Vulcan Bomber Flyover Leeds Bradford Airport Sunday 21st September

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jonleeds
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Post by jonleeds »

Hi folks!I'm afraid I wasnt quick enough with my camera but this afternoon about half past three I was amazed to see a Vulcan Bomber aircraft flying quite low and manouvering over Leeds Bradford Airport. The plane didnt fly from the city centre direction over the airport as planes usually do but it was flying in an easterly direction. The delta wing shape and camoflage paintwork were unmistakeable. I've since learned that this Vulcan had been flying over Southport on Saturday as part of the Southport Air Show. This in the only remaining Vulcan Bomber XH558 that is still kept flying as it was restored by a dedicated group of enthusiasts / charity. Quite an amazing sight for an otherwise boring Sunday afternoon! I wish I'd got some snaps but by the time I'd got my camera ready the aircraft was long gone. Did anyone else see it and get any photos? I know there is a group of plane spotters who log flights in and around LBA, I wonder if any of them spotted the Vulcan?
Have your fun when you're alive - you won't get nothing when you die... have a good time all the time! - Chumbawumba!

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Leodian
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Post by Leodian »

Hi jon. Shucks, I missed that! I'm only a few miles from the airport but I never see nor knowingly hear such things. Seeing a Vulcan would have been great.
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sparky415
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Post by sparky415 »

I saw it come over my house earlier....didn't know what it was though, but it looked like something out of a Bond film!
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jonleeds
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Post by jonleeds »

Leodian wrote: Hi jon. Shucks, I missed that! I'm only a few miles from the airport but I never see nor knowingly hear such things. Seeing a Vulcan would have been great. Sorry to hear you missed it Leodian! I wish it had come over my flats so I'd had a better view.Well spotted Sparky415! Also I dont know if you're interested but I was contacted by a lady called Shona as a result of her seeing an old thread I posted regarding Woodside Quarry. I've pasted a section of the email she sent me last week for you to read:                 -----------------------------------------------------------Original Message-----From: shonawho <[email protected]>Sent: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 17:01Subject: Clayton WoodsHi, Hope this is Jonleeds!I live and own a cafe in ls16 and there is a group of us interested in being involved in what happens to the Quarry. We could really use your help. We are meeting to walk around quarry on Monday 22 Sept at 6.30pm. Most people are meeting on the corner of Iveson Drive and Silkmill Way. Chris Hassel who wrote an article on the woodlands and others are attending. If you go on to ivey cafes facebook page you will see more details or call in for a coffee and chat please. I am opposite the royal mail sorting office. [email protected]                         -----------------------------------------------------I remembered that you mentioned that you'd also contacted English Nature regarding the quarry development regarding the newts. I dont know if any new development is in process but I've recently noticed what look to have been surveyors on the site of the old Gilchrist Bros factory on the Leeds outer ring road. Also this weekend I saw several landrovers being driven into the quarry / woods by someone who must have been there in an official capacity as they had keys to unlock the gates off Clayton Wood Road. They might have just been visiting to spray weedkiller onto the Japanese knotweed that is infesting the site but I didnt see any signage on their vehicles so who knows. If you're interested in coming on the walk around Woodside quarry and woodlands tomorrow then I'll be meeting up with these folks at 6:30pm tomorrow evening at the junction of Iveson Drive and Silkmill Way. You are welcome to come along. Ta!Johnny
Have your fun when you're alive - you won't get nothing when you die... have a good time all the time! - Chumbawumba!

And no matter how things end, you should always keep in touch with your friends - Dave Gedge

raveydavey
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Post by raveydavey »

sparky415 wrote: I saw it come over my house earlier....didn't know what it was though, but it looked like something out of a Bond film! Funnily enough, a Vulcan did feature in a Bond film. In Thunderball, one was 'stolen' by a supervillain and landed on the sea....http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderball_(film)This must be the Vulcan's second visit to Leeds in just over a month. It flew virtually over our house in August while we were having a barbecue, which caused a bit of excitement. Naturally I told everyone we'd organized it specially!
Speaking the Truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act – George Orwell

jonleeds
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Post by jonleeds »

