And without fluff, best I can do after a few minutes, it's a white aircraft in a white sky so the profile is almost lost, obviously a good camo scheme that day then. This is the last B1 variant to fly and the engine being tested is a Concord engine on test. The Vulcan was by this time fully operational. XA903 was also used to test the Blue Steel missile and the nose section still exists and is under restoration.
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Addendum, bugga, beaten by the Dave from Yorkshire
Yes, Rob. I flew that one a good number of times until events in New York suddenly found me flying B777 until I finally stopped flying in 2011.
Dave
Reminds me of the account in the book "Vulcan 607" of the frantic preperations the RAF Vulcans had to go through for the Black Buck missions to the Falklands, 1982.A view of the Vicker's Fun Bus that not many got to see. I spent 5 years teaching folk to do this, 6 courses a year, eight sorties a course, three hours on task for each sortie. ARGHHH!
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Simon
..............There was a ribald suggestion given for pilots who struggled to get the probe inserted cleanly into the basket, as to what might be added around the basket to help them, but I won't repeat it here...
Strangely, the last thing you do is look at the probe. Both the Vulcan and Victor had a probe on the centreline with the driver sat to the left of the probe. If you try to steer the probe into the drogue there will be a very large sideways movement to the right at the last moment that runs a very good chance of putting the probe through the spokes of the drogue. This shags the drogue and it's no fuel for you sir, or anyone else. If the spokes contact is massive the motor that is trying to 'just not pull the hose in' will run away (not enough drag) and can go in at massive speed. This can be 'interesting' for the tanker crew.much easier to see.
My, how things have gone downhill - back in the early '40s the Yanks could put a bomb into a pickle barrel from 20,000ft ......
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A view of the Vicker's Fun Bus that not many got to see. I spent 5 years teaching folk to do this, 6 courses a year, eight sorties a course, three hours on task for each sortie. ARGHHH!
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The Hecules tanker aircraft were fitted with a cupola instead of the forward escape hatch at the rear of the flight deck. Whoever took this photo was stood up there. Yes, the drogue did bash the cupola on occasion!
I was also the second and last person to do this behind a Tristar. Now that girl had a huge bottom.
Simon