Britain's most famous V bomber 

It’s hard to believe that there’s only 10 years between the first flight of the Lancaster and the Vulcan.

The four most memorable aircraft events in my life: 1. 1st flight in anything ever, was as a cadet in the RAAF ATC, in an RAAF DC3. 2. Seeing an Avro Vulcan cook a tunnel in the clouds, as it flew in low over the airfield then just went straight up and out of sight. Un-be-bloody-lievable! 3. Low flyover of a Spitfire at an airshow in Norway 4. Harrier, doing it's stuff, then stopping and hovering perhaps 40ft above the ground, barely 50m away, facing me dead on, and tips his nose, taking a bow. That's all folks. I'm satisfied. 😀

My great grandfather was an air electrics officer in this plane. Sadly, he passed roughly a year before I was born. I am twelve now and the plane is so significant to me. My great grandfather was actually on TV for a meeting with the rest of his crew. I saw it recently and I really wish I could've met him. 😔

The Vulcan was so effective. 1974, I’m walking down Whitburn High street and it’s dark. A V wing comes over us about 100 to 250 feet above the road, it’s engine roar is unmistakeable. It’s only light is it’s flashing anti collision light on the underside. Impressive. With its 360 radar, it was flying night low-level before Terrain Following radar was invented. That night ended up with a UFO Society wanting to send an investigator to our town. He was very disappointed when I told him it was, unmistakeably, a Vulcan bomber.

I first saw this plane in the James Bond movie, “Thunderball” in 1965 when I was a kid. Since that first viewing, I became fascinated with it to this day. A very cool and unique aircraft.

As a former American Airman (USAF) I truly appreciate and admire all that the RAF has done and the aircraft that they flew, especially the Avro Vulcan. What an amazing and beautiful aircraft is it!

In 1979, as a U.S. tourist, I was standing outside the St. Andrews clubhouse when a Vulcan bomber flew over at a fairly low altitude -- probably 500 feet or less. I was shocked at how large and extremely loud the aircraft was(he only made one pass and headed out to sea.) The green camouflage gave it a surreal appearance I'll never forget.

The Vulcan had something very few aircrafts possess: charisma. Many planes are bigger. Many planes are faster. But very few have such an impact on you when you see them

Getting through America's stepped up, cold war, defenses, ... twice. It's a good system

Took my wife and her sister to an airshow at the Airforce base (at the time) in Fort Worth, Texas. We took a picnic lunch and set up under a shade tree when one of these Vulcan bombers took off. Have to admit, quite a thundering sound as full throttles were fed in. Kinda shook the ground too, as I recall. My SIL made some comment about it causing “the big O”… took a second or two for that meaning to register with me. So yeah, you Brits had an impressive aircraft as far as my SIL was concerned! 😉😂

Fifty years ago I was stationed at SAC Hq in Omaha. There was an RAF detachment assigned to the Underground Command Post. Vulcans flew into Offutt AFB on a regular basis. They sure looked a lot sexier than the RC-135s we had. Today, there is a Vulcan on display at the SAC Museum located just outside of Omaha.

I remember my Dad taking me to an air show and the THUNDER through the ground from the Vulcan was really quite terrifying! Fabulous!

Whenever I am in the United Kingdom and have the time, I go to Duxford. It is such an amazing collection and military museum. I am delighted they are sharing so much material online.

I remember walking my dog in the fields by my old house a few years back and spotting a bizarre outline on the horizon coming in low level directly at me and thinking to myself that can't be what I think it is surely... I didn't think at the time any were still airworthy but sure enough, a Vulcan flying low level screamed right over my head. It was an incredible sight, to think if I'd taken my dog out just 10 minutes earlier or 10 minutes later I would have missed it. Turns out it was the final flight tour, they must have been on their way to St Athens. Beautiful sight!

