Best Vulcan Display Seen?

[Nighthawke]

My outstanding Vulcan memory is a practice at Marham in the 80s. I was on Chalke Road by the 24 approach. Most of the routine was flown and aircraft lined up on finals spooled down. Just as it got over me the throttles went forward and I got the full benefit of those engines. Trying to photograph before quickly sticking fingers in ears!

[Leuchars Fan]

Hard to say really, my first introduction to the Vulcan was circa 1962 a Finningley, I was very young and sat on top of FB senior's shoulders. Four anti-flash white B1As in stream down the main runway. Thereafter, the Vulcan Scramble was a must for my young self. But as for individual displays I seem to recall the displays by operational Vulcans in the '60s and '70s being particularly aggressive and noisy, however, the displays by XH558 in the last years seemed to be a tad more aerobatic, even the last displays by the RAF VDF in the late '80s and early '90s seemed rather more agile. But memory recalls the operational and OCU crews getting closer and shovelling more coal on the furnace. One of the best scrambles was Finningley 1978, only two, but once aloft they stayed pretty damned low before returning across the display line then the crowd line in line astern, then pulling up in full everything they could give to make a fast overhead departure in to the clear burning blue and the noise was certainly something else.

LF

[two1938]

I guess the best display I saw was aat Farnboro where on take off the Vulcan wing cut through the corn field and the display included a roll the pilot was I think Roly falk ( no pun intended) later of course I saw them again at Finningly

[Unknown74]

Always enjoyed watching 558 displaying so I've got to say I don't really have a particular favourite as I always enjoyed watching XH558 every time I saw her fly!

[Vulcanone]

Vulcan scrambles in the 1970s...

[seafurysmith]

Over the years I have seen many Vulcan displays but some stand out such as the so called last Vulcan display at RAF Upper Heyford back in the 80's i think? Also i saw the last four ship scramble at Waddington and I remember coming out of 2427 Sqn's huts at RAF Biggin Hill and seeing the Vulcan flying up the valley below me!! Sure surprised the people on the passing bus! Notable as well is a memory as a 6 or 7 year old back in the 60's standing in my mothers friends back garden north of Lincoln and watching at least 12 white triangles climbing away in lose battle formation. The sight and sound was something else!! I have always presumed it was a practice scramble out of RAF Scampton?

[Andyph]

4 ship through the Kirkstone pass - Happy days

[jasonT1981]

Only ever got to see the Vulcan RAF Displays pre-retirement in the 80s. But one I remember having to cut her display short due to Concorde coming in to land earlier than expected at Aldergrove. Back then there was not as much restrictions and we were sitting on the airfield just feet from the runway.

As for XH558 return to flight

Newcastle 2014.

Pairs demo with the Mid Air Squadron Canberra. Followed by a display with what I assume was Kev at the controls, we were sure he was about to roll it!

Newcastle 2013 also had a great display, came through the valley in the mountains as part of the display.

[Alternative 4]

RIAT Saturday 2015.

I'd seen a lot of aircraft by then, F-111's, F-22's, B-1b's and Tornado's (ect), but never the Vulcan.

I couldn't see the aircraft as it started it's takeoff roll (too far down the display line), but boy could I hear it. As the engines spooled up the crowd line was suddenly packed. What was leisurely socially distanced picnic became a fight for position.
If the apocalypse ever comes, that is what it will sound like. A mixture of rabid dogs, Steven King's the Langoliers and Reece Shearsmith's the Silent Singer, there is nothing that sounds like the Vulcan on take-off. Then it was airborne! Is an aircraft that large allowed to take off like that? It rivaled the F-15, outclassed the F-16 and make the Typhoon look pedestrian. The rest of the display was a blur until that final climb, there was something special about looking up the exhaust of an aircraft that large? At the top of it's climb, did it roll? Probably not but it was close enough for me.

[reheat module]

Not so much a single display, but stood by the Blaxton/Finningley crossroads as a youngster early 70s.
Many a day with a lemonade and cheese sandwich...

