LYNNE - Q-AVNSC

VULCAN B Mk2 XH558 

Construction of this aircraft was completed 30^th June 1960 and fitted with Olympus 201 series engines at Woodford.

This aircraft has flown in every role, Nuclear, conventional bombs, maritime reconnaissance and in flight refueller role (tanker) and finally as the RAF Display Flight aircraft.

In March 1993 after much lobbying to keep the aircraft in service the MoD made the decision to wash it’s hands of the display flight and the aircraft was sold to the Walton family who just happened to own Bruntingthorpe airfield in Leicestershire where a number of preserved aircraft were located.

On the 23^rd March 1993 XH558 was delivered to Bruntingthorpe, but flew over the old Vulcan bases and Woodford where she was built.

There was still a massive fan base and the Walton’s forged ahead with the idea of getting her re registered as a civil a/c with the aim of getting it airborne.

To this end the Walton’s had also purchased some 800 tons of spares and scoured the MoD for every scrap of paper, manuals and test equipment that would be required to get 558 airborne.

The servicing bays at a the bases from where the Vulcans had operated were stripped of anything and everything that would be of use and which was destined to be scrapped

Following a feasibility study and a structural survey it was finally agreed that restoration could begin.

About this time the Vulcan Operating Company was formed to purchase the a/c from the Walton family and set the wheels in motion for the make over from a Military to a Civil aircraft.

The team then had to start looking for the very large amount of finance. 

The aircraft was by now in the hangar and on the four large hydraulic jacks that enable all the major components – engines, undercarriage and flying controls to be removed.

These items are going away to the original manufacturer for overhaul and re-issue. 

August 15^th 2005 saw me heading for Bruntingthorpe airfield in Leicestershire at the request of the Vulcan Operating Company. (VOC)

I had been at a “Crew Chief Reunion” which was attended by Dr Robert Pleming and Andrew Edmondson from VOC who were looking for experienced people to help out.

                                                                                  Lynne (Q-AVNSC) with 558

So I found myself being recruited as a consultant to work with the Marshals Aerospace technicians.

This is to be a mammoth task, Marshalls Aerospace of Cambridge are the Prime Contractors and I am indeed working alongside their technicians in an advisory capacity. 

My first task was to carry out a survey of the four jet pipe tunnels. A very dirty job! I did wonder if they were testing me. If that was the case then I won and left them with a large list of structural damage to repair. 

The next task I was given was to carry out another survey, but this time on all the flying control rods from front to back and out to No1 and No8 Power Flying Control units. Again looking for damage, seized bearings and lack of bonding clips, resulting in another load of work cards. 

March 2006, I found myself  with some of the techies (Ron, Nick, James and Ollie ) inspecting Oxygen and hydraulic pipes for corrosion and damage. Where new pipes were available they were fitted. If no spares available then the existing pipes were inspected, washed out with cleaning fluid, washed thro with deionised water then dried with nitrogen before being refitted. That task took a few weeks. 

In the meantime the decision had been taken to remove all the redundant “WAR” equipment along with it’s associated wiring. (Mammoth task for the electricians)

At the end the a/c now weighs some 4Tons less. However this gave us a problem as the Centre of Gravity of the a/c is now further back than it should be and ballast has had to be added to the nose where the H2S radar scanner used to live. 

For quite some time I was searching thro the spares schedules and modification leaflets identifying part numbers and printing off diagrams, these were attached to the work cards to help the technicians locate each job. Remember some of these engineers/techies had never seen a Vulcan before. This task involved me being in parts of the structure that I hadn’t seen in 40 years! 

Along side of this all the flexible fuel tanks had been removed to allow the surrounding structure to be inspected. Lots of new tank bay metal skins had to be manufactured and fitted. As I write this all the fuel system has be put back in place, tested and functioned. 

In the engine bay the “New engines” (25yrs old) were being prepped for installation in the airframe, this involved the propulsion men in lots of checks and fitting of components, The engines were then put back into their storage bags until the airframe was ready for them. These keep them dry and maintain their life. 

All this was carried out under the watchful eyes of Marshalls Engineers :- John Boyle (PMR) Dave Fisher, Derek Marshall, Stuart Bond and Tom Faire. The latter two being electrical/avionics guys.

The electricians have been kept extremely busy, not just on the a/c but in the electrical bay, (which they have had to build from scratch with a lot of help from the volunteer workforce) All the electrical components have be cleaned, inspected and functionally tested then bagged up and put on the racks for storage until the rebuild starts. 

One cannot leave out the team who live upstairs and attend to all the finance and publicity for the project. Also the team of people in Logistics who have the job of keeping the parts available as and when required by the engineers.

