.

On Good Friday Matt Lawrence, chief engineer of the Vulcan Restoration Trust that looks after XL426 at Southend Airport, together with two of his colleagues flew in to Wellesbourne for an informal exchange of ideas and information. I should perhaps explain that they did not arrive in XL426, no matter how enjoyable that ______655 MaPS Newsletter Spring 2012 Page 13 would have been to see, but rather more prosaically in a Cessna which allowed Matt to keep his hours up on his PPL! Eric and I couldn’t let them leave without gifts, so we were able to present them with a spare undercarriage recuperator, a gallon of precious OX16 oil for the recuperator, and a couple of spare landing light bulbs (VTTST at Hinckley had recently provide us with a decent supply of these, so it is only fair to share amongst the three groups). In exchange Matt has agreed to provide MaPS with a surplus main undercarriage wheel which will then enable us to have two complete sets of wheels for use (a running set and a standing set).

Finally, we finished the season with a visit to Wellesbourne of no less than 32 Vulcans! When I explain that these all arrived with their riders by road, it will then become obvious that I am referring to the Kawasaki Vulcan, a mighty (but not that mighty) motorcycle with a similar cult following to the aircraft of the same name.... The Vulcan Riders Association, led by Graham ‘Badges Rees-Nicholls, arranged to bring a large group to visit the aircraft as part of their AGM weekend on 27 March. The obligatory photograph of 32 Vulcans underneath a Vulcan speaks for itself!

QRA – A Personal Reminiscence Phil Leckenby

By the time I first entered the gates of RAF Waddington in October 1964, QRA had long since been an integral part of the lives of V-Force air and ground crews. The bombing of Hiroshima changed everything fundamentally. Not only had it ushered in the nuclear age but no other single event emphasised so dramatically the crucial role of the manned strategic bomber. The quantum leap in Bomber Command’s potency during the post-war years reached a pinnacle in the late 50s when each V-Force squadron, and there were quite a few of them, had an aircraft armed with a nuclear weapon continuously at 15 minutes readiness for take off. That alert state could be further elevated at any time to enable the force to get airborne within the four-minute threat posed by ICBMs.

Looking back now, it is interesting to reflect on how aircrew and ground crew all accepted so readily the onerous responsibility of being part of Britain’s independent nuclear deterrent. To say that few of us seriously believed the

______655 MaPS Newsletter Spring 2012 Page 14 madness of a nuclear exchange would ever happen is simplistic but perhaps not too far from the truth. Everyone was aware of the calamitous consequences should the policy of tripwire response fail, yet most of us in the front line were secure in the belief that the retaliatory threat we posed was real enough to deter even the most fanatical of enemy regimes. Certainly the stakes were high but we took comfort in the knowledge that our training, our aircraft and, of course the weapons we carried posed a credible threat.

It should be remembered that this was an era when the doctrine of communism was riding high and its overt policy of expansionism posed a very real threat to the western alliance. The Cuban missile crisis of October 1962 was a stark reminder that the game was indeed being played for real. Secretary of State Dean Rusk’s memorable observation “We’re eyeball to eyeball and I think the other fellow just blinked.” succinctly underlined the awful implications of brinkmanship. Much has since changed in the intervening 40-odd years but back in the 60s there seemed no alternative to a defensive posture underwritten by the certainty of massive nuclear retaliation.

I was destined to do two tours of duty at Waddington: one as a Vulcan B Mk 1A co-pilot, the second as a captain on 101 Squadron flying the more modern and powerful Vulcan B Mk 2. Regardless of aircraft type, QRA was an intrinsic part of squadron life. Crews were placed on QRA for 24 hour periods, sometimes extended to 48; whatever the duration, the seriousness of the undertaking was never underplayed. Brand new crews were excused QRA until they had fulfilled all the training requirements of the Combat Ready qualification. This ensured that inexperienced crews were not saddled with such an onerous operational responsibility until they had acquired a firm foundation of tactical flying by day and night, competence in all modes of weapon delivery, au fait with electronic warfare and fully trained on the complexities of the mighty bomb. Finally there was the little matter of target study. Each month there was a requirement to complete a number of hours studying assigned targets so that, if push came to shove, every crew would be familiar with routes, enemy defences and every known detail of the targets they would hopefully never attack.

