British "V" bombers????

The V-Bombers were post war aircraft and Britain's contribution to to the West's Cold War "Nuclear Deterent" force.

The first of the V-Bombers and the least known was the Vickers Valiant. It first flew in the late 1940's. There were two variants of it, the B.MK.1 and B.Mk.2 The MK.1 was the standard service variant and the MK.2 was only built in prototype.

The Second, and best known was the Avro Vulcan. Outside of the B.MK.1 and 2s there was also tanker variants. The Vulcans wnet down in history as flying the longest bombing mission ever when, in 1982, a squadron of them left RAF Scampton to bomb targets in the Falkland Islands. During that campaign the Vulcans also participated in the "Black Buck" missions, which essentially made the Vulcans the largest "Wild Weasel" aircraft ever used as those missions were to neutralize Argentine radar and SAM sites. I think the last vulcan was retired right after the Falklands campaign.

Lastly was the Handly Page Victor. It came into service in the early 1960s Outside of B.MK.1 and 2 variants it also had tanker variants and an SR.50 reccononaissance variant. The Victors were more recognized for their tanker duties in the latter part of their service. The last victor was retired shortly after the end of the first Gulf War in the early 1990's

As for models of them:

Only one model of the Vickers Valiant has been made and thats Historic Wings' 1/72 vacuum form kit from a few years ago.

The Vulcan in 1/72 comes and goes from the Airfix range from time to time. I've also seen a 1/72 Vulcan in MPC packaging but I'm told that the Airfx kit is just a re-issue of that kit.

The Victor is available in 1/72, you may still find it in Matchbox packaging, though Revell Germany owns the molds now and has announced a re-release of the kit for some time this year.

If you want to know more, there is a British based web site dedicated to British post war aircraft. I believe the address is www.thunderandlightnings.uk

Hope that helps

The Vulcan is one of my fave modern Brit a/c, really neat lookin' birds and almost a surreal sight when flying by.

Someday I hope someone makes a decent 48th kit of the Vulcan (RIGHT!) 'cuz I've wanted to do a Black Buck jet ever since I first learned about them. Matter of fact, that whole Falklands deal was another of my early interests as a modeler and military aviation nut. I'd still like to make a model of each of the principal air combatants from that conflict, and someday... perhaps.

Fade to Black...

You've heard about Aeroclub's 1/48 vacuum form Vulcan from a few years back haven't you, blackwolfscd?

It come with a nice bonus, it doubles as a coffee table! :-)

Ah! Aeroclub's Vac kit... hence my appeal for a decent kit!

Actually, my old coffee table is getting a little ratty looking. Maybe it's time to replace it...

Fade to Black...

I really love the Vulcan... but that may be partly because in the Summer of 1972 I got to climb up into the cockpit of one and seat in the copilot's seat at the Paine Filed Air Fair north of Seattle.

I worked at the only concession stand open all night for the flight crews etc. Also got to sit in a Harrier, and some others!!!

Man! Some folks have all the luck! This makes me think of a topic for a new thread...

Anyone think that it would be imprudent to start a "What aircraft have you parked yourself in" discussion? I think it'd be neat to see who's got the most "sit-downs"! Geez, I feel like a kid now...

Fade to Black...

Well, my Eight Year old son has sat in the pilot's seat of a Jaguar. The bes T could manage was the commander's seat of a Mk 13 Chieftain MBT and the Captain's chair on the bridge of HMS London

QUOTE: Originally posted by blackwolfscd Man! Some folks have all the luck! This makes me think of a topic for a new thread... Anyone think that it would be imprudent to start a "What aircraft have you parked yourself in" discussion? I think it'd be neat to see who's got the most "sit-downs"! Geez, I feel like a kid now... Fade to Black...

I've been pretty fortunate in this category...

Avro Lancaster
B-17G Flying Fortress
B-24J Liberator
B-25J Mitchell
P-40 Warhawk
P-51D Mustang
Spitfire
CF-100
F-86
CF-104
F-117 Nighthawk - don't ask
KC-10
C-5 Galaxy
C-17 Starlifter

As for my own "sit-downs"

DeHavilland Mosquito (under restoration at the time)
Boomer stations of both a KC-10 and a KC-135
Canadair CT-114 Tutor
Boeing CH-147 Chinook helicopter
Bell Twin Huey
Bell Kiowa
DeHavilland DHC-6 (CC-138) Twin Otter

One of the worst ones was when I ALMOST got to sit in a MiG-29. I almost cried on the tarmac when I found out all the strings couldn't get pulled to just let me sit in it for a few minutes :-(

The only V-Bomber I ever saw in life was a Victor K.MK.2 of 55 Squadron at an airshow, but due to the age of the aircraft and its "delicate" nature, as the aircrew put it, they werent giving tours of it.

Hey Murph,

GO LEAFS GO! - and take the Raptors with 'ya... Old joke, but irresistable...

Okay, my list. There's a couple that I'm forgetting, I'm sure.