11/06/2007,
Just a couple of fuel tanks to go in. The refuelling pipes are in the process of being pressure and leak tested.
The engines are being installed and all is looking good.
Bomb doors are back on and looking very smart.
24v & 200v electrical supplies have been applied to the aircraft.
Still awaiting the electric motors for the PFCU's (Power Flying Control Units) before we can start on the process of setting up the flying controls.
She has to go back on jacks for the undercarriage retraction test and setting up, but we have to get a 40% fuel load on board for that job.

23/06/2007

Hard week on 558 last week.  Long days - 08.00 to 22.00 for me. Longer for the other guys.
However on Thursday last the old lady was rolled out of the hangar and fuel was pumped in (very slowly at first) No major leaks in fact only about four, and a No2 tank port isolation cock that was faulty.
Which was amazing when on thinks that all the tanks and pipe work had been removed and reinstalled.
Main u/c door jacks are now fitted, as are the Nose gear door jacks.
The Emergency air release valves for the emergency u/c blow down system are being installed. Not an easy job to get at and most of our guys are too big to get thro the hole at the rear of the nose wheel bay and up thro the roof below No1 tank.
Large ballast plates are fitted in place of the scanner, as there was no way to lock it in place.
The "Garmin" will have a new aerial on the Bomb Aimers blister, looks like a boomerang. Hope they remember to put red flags on it whilst on the ground.
Still no electric motors for the PFCU’s either!
We have to sort out two stainless steel pipes for the front Stbd bomb door jack then we can start and fill the hydraulic system up and look for leaks before starting functionals.
Air brake motors still to be connected to the drive shafts. We are getting there.

30/06/2007    Getting too old for the travelling AND long days at the hangar with 558!!!!!
The steel hydraulic pipes are installed and ten gallons of air are being replaced by that distinctive smelling hydraulic oil.
The Bomb doors are working on the hand pump fitted to the hydraulic rig. Remember the flat four, air cooled Coventry Victor that could break your wrist if not handled properly???
The brake foot motors have been filled and bled from the brake control valve in the nose wheel bay to the pedals in the cockpit. Also the clamps were fitted to the gauge relays on the hydraulic panel and all the lines to the triple indicator gauges have been bled, clamps removed and all is looking good.
The u/c will have to wait until she is back on jacks, probably at the end of next week.
A slight set back occurred when it was found that No2 port fuel tank was leaking!!
and had to be drained and removed for repair.
The electricians had a problem with No3 group contents and switching, but now hopefully fixed.
The pressure testing of the high-pressure ducting is in progress, the low pressure testing was done then the palouste was hooked up and started to check out the system more rigorously.
I'm not there next week due to inconvenient hospital appointments, which non-the-less gives me a chance to get some energy back into my own batteries.

21/07/2007    More long hours have been burned, She's back on Jacks for setting up the u/c systems, micro switches, snubber valves etc
No2 tank port has been returned and refitted. Fingers crossed!!!
Intake skins going back in following completion of Flying control rods checks, ducting checks etc.
The routine working day seems to have stabilised at 07.30 - 23.00 most days but have been known to be longer.
Electrical/avionics guys are working their socks off also.
So nobody can say we're not trying.
Still no pfcu motors! BUT that shouldn't stop us taking her out for engine runs in the near future.

12/08/2007    Got home 21.00 Friday and driving back to Bruntingthorpe at 17.00 tonight. (Sunday 12th Aug)
1. Retractions completed
2. Airbrakes completed
3. Emergency entrance door opening completed
4. Nose wheel steering OK
5. Motors fitted on all ten PFCU's and electrically functioned. But not yet hooked up to the elevons.
6. Canopy fitted, cockpit "armed and Live"
7. Aircraft should be coming OFF jacks Monday morning ready for a/c going out for dry runs on the engines soon.

When we will be able to get on with the flying control rigging is anybodies guess???

18/08/2007    A milestone was achieved on Friday 17th August 2007 morning with the running of all four engines AND they all behaved according to plan. All had to be held on idle tho' and hopefully on Monday morning we will get clearance to wind them up and get all the testing done. I enjoyed a bit of nostalgia by riding the brakes from the hangar to the ground run area, which is about a 20-minute walk from the hangar.


(Sunday 9th Sept)    Another hectic week at Bruntingthorpe completed.
The flying controls are set up in the range of movement mode; the electricians are now having fun? Setting up the desyn's that give the control indications on the pilots centre panel.
There is also a problem with the fuel tank pressurisation system, which is causing some head scratching, and reading of the vol1.
All four engines have been run at "Full Howl" to the delight of the tvoc forum members.
Electricians (Leckies) had a few problems with the generating systems but have cured almost all of them. Like everything else, you cure one problem and another raises it ugly head!
Next major task is for the electricians to set up the feel and auto stab systems then we (riggers and electricians) can start doing the force deflection checks to check the feel boxes are operating correctly.
Then of course you all know the job is not complete until the paperwork is done!!!

