Forget Harry Potter - have just finished this book by Rowland White describing the Black Buck Vulcan bombing missions to the Falklands.
A great read and a wonderful description of how the Brits go to war .
I knew the missions were stretching it - but had no idea, till now, just how right over the edge they really were!
All sorts of good tales of derring do and madness - wouldnt spoil it for you- but didnt know they found the necessary refuelling probes for the Vulcans by scrabbling about in a scrapyard and then nicked a couple of old Carousel INS's from some storage VC10's to solve a navigation problem they had - As in - how the F' do we get there !
A very gd read read all round. Recommended!
Yes, it's good read, but there a couple things I found strange about the affair.
1. According to the book they found fuel consumption was higher than expected from Ascension to Stanley. They had just flown from Waddington to Ascension with a full bomb load so why didn't they use the fuel burn data they had just acquired on that sector to the Stanley sector?
2. Early in the book they mention the fuel leaks that were experienced during in-flt refuelling exercises were attributable to bent fuel probes caused by hanging a bowser hose off the probe when they leak checked the fuel system after reinstating the IFR capability. Now speaking as an aircraft engineer, when I read the section on how they leak checked the system I thought to myself (yes I really did!), due to the height of the Vulcan probe above the ground they would have to support the bowser hose as a hose with no fuel in it is not light let alone one full of fuel. Not to do so, to me shows a lack of basic knowledge.
Paul
If God had meant us to fly, he would have given us tickets.
It's a long time since I read the book (I got it when first released) but I recall that there were no fuel usage charts for the weights used in the first mission. Presumably the transit flights to Ascension would be flown within the limits shown on the charts? After all, AAR would be freely available on the way.
Sl4yer wrote:It's a long time since I read the book (I got it when first released) but I recall that there were no fuel usage charts for the weights used in the first mission.
James
Waddington - Ascension would seem an ideal opportunity to get some ball park figures.
If God had meant us to fly, he would have given us tickets.
VC10 wrote:Yes, it's good read, but there a couple things I found strange about the affair.
1. According to the book they found fuel consumption was higher than expected from Ascension to Stanley. They had just flown from Waddington to Ascension with a full bomb load so why didn't they use the fuel burn data they had just acquired on that sector to the Stanley sector?
2. Early in the book they mention the fuel leaks that were experienced during in-flt refuelling exercises were attributable to bent fuel probes caused by hanging a bowser hose off the probe when they leak checked the fuel system after reinstating the IFR capability. Now speaking as an aircraft engineer, when I read the section on how they leak checked the system I thought to myself (yes I really did!), due to the height of the Vulcan probe above the ground they would have to support the bowser hose as a hose with no fuel in it is not light let alone one full of fuel. Not to do so, to me shows a lack of basic knowledge.
Paul
Hi Paul
1)I agree, however, in mitigation the transit to Stanley involved six refuelling brackets, all of which required a descent to refuelling altitude
followed by a climb to cruise alt, flown in adverse weather
2) Correct, nobody asked how. We used to hook the bowser pipe on a specially adapted 'giraffe' (large set of servicing steps for the non-ex/serving 'mob' types ), then a short pipe from 'giraffe' with another refuelling adapter onto probe when testing probes on Hercs for that very reason.
ttfn
Pete
An Elephant is a Mouse designed to
a government specification.
. 