[PA200]

Wyton 1980 6 Vulcans were deployed from Waddo as they were on exercise. 4 Jets on the ORP and the others out the peri track. During the week you would hear the odd exercise inject over the tannoy. Nothing moved though until Thursday. First tannoy was the "15 minutes and crews to cockpit" The pair on the peri would move closer to the ORP and wait, a short while later came the "Scramble, Scramble, Scramble" tannoy. Then all hell broke loose as the Vulcans launched in a 60 second stream. At this point work stopped and everybody went outside to watch them go. A never to be forgotten sight! Saw that twice during my tour there.

As to a display the Wyton show 82 or 83 the Vulcan gently coasted in from behind the crowd (in the days when you could). Engines were at flight idle so very quiet for a Vulcan, as he got to the centre of the field he piled on the power and just climbed out the noise and smoke was incredible.

[cat1]

got to be Dawlish air display
low slow and loud. just brilliant
link to vid here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfoMu2NNTAg

[Nnthusiast]

Apart from the wonderful 'last' display by 558 at Upper Heyford and the wonderful low level on take off, wing waggle on departure day (Sunday i seem to remember) the best most awe inspiring display i saw was its last ever display at RIAT. Brakes off, full power, up well before the mid point (FRIAT stand), and sheer brute force pushing her up to what seemed about 1500ft (maybe lower), then roll almost onto her back (only missing out by a few single digit degrees), then the silence............. the crowd just stood there hushed at what we had just seen. The rest of the display was good, but as the opening salvo in its display, that was just class!

[100arw]

Two years to read these posts.

This subject is as dead as 558 :-)

P.

[iainpeden]

Apart from the wonderful 'last' display by 558 at Upper Heyford and the wonderful low level on take off, wing waggle on departure day (Sunday i seem to remember) the best most awe inspiring display i saw was its last ever display at RIAT. Brakes off, full power, up well before the mid point (FRIAT stand), and sheer brute force pushing her up to what seemed about 1500ft (maybe lower), then roll almost onto her back (only missing out by a few single digit degrees), then the silence............. the crowd just stood there hushed at what we had just seen. The rest of the display was good, but as the opening salvo in its display, that was just class!

I was in the FRIAT stand for that display, it was on the Saturday so actually next to last as the Sunday one was a little more sedate - somebody had had a talking to.
She was up before half way, stood on wing tip right over the campsite and the gear wasn’t retracted until she was straight and level.

The best I ever saw was a practice at Marham when she was stationed there - or was that The Southend Vulcan?

[F3]

44 Sqn. Vulcan display at the '82 M'Hall Air Fete as mentioned in the Mildenhall book. Only time I remember seeing one inverted. After seeing it the US airman standing next to Dad turned and said to him "Limey. You've got the best goddam Air Force in the world". That's how impressive it was. Later when we were passing the Vulcan in the static Dad remarked to one of the crew about the display and how the pilot would likely receive a bollocking for it. The answer was 'He won't care. He's leaving next week'. Things you can get away with when you're working yr notice! There is a photo of it in the book, supplied by Bob Archer and it's one of my top 3 most memorable M'Hall displays along that take off of B-52 'Swashbuckler' in '90 and that SR-71 display which produced a fireball when the reheat on one of the engines misfired. Second best probably that flown by Joe L'Estrange, again in a 44 Sqn. a/c, at Ch.Fenton a few weeks later. Did nt roll it but did just about everything else it's possible to do with the Tin Triangle.

[raptor9]

Vulcan at Farnborough seemingly centuries ago. Took off, straight into the first half of a loop, with a roll off the top after being inverted, and cleared off in the opposite direction. All within the airfield boundary. Impressed.

[Richard B]

RAF Swinderby in the early 70s at my uncles passing out parade.
From memory the commentary was about its new camouflage paint job ,
It was being thrown around showing off the top surfaces and it's low level
Performance. After this the 2nd would be around 1980 at Leicester airshow and a very fast knife edge pass then quick level of the wings and up like a scalded cat.

[Mike Bridge]

First Vulcan display i ever saw was at Farnborough 1952, on the day of the John Derry crash, pretty sure it was a bit later when i saw Roly Falk roll the Vulcan at Farnborough, was lovely to see XH558 at Farnborough in 2014, her, and my, last year there

[PhilE]

One of the RAF Brawdy shows in the 80's. The Tornado cried off because the weather/cloud base. The Vulcan still displayed and when it banked you could only see half of it. Everybody looked on in amazement!.