25/09/2007    Slight change of plans a couple of weeks ago. During engine runs a HP hydraulic pipe above No3 engine decided to split! Dumped all 12 gallons on the pan!!
558 back in the hangar and on jacks, makeup pieces out and offending pipe removed. New pipe manufactured and fitted, all HP pipes surveyed.No3 ECU removed for access and cleaning.
All back together now ready for runs.
Hydraulics replenished and all the jacks bled and bomb door and U/C retractions carried out.
Also No1 PFCU had to be changed. That also is completed.
Elevon Force Deflection checks are done and when I left last Wednesday evening there was just the rudder to do. Not a quick job but has to be done.
On a personal note, I am not going back down until 1st Flight, (at home with a self inflicted back injury) 

30/09/2007
The aircraft is complete but outstanding quite a few independent checks on vital systems. It was at this point that an error was found in the flying controls set up. My memory had let us down. So it was back to square one with the setting up. That is why INDEPENDENT CHECKS ARE CARRIED OUT. Just as well as it turned out.
These will be done this next week then final panelling up will be carried out.
THEN of course we all know the job isn't finished until ALL the paperwork is done!

3048 Non routine work cards (defects etc). 2927 work cards for scheduled maintenance and 73 work cards for NDT (Non destructive testing) making a total of 6,047 work cards.
400 + job cards to go was my last info.

13/10/2007,
On Friday last she was introduced to the crew members and from what I can gather they took her for a taxi run! Also a 4-point compass swing has been carried out. With luck, and some decent weather she should make her maiden rebirth flight this coming week.
I will be there. 

18^th October 2007
Well the big day did finally arrive. She was up where she truly deserves to be, and didn't she look and sound wonderful.
It was touch and go though as on Wednesday when we did the fast taxi and streamed the brake chute one of our two airfield fire trucks went u/s AND TWO we had to have!
However another was brought to Bruntingthorpe by dedicated firemen fans and all was well.
The day was rather strange for myself and the Marshall's team and not forgetting the contractors, as we were observers and the TVOC guys had to get on and do it on their own.
We all drove to the VIP area to watch. (This was quite a distance from the pan where 558 was parked) and at the appointed time we saw the anti-collision lights go on followed by the houchin starting up. Finally Taff (crew chief) led her on his long lead out onto the taxiway.
She came up the quite steep gradient making lots of noise and turned onto the runway then taxied to the far end and turned round and lined up.
You could have heard a pin drop it went that quiet.
Then the engines spooled up and she started her take off run.
Then finally that distinctive howl of the 200 series engines seemed to bring her to life for everyone. She lifted into the air as though she knew everyone was watching.

Photos by Gavin Kemp:-     www.lkestudios.co.uk

At that point everyone went crazy, cheering and waving.
For myself I was proud to have been involved with the project and uncrossed my fingers and felt my heart rate revert to idle!

BBC Midlands news reel link

She flew out of sight and as I understand out towards RAF Cottesmore.
The U/C, Bomb doors and Airbrakes were all functioned as part of the low speed handling tests.
She finally arrived back and that unmistakable shape with legs extended and airbrakes on high drag came into land like an eagle about to catch its prey, then light as a feather she touched down.

She then backtracked up the runway and taxied into a pan adjacent to where we were all congregated and shut down.
You should have seen the faces of the crew when they got out of the aircraft, they were grinning from ear to ear.
Our Marshalls guys had a quick de-brief and she had performed beautifully.
In fact the word was, I'm reliably informed, from the test pilot. "I can never remember a Vulcan that flew as well as 558".
After lots of posing for pictures for the hundreds of cameras we finally made our way back to the hangar to await the arrival of "Delta lady" on the end of a tug and towing arm.
The TVOC team then had to refuel her ready for the next air test, carryout the servicings etc. Remember the magnetic plugs guys? Yes they were changed for a set of clean ones and the removed ones will find their way to Waddington for checking.

Once the a/c was in the hangar and all secured Dr Robert came and gave us all a big thank you and we toasted each other AND 558.
Then it was off to the "Plough" Inn in Bruntingthorpe Village for further celebrations.

Early in 2008 she “558” has to make two further air tests before being certified/licensed to fly at air shows. To that end fund raising must keep going. All donations to  www.tvoc.co.uk  are very welcome She has a finite life of ten years then she must be retired to an aircraft museum. 

I hope this parable has given you all some insight as to what had to happen to get this aged Icon of the British Aircraft Industry back into the air. For my part I would like to convey my heartfelt thanks to EVERYBODY who has contributed to this huge task. But even more so to "The Vulcan Operating Company", who are as far as I am concerned "THE No1 Equal Opportunities Company" in the UK.

Official XH558 DVD's of restoration Parts 1,2 & 3 and First Test Flight Oct 18th 2007 are available from :- www.primetimevideo.co.uk/Videos/Aviation/index.html

Regards.

Lynne

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