The QRA set up at Waddington was located at Alpha Dispersal on the north western side of the airfield. There were three Vulcan squadrons in residence, each of which continuously provided one combat-ready aircraft armed and ready to go at fifteen minutes notice. A short distance away from the dispersal was a slightly shabby collection of Nissan huts providing accommodation for crews on QRA. They contained rudimentary dormitories with curtains affording basic privacy, an operations room equipped with an array of telephones and an intercom known appropriately as the Bomber Box, a lounge area and a games room equipped with snooker and table tennis tables. The QRA huts may have been short on luxury but they did provide basic facilities adequate for the needs of the three resident Vulcan crews.

As with sailors or prisoners, food took on a disproportionate importance for aircrew whiling away the tedious hours. Meals of generous proportions were taken in the aircrew dining room, predictably known as the Greasy Spoon, which was conveniently located nearby in Ops Wing HQ. The menu may not have been overly influenced by today’s gospel of healthy eating but those of prodigious ______655 MaPS Newsletter Spring 2012 Page 15 appetite could, if they wished, eat there as many times as they liked throughout the day.

The QRA hut complex was not quite close enough to the aircraft for rapid access on foot, so each squadron had its own QRA vehicle in which they raced to their aircraft whenever the Bomber Controller raised the alert State from 15 to 5 or less minutes. Response times were critical and crews on QRA were never allowed to roam far from their aircraft. Essentially they were confined to Alpha Dispersal, Ops Wing HQ or the QRA hut itself. This restriction severely inhibited crew members’ leisure activities and meant that the long hours could best be whiled away reading, watching TV, playing games or even working on the motley collection of old cars parked just outside the QRA hut.

Practice call-outs by day and night were a regular feature of life on QRA, providing brief moments of excitement during an otherwise dull period of duty. A service vehicle, often of humble origins, provided transport for a Vulcan crew sitting alert on QRA to its nuclear-armed aircraft on Alpha Dispersal. During my time at Waddington the QRA wagons were changed or upgraded a number of times. The requirements were modest: it had to start without difficulty, accommodate a Vulcan crew of five with all their flying kit, sport a flashing blue roof light to distinguish it from more mundane road traffic and be capable of covering short distances to waiting aircraft. A number of vehicles were assigned to QRA crews, the most memorable of which was an ancient minivan known as the Morris J2.

What the J2 lacked in elegance it more than made up for in temperament. The J2 could have been British Leyland’s answer to the ubiquitous VW camper – but for two small flaws. Firstly, the woefully undersized engine was notoriously reluctant to start. Even in a summer heat-wave it could be coaxed into life only with difficulty. In wet cold weather it was a toss-up as to whether the starter motor or the battery would give up the unequal struggle first, leaving the frustrated crew no option but to run to the aircraft as best they could. The second trifling imperfection lay with the J2’s column-mounted gear change. These vehicles endured a hard life in the sometimes uncaring hands of RAF drivers and the older the vehicle became, the more imprecise was the selection of its three forward gears. As the linkage became worn, first and second gears would become increasingly difficult to engage, leaving the driver with the option of kangarooing uncertainly forward in third or accelerating away ignominiously in reverse.

I have an enduring memory of a particular QRA exercise which required us to board the aircraft, start up and taxi to the runway threshold - as close as we ever got to a practice scramble. As we ran out of the QRA hut, I caught sight of 50 Squadron’s van lurching towards the dispersal in a cloud of blue smoke and a series of hesitant leaps. As we drove off in pursuit, I noticed 101 Squadron’s van motionless in its parking slot, its blue light flashing in anticipation and anxious faces peering out of the windows; eventually it must have coughed into life because soon afterwards we were treated to the bizarre spectacle of their J2 accelerating away rapidly in reverse, weaving an uncertain path backwards to the waiting aircraft.

