18/07/2015 Shipston Rotary Club Visit

With only seven volunteers on Saturday (due to attendance at RIAT by others), it was fortuitous that the Shipston Rotary Club was a small group of only ten.

The visitors also benefited from being a small group, as it allowed us to extend the time they each had for the cockpit tour to twenty minutes rather than the usual fifteen.

Being a lovely sunny day, the cockpit cooler was employed as soon as the aircraft was opened. Due to the tight confines of a Vulcan cockpit, we have to split our visitors into sub-groups of not more than four, so in this case it was one group of 4 and two of three each.

Charles gives the group an introduction to XM655
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With Charles having completed his introduction, and telling of the history of XM655, the visitors assembled for their group photograph.

The visitors gather before XM655
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We then carried out the usual systems demonstration of the Powered Flying Controls, exterior lighting, airbrakes and bomb door operation.

Eric points out the anti-collision warning lights
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Systems demonstration over, Eric started the cockpit tours whilst Len give each of the groups a guided tour of the bomb bay, giving them the history of the UK's independent nuclear deterrent and later the tactical roll of the V-Force. They were also told about the radars, electronic counter measures, infra-red decoys and chaff dispensers, as well as the aircraft in service.

Meanwhile Bry gave his group an insight into the engineering work currently being carried out on XM655, much of it being done by Bry himself.

Bry shows a group the construction and corrosion on part of the number 4 elevon which is currently being remanufactured and replaced by Bry.
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