I saw these when young flying over our back garden in Hayes Kent, coming into land at Bigging Hill Airport display. Also many times in the 1970s at Farnborough Airshow . When they climbed vertical the ground shook beneath y ones feet. One year one was equipped with a Concorde Engine fixed beneath as a testbed and ejected a long diamond shaped flame behind. Wonderful memories.

A few Vulcans were stationed at Offutt AFB Omaha in the late 70s, impressive aircraft among the RC-135s, EC-135s, B-52s & AWACs stationed there at the time... I was an RC-135 airborne recon tech.... but the strongest memory retained is of a British airman who must've been part of this outpost assignment at Offutt, on one spring day, alone, in full Kilt playing the pipes on a distant taxiway at the southern end of the main runways. I wish I had gone up to him & introduced myself. Love the pipes.

These aircraft documentaries are fabulous!! Archive footage, cockpit talk-through, history and anecdotes from crew. Brilliant. MORE PLEASE!!!!!!!!

When my dad's regiment returned from BAOR to the UK in mid 70's, we flew VC10 to RAF Scampton, arriving late at night, and I remember well the silhouettes of Vulcans as we walked from our aircraft

Absolutely beautiful plane, and I’m proud to say my grandfather was an electronic engineer on them who helped develop the landing software

In the late 70's I think, I was cycling around the back of the old De Havilland company factory in Hatfield, when a Vulcan came into land just over tree height, for a flight show the next day, It blotted the sky, the sun, and scared the bejabbers out of me. An unforgettable moment.

I went to an airshow at Boscombe Down, must have been 1987 or thereabouts, and the thing I still remember from that was the Vulcan. The noise was not merely loud, it was physical - I could feel my ribs being shaken, and the (then fairly new) car alarms were going off all over. It might be nice to see one in a museum, but it's a poor substitute for witnessing one fly - I went to see the spitfires and lancaster fly, but, more than three decades later, the Vulcan is the thing that I remember the most clearly because it literally shook me to the core.

I had the immense pleasure of seeing a Vulcan fly over at low altitude during an air show in Canada in the late 1970s. It was a cloudy, rainy day. It was the closest I'll ever get to a rocket launch, the power of the engines was so great.

I can't remember the year. 1980? Living in Sumas WA and going to the Abbottsford Air Show in Canada and the Vulcan flew there. I was VERY impressed. Bomb bay doors open and doing a fly by. Wow. Great memories.

When the MOD decided to mount the Black Buck raid on the Falklands, they called Duxford and said," we delivered a Vulcan to you a few weeks ago", I said "Do you want it back", the answer was no but we do want the Refuelling probe which was removed shortly afterwards. We got one back after the conflict was over.

Thanks, the Vulcan is one of my favorites. At one point in the Cold War Khrushchev told someone that the American B-52s did not scare him. They were easily seen on radar and could be shot down. It was the Vulcan that worried him because it was far harder to see on radar. That was probably due to the V-wing and the embedded engines. You might say the the Vulcan was the first production stealth plane.

As an RAF cadet in the late 1970s I went to Brize Norton for 2 weeks. We had to sleep in these big, old four man tents near to the runway. The first time when we heard one of these Vulcans taking off it was literally the loudest thing that I have ever heard. You thought the sky and all its contents were collapsing in on top of you. Incredible!

Amazing aircraft, have had the honour of meeting some Vulcan pilots, and also had a cockpit tour with one. Was the best day I have had in years

Back in the 70s/early 80s the Vulcan was a favorite visitor to our local airshow in Canada. "THE ALUMINIUM OVERCAST" was a thrill to watch fly low over the flight line, before deafening us with its vertical climb.

Very interesting video, my Dad served at RAF Marham in the late 50's which had three squadrons of Vickers Valiant ‘V’ bombers, together with the Vulcan and Victor. Always loved seeing the Vulcan at air shows, particularly at Duxford.

I still remember as a kid at the airshow where the vulcan took off... the noise and the ground shaking... absolutely blown away..