______655 MaPS Newsletter Spring 2012 Page 16 The old Mark 1 Vulcan’s electrical system was DC and the engines were started using an external DC power supply. The combat ready checks on a QRA aircraft tested all the systems and left the aircraft in a state ready for immediate engine start by means of an external ground power supply. Engine start could be initiated by the Crew Chief pressing four buttons on the ground power unit. When all checks were complete, the crew would lock the entrance door with a very small key, which looked suspiciously like the sort of replacement car key supplied by Halfords. As ever with QRA, reaction time was crucial and the approved engine starting procedure was to brief the Crew Chief that as soon as he saw the aircrew emerge from the wagon on the edge of the dispersal, he was to press all four start buttons. This could save a few precious seconds, allowing the engines to be winding up whilst the crew clambered into the crew compartment; as soon as the pilots reached the narrow confines of the cockpit they would open the throttles to the idle gate and the aircraft would be ready to taxy.

The custody of the aircraft key was usually entrusted to the co-pilot. During one exercise call-out, the inevitable happened. The kangarooing J2 lurched to a halt on the edge of the pan and the Crew Chief, who had already started the ground power unit, hit all four start buttons as briefed. The crew sprinted to beneath the entrance door and waited for the co-pilot to unlock it. The Rolls Royce Olympus engines began their noisy wind up. The co-pilot repeatedly felt around his neck for the key lanyard but it wasn’t there. He then went through a slap-stick comedy routine, furiously patting all the many pockets of his flying suit as he tried to locate the missing key. The penny finally dropped. The hapless co-pilot had committed the cardinal sin of leaving the key on his night stand in the QRA dormitory where, until a few minutes ago, he had been enjoying a peaceful afternoon nap. Ashen- faced he was despatched back to the QRA hut to retrieve the key. Meanwhile the other two aircraft taxied out of the QRA dispersal towards the runway and the remainder of the stranded crew could only look on with mounting embarrassment from beneath their aircraft as the four mighty Olympi reached the peak of their start cycles.

Strange and sometimes humorous things did happen. A combat-ready Vulcan could be started and readied for flight very quickly. Four aircraft scrambled from the ORP at the end of the runway could all be airborne in less than two minutes, an impressive and ear-shattering feat often demonstrated to visiting dignitaries. Upping the QRA readiness state was a frequent exercise, initiated by the Bomber Controller and broadcast by Tannoy throughout the QRA complex. Anything less than the normal 15 minutes entailed manning the aircraft and Readiness 02 meant the aircraft had to be started up and taxied to the runway threshold. Such rapid movement was not entirely without risk. Out on Alpha Dispersal, the small huts provided to shield the RAF Police guards from the elements were not immune from the effects of Olympus jet blast. I once saw one of them reduced to matchwood as a Mark 2 taxied out, the guard having had the good sense to retreat a safe distance away.

The malevolent Bomber Controller, deep in his lair in the bowels of Strike Command, was also fond of QRA call-outs during the night. On one occasion an unfortunate pilot, perhaps not yet fully awake and probably a little blinded by the sodium lights surrounding the pans, turned a little too tightly out of the dispersal and managed to drop a main wheel bogey off the concrete taxiway onto the ______655 MaPS Newsletter Spring 2012 Page 17 grass. The fully loaded Vulcan quickly sank up to its axles and a spare aircraft had to quickly be brought on state.

The threat from the Warsaw Pact has long since evaporated and QRA is now a fast-fading memory. The uneasy peace that prevailed throughout the cold war years can be interpreted as testament to the success of the policy of deterrence. QRA, in the strategic retaliatory sense, hopefully may never return. For the Vulcan crews of my era, the part we played in maintaining a credible nuclear deterrent evoked remarkably little emotion, even in the wake of the ’62 Cuban missile crisis. If it now seems odd that the reality of our contribution to the nuclear stand-off was typified by almost passive acceptance, it is worth remembering that this was an era when a number of wonks held the equally strange tenet that it was somehow acceptable to provide Martin Baker ejection seats for the Vulcan’s two pilots whereas the rest of the crew were left to escape through the entrance hatch as best they could

A Date for your Diary Charles Brimson

We are delighted to announce that Wings & Wheels this year will be on Sunday 16 June 2013 – remaining with our ‘usual’ choice of FATHER’S DAY for our big event.

Our aircrew for the day will be Wg Cdr Mike Pollitt (RAF Retired) as captain, ably assisted by Gp Cpt John Laycock as co-pilot and Sqn Ldr Barry Masefield (RAF Retired) sitting in the AEOs seat. Sqn Ldr David Thomas (RAF Retired) will also be in the cockpit ‘on the ladder’ keeping his usual eagle eye on proceedings.

