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WARBIRD TECH SERIES

VOLUME 26 - ROYAL AIR FORCE AVRO VULCAN

Kev Darling

Silence. The four dark shapes sit brooding on their concrete fingers. As if from nowhere two coaches appear. Twenty little green figures begin to bundle out. Splitting into groups of five, they race towards the waiting bombers. From out of their hideyholes the ground crew step to meet them. A swift verbal exchange of hellos and the crews disappear inside. Anti-collision lights begin their dizzy spin. From under once quiet wings comes the growing roar of four APUs shrieking into life. A cacophony of whines joins in as the PFCUs come on line. The ladder is bedded down, the entrance door closes.

Standing by the nose leg the crewchiefs signal the back chocks away. Passing through moves long practised a myriad times before, the two "lineys" obey before moving to the power leads. Signals are given, the leads are pulled clear, the door snaps shut. Then they wait. Over the land lines so that only those that need to know comes the command, "This is the Bomber Controller - readiness state zero two."

This is one description given of how the aircraft and its operations have been remembered by both observers and officials alike.

Contents include:

Building a Deterrent-Birth of a Bomb-Birth of a Bomber,

From Paper to Metal-The Design and Development of the Type 698,

On Trial and In Service-Design-Development-Deployment,

Extending the Options-The Development of the Vulcan B.2,

Blue Steel and Skybolt-Missiles for the 'V' Force,

Vulcans in Full Flight-Vulcans come - Vulcans Go,

Vulcan at War-The Falklands, Corporate, and Beyond,

The Vulcan Alphabet-Acronyms and Abbreviations,

Significant dates,

Technical Descriptions.

Also includes information on subscale aerodynamic testbeds, details of both the B.1 and B.2, and the Vulcan tankers.