WWII:
P-39Q
P-40E
P-47D Razor
P-51A
P-51D x3
B-17G x?
B-25J
B-24D
B-24J
B-29 x2
Lancaster
PBY
C-47 x?
Fairey Firefly
Fairey Swordfish
Hurricane
Bf 109G (Converted from Hispano)
Me 262
L-2
J-3 Cub

Post-WWII:
AH-1 x2
UH-1 x?
CH-46
CH-53
F-4C (MiG Killer)
F-4C Simulator
F-14A x?
F-15C
F-94
F-117 (USAF Museum)
AV-8A
AV-8B
EA-7
MiG-15UTI
B-36
C-5B
C-119
C-130E x?
C-130H
AC-130
KC-135
C-141B
T-2C
T-28
T-34B x2
T-37B
T-38A

I've always been a shy guy, but not when it comes to asking to test-fit an airplane!

Fade to Black...

When I was about 11(20ish years ago) I was out on my bike near the Royal Aircraft Establishment Airfield at Thurleigh, which used to be home to The 306th Bomb Group 8th AAF, when a Vulcan Flew directly over me at about 100 feet! The slipstream knocked me into a ditch with my bike ontop of me. I was laughing so hard my friends couldn't get me out for about 20 minutes.
Another time at an airshow at RAF Saint Athens in Wales, it was raining all day and about 150 of us sheltered under a static display Vulcan and watched the show from there. The DELTA LADY is sadly missed, a fantastic looking 'plane and very impresive to see fly.

Hi folks heres my list Chipmunk Spitfire Canberra Vulcan E E Lightning Hunter Nimrod Shackleton T33 Mystere 1V Buccaneer Varsity Hastings DC3 Citation Gannet Hawk Jaguar AN2 Herron Jet provost Tiger moth Viscount VC10 F111 F100 B25 Harvard Meteor Bell 47 UH1 Seaking Wessex pitts-special Trident and god knows how many cessna's Pipers Beechcraft and so on that i have worked on. I have probably missed a few but never mind...Gregers

My list is short:

Piper Cherokee
P-3 Orion
Sikorsky CH-54 Skycrane
SH-3 Sea King
F-8 Crusader
C-130
Me-262

Very short :(

2 B-17's and a He-111....

Oh go on then, In order of Wow factor.

Spitfire PR XI. Thanks to Cobbie of Cobbair - Biggin Hill (My first sit in a warbird at the tender age of 18 and a damned rare one at that!)

P51D Mustang (Many thanks to the sadly missed Mark Hannah, at Biggin on the way to Spain to film 'Empire of the Sun'! I was sat in the a/c 'Big Dog' when his father, the inimitable Ray Hannah did a run and break down the main runway right in front of me. To say it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end has got to be the understatement of the Century. 'P51 - Cadillac of the skies'.).

Spitfire Mk IX. (I was working on the a/c, repainting it for the series 'A Piece of Cake' and nobody was looking!).

Lancaster (Pilots, Bomb Aimers, Upper Turret, Nose Turret and Tail End Charlie! Thanks to a JT with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight at RAF Coningsby whilst there for some trials).

B17 ('Sally B' guided tour - didn't get to sit in the chair though!).

Boeing 747-200 (Early days at Virgin on a College day out).

C130J (Farnborough Trade Day).

Hunter F6 (Only the front end though!).

Sea Harrier (Work).

Tornado F3 (More work).

Bell 212 (As above).

Sikorsky S-76A, A+ and C (You've guessed it!).

Bell B-206 and Agusta Bell AB-206 (anyone see a pattern here?).

Sikorsky S-61 (Hanging upside down on the seat to adjust the tail rotor pedals).

Robinson R-22 (Scary to fly in, scarier to fly!).

More Pipers, Cessnas, Mooneys, Rallyes and Beeches than you can shake a not inconsiderable stick at!

If anyone out there owns a De Havilland Mosquito (No, a full size one!), I can offer my seat warming services without reservation. Hell, I might even buy you a beer!

Cheers,

Rob M.

I just remembered that revell did the vulcan also in 1/96 and also the early B1 serial VX777 (the old lindberg kit?)...Gregers

a 1/48 Vulcan? when I kick my daughter out the house I might be able to use her room and hang it in there... That alot of plastic :)

1:48 Vulcan made by Aeroclub models.
1:72 Vulcan made by Airfix

All 3 V bombers were made by Frog in the late 50's thru to the late 60's including Victor - Valiant - Vulcan all in 1:96 - all collectors items now - and i'm not sure where the moulds went ? (theres a Renwall connection) or if ever re-issued - the Valiant featured retractable undercarriage also.........

If anyone wants more reading on V bombers, within the last year several issues of both "Fly Past" and "Scale Aircraft Modelling" (not the "International" one!) have run an assortment of very good features on all three V-bombers, with gatefold views, paint schemes and in-action stories.

My 'sat in list' is also short..

English Electric Canbera
Westland 30 ( transport chopper based on the Westland Lynx - got to have a good look around one after scratch building a model of it for the pilot)
Boeing 757 of some description (just an inflight tour many years ago)
an old Cessnas - first plane I flew in.