We will also have our favourite and ever-youthful commentator, Dave Rowland, informing, educating and entertaining us throughout the day. I am also pleased to announce that we will be joined by two aviation authors – Tony Blackman and Craig Bulman. By the way, Tony is on the look-out for anecdotes from any former Vulcan people (aircrew, ground crew, etc) to include in his forthcoming book “Vulcan Boys” – if you can help please see Tony at the show, alternatively I can put you in touch with him if you contact me.

We will stick to our tried and tested basic running order for the day – because it is popular and it works. We will continue with the ‘Town Square’ layout that we have employed for the last couple of years and make things even better by introducing more exhibitors and traders than ever before.... Look out too for the return of our popular ‘Silent Auction’ and also a prize raffle with some brilliant prizes, especially for aviation buffs.

Even though Classic Air Force (previously known as Classic Flight of Coventry Airport) have recently relocated to St Mawgan (Newquay) I am also pleased to confirm that they will once again be providing one of their lovely de Havilland Dragon Rapides for pleasure flights throughout the day. You will be able to book a short flight on the day – the booking table will be not far from where the Rapide will be parked at the intersection of the two runways.

______655 MaPS Newsletter Spring 2012 Page 18 Not to be outdone by last year’s successful first year, Avril Magill (our Membership Secretary) and her partner, Bryan Hull (from our engineering team) have taken on the challenge of further improving the Classic Car and Military Vehicles displays this year. We will have a dedicated Classic Motorcycles section for the first time. At the time of going to press, their efforts are paying off handsomely with some terrific early entries already arranged.

I am delighted to announce that, serviceability and weather permitting, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will be providing their Dakota to give us three orbits and flypasts of the airfield at some point during the show. Watch out, too, for a most unusual white delta-winged aircraft during the course of the day – I can’t say any more than that....

I hope that we will also have several exotic and historic aircraft flying in for the day and being displayed in the static display area at the northern end of RWY 05/23. It all promises to be a great day – and as usual it is all free for MaPS Members, and you will find your ticket(s) enclosed with this newsletter (or sent under separate cover if you receive your copy of the newsletter in PDF format via email). Please encourage all your friends, neighbours and family members to come to the show – the entrance fee for non-members is an astonishingly low £5 and they can then also join MaPS at the special show price of only £10 for the first year (individual membership).

See you all there!

______655 MaPS Newsletter Spring 2012 Page 19 Financial Report Eric Ranshaw

This is the financial report for the last financial year, as approved by the elected auditor and presented at the Annual General Meeting on 4th May 2013.

FINANCIAL REPORT OF 655 MAINTENANCE AND PRESERVATION SOCIETY for financial year 1st April 2012 to 31st March 2013

2012/2013 2011/2012 Income

Donations £7,774.28 £5,718.06 Membership £4,528.00 £3,779.30 Sale of Merchandise inc P & P £4,037.50 £2,678.39 Run Day Income 2011 £9,144.13 Run Day Income 2012 £10,931.16 £334.00 Run Day Income 2013 £355.00 Interest £15.34 £13.12 Misc. Income £205.23 £1,070.00

Total £27,826.51 £22,737.00

Expenses

Merchandise Purchase £3,303.26 £2,360.25 Aircraft Spares & Repairs £3,972.59 £1,074.45 Aircraft Fuel £5,134.50 £6,530.72 Run Day Expenses 2011 £1,579.92 Run Day Expenses 2012 £2,369.58 £146.39 Run Day Expenses 2013 £10.00 Ground Equipment £224.44 £2,998.80 Ground Equipment Fuel £344.01 £712.75 Membership Expenses £701.62 £801.98 Buildings, Residence etc £2,362.36 £2,146.99 Tools, Consumables etc £1,685.62 £1,069.91 Public Relations £249.88 £367.26 Museum and Display Items £1,437.09

Total £21,794.95 £19,789.42

Surplus (Deficit) £6,031.56 £2,947.58

Picture Credits

All of the pictures used in this newsletter are by Avril Magill. XM655’s official photographer is Clive Hanley. Clive’s many pictures of XM655 can be viewed in high resolution at www.evergreen.zenfolio.com/vulcanXM655 or by following the link from our own website www.xm655.com.

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