Visit to the Midlands Air Museum (many pics, 56k warning)

[nazca_steve]

Hello all,

My Dad and I took a trip to the Midlands Air Museum late last month whilst back in the UK, and thought some of you might like to see a selection of the pics I took. While the weather was pretty miserable (remember the traffic-grounding fog?) it was a brilliant day and fulfilled my life-long wish to get inside a Canberra at last. We were also lucky enough to get inside their Vulcan and Argosy too.

A big thanks to the Museum's chief engineer, Malcolm Lambert and Les Bywaters for making time to tour us around. If you haven't been to the MAM, I would highly recommend it, as it a more personal museum with access to the aircraft unlike many others I've visited. Top stuff and enjoy the pics.

Steve

VULCAN XL360:





Going up...



looking down...God knows how you got down this ladder and hatch at 200 mph. Tricky indeed.




flight deck...



ECM/Nav station:





bomb bay - excuse the breath - it was cold









CANBERRA PR.3:

'nuff said:




in the nav's seat:







Bombardier's couch:



looking back towards the hatch:



flare bay:





back hatch:





OTHER A/C:

Malcolm's beautifully restored Sea Hawk (when oh when can we have a decent FS model?)







time in the Meatbox...







I have more of the above if anybody wants them, including interior shots of the Argosy.

[Garry Russell]

Cheers for that Steve

The Vulcan looks in good shape....that hatch and escaping at speed..I don't think they easily could have.

The two pilots had ejector seats but the other three were supposed to parachute out of that.

Not much chance :sad:

Did you get any detail shots Viscount cockpit? (ref Frasers thread).

Love to see the Argosy :dance:

Garry

[DaveB]

Steve..

Now you've sat in that Meatbox nose section, have a sit in Ricks model in VC and see how close it is to the real thing

Does the inside of the Canberra still smell of fresh paint?? It was a burning hot day last time I was in there and I almost passed out with paint fumes

Nice shots

ATB

DaveB :tab:

[Chris Trott]

Cheers for that Steve

The Vulcan looks in good shape....that hatch and escaping at speed..I don't think they easily could have.

The two pilots had ejector seats but the other three were supposed to parachute out of that.

Not much chance :sad:

Actually, it wouldn't be hard to escape and was done on at least one occasion. When the hatch is lowered in an emergency, the ladders are sheared off by explosive bolts and the crew has a "clean" door to slide out on. With enough altitude, it was not a major deal, but it was definitely not the greatest way to exit.

At least it wasn't as bad as the Instructors in the B-1B had it doing the same thing but having to crawl from the front cockpit through the tunnel into the rear cockpit and then out the bottom after the primary crew had all ejected.

[TobyV]

Actually, it wouldn't be hard to escape and was done on at least one occasion.

I think the point is Chris, there were plenty of other occasions where the rear crewmembers didnt have a snowball in hell's chance. There were a few terminal Vulcan incidents over its history :sad: :sad:

[nazca_steve]

Cheers for that Steve

The Vulcan looks in good shape....that hatch and escaping at speed..I don't think they easily could have.

The two pilots had ejector seats but the other three were supposed to parachute out of that.

Not much chance :sad:

Did you get any detail shots Viscount cockpit? (ref Frasers thread).

Love to see the Argosy :dance:

Garry

Hello Garry, yes the Vulcan seemed in pretty good shape, and was very interesting to get inside. A dark cave indeed. I didn't get in the Viscount unfortunately, but will put up the Argosy pics tonight. Sadly she isn't looking as hot as the PR.3 or Vulcan, lots of paintchips, wear and tear etc. but it was well worth it. My Dad had last flown as a passenger on one back in the mid 60's so it was something of a nostalgia trip for him too.

Dave, I will duly take another detailed look at Rick's Meatbox now- things always look clearer after seeing the real thing. I have to admit, it was pretty damn cool getting in the cockpit- looked like a real fighter. Quality day in all.

Cheers to everyone also for the Vulcan bail-out comments - I just saw a photo last night of a bail out drill showing a crew member sliding down the ladder-less hatch but there was no pretty stewardess waiting for him on the deck

More later.

Steve

[hobby]

Perhaps the F/Sgt was just kidding all those years ago!!

I was once briefed that in a Vulcan emergency exit by the rear crew would, providing they were all still in one piece and not making things slippery by bleeding all over the place, at the captain's command proceed to the rear hatch while he lowered the undercarriage and held the doomed aircraft straight and level, 'forever'. First man there would open the hatch and facing to the rear slide down the hatch and fling himself onto the nosewheel strut and once he felt his boots touch the nosewheel he would let go and trust that the parachute packer had done his/her job properly.

Viewing all of the V bombers I would think that the best for the rear crew to leave in an emergency would have been the Victor, at least you had an assisted exit and a blast shield to help.

Glad I never had to leave any aircraft in mid-air.

[Garry Russell]

Chris you are talking about an oot of control bomber almost certainly not flying straight and level...Which way is down?..it might be spinning.

Despite the emergency exit....it was accepted that there was effectively no escape unless very lucky.

Garry

[hobby]

Breifing is one thing, believing the briefer quite another!! As many have found out since 1903!

[Garry Russell]

Hi Hobby

Thanks for that first hand knowledge

You posted while I was writing my last post.

Theory and reality and not close relatives :sad:

Garry