If You Live In Northants/leics

[gness]

Look to the skies....a beautiful plane is performing....sometimes with escorts.

Black and I think a Vulcan...could that be right?....Gx

[lady-janine]

nothing but blue skies here. minty's not seeing too well at the moment so don't tease her.

[ummmm]

Would I be able to see it from N'pton town?

[Baldric]

Can't see a blooming thing from sunny Kent, mind you, now they've closed London Manston International we're not going to see a lot!

[gness]

Okay, LadyJ...☺

Perhaps, Ummm....circling towards Market Harborough now. Has been around for almost an hour ...

[Mags22]

You can't mistake a Vulcan, lucky you,as there's only one able to fly now,my husband supports it but hasn't heard anything about it lately, so hope it is what you are looking at, beautiful sight, both my late husband and my partner spent many nights guarding them in their RAF days

[gness]

Only thought to take a pic when it was in the distance, Mags....and it's a ropey shot.....I can still hear it but not see it now.....
Was beautiful...whatever it was but I think a Vulcan from googling...x

[HansUrbancka]

If it's a Vulcan it will look like one of the following :-

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Photograsph+of+Vulcan+Aircraft.&qpvt=Photograsph+of+Vulcan+Aircraft.&;FORM=IGRE

Hans.

[ChillDoubt]

If it IS a Vulcan the sound alone will be enough, it's deafening.

[HansUrbancka]

@Mags22.......This could be the one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Vulcan_XH558

Hans.

[gness]

Thank you both.....yes indeed that's what it was....the noise scared the wits out of me but had I been lying on my patio with the camera when it flew low over the roof...and with escort planes, I could have had a fantastic shot..☺

[ChillDoubt]

Wow, lucky you gness. To see a Vulcan in flight is a truly magnificent sight.
Seems I am a poet and I didn't know it!

[Mags22]

Thanks Hans, glad it's still airworthy. Have to admit first time I saw it I was moved to tears.

[sddsddean]

I saw it this afternoon north side of Northampton (though I was south side about 5 miles away) about 2pm. Couldn't mistake that delta wing and she was doing a nice turn, so easy to spot.
Regarding the noise, I use to live in SE London and my mates and I used to cycle out to Biggin Hill for the air shows. The only time a Vulcan came over was during the Falklands crisis in '82. She flew down the flight line with bomb doors open so you could see the extra fuel tank fitted there (to get her to Stanley). She came back along the flight line at about 150 feet on 'tickover' and about half way down the pilot stood her on her tail and put all 4 engines on re-heat! The noise was incredible and everything and everyone was shaking for a minute or so, such was the power unleashed by her engines. Unforgettable!

[ChillDoubt]

so were the Argies during the Falklands skirmish.
------------------
LOL, but not as much as the RAF top brass when they saw how wide of the target(the runway) their bombs were after the raid!

[ChillDoubt]

http://www.phoenixthinktank.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/21.-Vulcans-fail-to-close-Port-Stanley-runway..jpg

[gness]

Hi, Sd....I thought it would just pass over but on my horizon, just above the A14 near Kettering, it flew for ages and some of the moves were amazing.

There have been a number of unusual planes and helicopters this afternoon so maybe a display is in the offing....though I can't find anything for the Vulcan.....but I could watch it for hours.....

Am so, so tempted to give Baza best answer....☻

[excelsior-1]

gness, you were truly lucky this afternoon

the vulcan bomber is a magnificent machine, i grew up on an air force base where they were stationed in the early sixties, my late father was on ground crew

i loved to see them taking off and landing

[Slapshot]

Pictures woman........

[Slapshot]

XH 558 is flying again afetr the support group raised the money to keep her flying....I did donate as well. The Vulcan is one of the greatest aircraft ever made and to see the "tin-can" fly is sublime. I've been inside 558 as a static display...... watching her fly makes the hairs on my nexk stand on end!!

XM607 the aircraft that completed the Black Buck 1 raid on Stanley just has that mystique that none of the other aircraft has, would be a bit like Gibson's Lancaster from the Op Chastise raids on the Rhur Dams if it was still around. 607 sits as gate guardian at RAF Waddington.

Read Vulcan 607, by Rolland White, it's the most complete story of Black Buck 1 and the subsequent raids. I hate seeing any criticism of the raids, actually reaching the target was a feat in itself and to actually hit the Runway was an incredible and if you see the line they had to fly to make the bombing run it's madness to even contemplate the task they had. I've stood at the edge of what remains on one of the craters looking back along the line of the run there is nothing there, no landmarks no aiming points just antiquated electronic systems to hit the runway..... it was magnificant.

It was a fantastic feat of daring by a brilliant crew led by Martin Withers (great man) and the back up he had from Bob Tuxford in the Victors was incredible, these guys really put their lifes on the line.