raveydavey wrote: sparky415 wrote: I saw it come over my house earlier....didn't know what it was though, but it looked like something out of a Bond film! Funnily enough, a Vulcan did feature in a Bond film. In Thunderball, one was 'stolen' by a supervillain and landed on the sea....http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderball_(film)This must be the Vulcan's second visit to Leeds in just over a month. It flew virtually over our house in August while we were having a barbecue, which caused a bit of excitement. Naturally I told everyone we'd organized it specially! Ah yes I recall that, isnt the Vulcan in Thunderball landed in the sea where it sinks and the bad guy has his henchmen collect the nuclear bomb whilst its submerged? The whole V-Bomber thing was an extremely audacious scheme by the British government. Apparently the original Vulcans were painted in an 'Anti-Flash' white paintwork which was chillingly designed to reflect the searing heat from the nuclear fireball that the Vulcan's payload would have generated. They also had slide forward black out curtains designed to prevent the pilots retina from being blinded as did most nuclear bombers from the cold war. I've just learned that the Vulcan seen over Leeds today is actually based at Robin Hood airport near Doncaster so it probably flys over Leeds quite regularly.
Have your fun when you're alive - you won't get nothing when you die... have a good time all the time! - Chumbawumba!

And no matter how things end, you should always keep in touch with your friends - Dave Gedge

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chameleon
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Post by chameleon »

Vulcan XH558, the last airworthy one passed close by NE Leeds on her way to a display in Ayr on Sept 6. Yesterday she was giving a display at the Southport air show and would pass close by en route from her home in Doncaster.Not particularly a Leeds Topic, but for those with an interest in this mighty beast, information can be found here -http://www.vulcantothesky.org/home.htmlNext year, 2015 will be her final flying season and a last chance to see a Vulcan in the air - once seen (and heard!), never forgotten.

jonleeds
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Post by jonleeds »

chameleon wrote: Vulcan XH558, the last airworthy one passed close by NE Leeds on her way to a display in Ayr on Sept 6. Yesterday she was giving a display at the Southport air show and would pass close by en route from her home in Doncaster.Not particularly a Leeds Topic, but for those with an interest in this mighty beast, information can be found here -http://www.vulcantothesky.org/home.htmlNext year, 2015 will be her final flying season and a last chance to see a Vulcan in the air - once seen (and heard!), never forgotten. What a shame, I'd love to see one closer up and doing some of its aerobatics. I miss seeing Concorde which used to be a regular annual event before they withdrew it from service. I wish they could have kept one going just for flypast events but I guess the cost of maintaining one would be prohibitively expensive.
Have your fun when you're alive - you won't get nothing when you die... have a good time all the time! - Chumbawumba!

And no matter how things end, you should always keep in touch with your friends - Dave Gedge

morleyhall
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Post by morleyhall »

I had the same problem Jon when I saw her coming out of the woods over here in Happy Valley. My time window really is a matter of seconds though for military stuff before it is gone into the next set of woods where I live. We get most military stuff over here ultra low on what I think is probably valley training, but in 9 years I’ve failed miserably with my camera to catch anything other than poor shot of the battle of Britain Dakota. If I ever get one of the Hercules skimming the pylon after hitting the tunnel on the Calder Valley mainline, it will be a miracle, but I will keep trying.They get refuelled over Morecambe Bay from the air tanker, and when they get over here, they follow the course of the railway between Hebden Bridge towards Sowerby Bridge tunnel, and climb for the tunnel and head out towards Rishworth/M62. Real shame that the flight trackers don’t pick them up, but that is understandable really. I only know about the Morecambe Bay refuels because when ZZ330 was still on civilian registration before handing over to RAF, FR24 used to pick it up circling for a couple of hours at 19,000 ft, and not long after I’d spot the tanker on FR24, the fast jets would start screaming through my garden. It was funny as hell when two rooftop skimming Hercules had the DIYSOS film crew ducking for cover on the Sowerby Bridge big build project, lots of clattering and banging as stuff got dropped on/off the scaffolding that day.Shame that XM607 from Operation Black Buck didn’t get selected as the Vulcan to keep airworthy. Held the record for longest bomber flight until the yanks snatched it with a B52 during Desert Storm. She has got a busy week ahead of her, 10 cold war airbase visits this Thursday, or Friday if the weather isn’t right. This will be her final flight this year.http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/Vulca ... story.html

jonleeds
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Post by jonleeds »

Interesting facts there Morleyhall, I wondered what you meant by 'Happy Valley' before I realised it was a TV show. The media seems to like setting police dramas in Calderdale, I remember a lot of the 1980s series 'Juliet Bravo' was filmed around there.
Have your fun when you're alive - you won't get nothing when you die... have a good time all the time! - Chumbawumba!

And no matter how things end, you should always keep in touch with your friends - Dave Gedge

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