I saw one of these fly a few years ago at an airshow, they said it was one of two airworthy Vulcans in the world, and they had a donation basket as the engines needed overhauling. I just remember the vibrations through the ground as it flew overhead at a glide speed, and then even moreso with throttle on. Beautiful plane.

I’ve had the privilege of conversation with a former Vulcan pilot, a senior RAF officer, formerly quick reaction with nuclear bombs. Ha told me that the Vulcan handled like a fighter jet. I loved to see them roaring over the airfield during shows in my childhood.

I saw this plane at the Bristol airshow. They did a touch and go landing right in front of us. The sound of it!!! Didn't know whether to block my ears or try to hold my stomach from vibrating. Amazing aircraft. Great memory.

I remember being at an airshow in Yeovilton back in 2015, where they flew a Vulcan bomber. They announced that it was the last public flight for that one in particular. I was around the age of 9 and all I remember were the engines roaring as the aircraft flew at low alttitude over our heads!

I Saw This Aircraft Fly In An Airshow At BAFB In The Mid-Sixties As A Child & Loved It. The Documentary On The Falkland's Mission Is Great As Well. Thank You.

I worked at Hawker Siddeley Woodford in the early 70s while doing a "sandwich" course in Aeronautical Engineering. The fatigue test airframe sample was still undergoing fatigue test simulations in one of the hangars at the flight test end of the facility. We used to visit the airframe while it was undergoing fatigue testing, which ran for many hours each day. It was possible to climb up into the bomb bay and listen to the creaking noises made by the airframe during the most extreme cycles of the testing. While I was still there, it was decided that sufficient testing had been conducted to allow the fatigue cycling to be discontinued. I was one of a small crowd of people who got to witness the final cycle of the fatigue testing being performed. I recall quite clearly that they play Wagner's Flight of the Valkyries over the PA system as the cycle came to an end. A very vivid and pleasant memory.

I remember seeing this awesome aircraft occasionally at the Shoreham Air Show, it never landed but would do a few low-level fly-bys, as it flew over and past the ground literally shook and the noise of those engines was phenomenal, it was always the highlight of the air show. The Vulcan wouldn't have passed any noise abatement limits today, but neither would a 707 or any jets from the sixties and seventies.

Saw three of these beauties all on active duty in the USA near Chicago, il.: Sadly witnessed XL-390's last flight in 1978; next came XL-443 in 1980; lastly XM-565 in 1981 which the crew was nice enough to give a few of us the "dime tour" inside and out, along with the Nimrod that accompanied the Vulcan this trip.

Thank you, a great video of a superb aircraft. I joined the RAF in '86, so I was never privileged to work on them as an engine fitter, although I would have dearly loved to have done so. I recall them from news reports on the Falklands war as I was studying for my O Levels in '82. I will never forget standing at the open doors of "Twin peaks" at St. Athan (carrying out major servicings on VC10s as a JT) as the last Flying RAF Vulcan did a low fly-by with its bomb bay doors open and a "farewell" sign strung up inside. One of many occasions that made me truly proud to serve my country and to be a member of the best Airforce in the world. A happy and peaceful new year to every single person on this planet.

As an ATC Cadet in the early sixties, our summer camp was on a Vulcan Bomber station. The sound as they took off was astonishing as was the sight as we lined up for our flights in a Chipmunk. Have had a soft spot for them ever since.

I've only seen one in flight during an airshow in Southern California back in the late 70's. The ground trembled with the power of those engines.

At Woodford starting all four engines together, was referred to as " A Mass Start." The Vulcan had to be taken apart and strengthened in order to take the strain. I was fortunate enough to be present when the last Vulcan to be modified in this way had it's engines tested. The blasting pens had been removed to accommodate the 801 [Nimrod] blasting pens. The Vulcan was chocked up on the edge of the apron at the Woodford flight sheds just outside hanger five. We all trouped out to watch, I will never forget it. All four engines burst into action, the blast blew a ruddy great hole in the airfield the size of an Olympic swimming pool. You could see the turf being rolled up and flung into the far distance. The hole was massive and there was no evidence of soil to be seen, it had been scattered across the airfield. I have never seen or heard such a demonstration of power either before or since, the noise was incredible. All of a sudden my body was being pounded by the shock wave, I couldn't hear myself think. One of my enduring memories.

I’m just over 6ft and tried to get into the cockpit of a Vulcan and tapped out after just being able to squeeze into the crew compartment. How they managed to sit in there for hours is mind boggling!

I was fortunate to see and hear a Vulcan at Barksdale AFB air show in the early 80's. It was so loud you could feel the sound waves. The plane flew maneveurs like a fighter but is huge. I've been to lots of air shows and seen lots of planes fly but the Vulcan is one I will never, ever forget. On this Coronation Day you Brits should be very proud of your engineers and air crews. The Vulcan was one heck of a plane.

Beautiful machine! The right combo of flying wing and fuselage.

Definitely one of the most iconic aircraft ever.

As a child In the early 60's my Dad took us to a Battle of Britain Day display at RAF Finningley. The highlight was a Vulcan squadron scramble. Still one of my most vivid, impressive, memories.

My dad was a Navigator in the RAF. He left when his squadron was moving over to the Vulcan due to the fact the Navigator was going to have a real issue getting out. Now I see why. :-( Thanks for the video.

I just saw a Vulcan once in my lifetime, on final to Lisbon Airport around 1979. I was 13 and started screaming in the middle of the street "A VULCAN! A VULCAN!" I can assure you that everyone in a 300 meter radius raised their head to the sky! Unforgettable sight indeed...

My grandfather was a nav plotter on one of these and when one set on fire in January '77 I believe it was one of two where the whole crew bailed and survived

Way back in September 1956 when I was a wee lad of 10, my father took me to the Mallala RAAF base in the mid north of South Australia for an air show. Star attraction was a demonstration by Vulcan XA897, the first Vulcan B1 to be delivered to the Royal Air Force. It came out to Australia on a PR tour, and I have remembered its demonstration runs all my life. Particularly awe-inspiring was its near vertical climb on full power, the four engines facing the crowd below. Unfortunately disaster struck when it attempted a landing at Heathrow (in bad weather) and hit the ground a few hundred yards short. The pilots ejected but the back-seat crew of four did not survive. The full story and a Pathe newsreel can be seen by Googling 'Vulcan XA897'.

Back when I was a child,my father who worked for Avro at Bracebridge heath..Lincoln, took us all my sister and mum ,to Waddington for the Airshow.. the highlight of the day was a QRA of a flight of 6 Vulcans..the memory and sound is still an emotional one as they howled down the runway and into the sky..!

The Vulcan is undeniably cool, it is almost a flying wing.

I remember the three small prototype's the A,B and C flying out of Woodford. In 1953 Coronation Year the Scouting Counties of East Cheshire, South-East Lancashire and the City of Manchester held a jamboree in August at Lyme Park which is immediately above Avro's Woodford Air Base and one of the joys of the jamboree was having one of the full size prototypes fly across this Jamboree. Such a superb Aircraft. Very Proud to come from the City of its birth.

My first and last British aircraft model was the Vulcan. Fifty years later I can't forget it and all the paint that was required for its massive wing area. Beautiful aircraft.

I saw this aircraft fly a demo in 1972 at Dulles Intl. Beautiful aircraft so large it looked like it was flying in slow motion until it flew overhead. WOW!

Thanks for that, very informative. I had the privilege to see the last Vulcan occasionally flying right over my house between Duxford & Sywell (Northants). You could hear it coming long before it came into view, then for a moment the sky would go dark as it was so big. It came over low & slow, so sorry I didn't have a camera handy.

Interesting video, thanks. My Dad used to fly Vulcans and in fact, had actually flown the one that is kept at Duxford. (Also, XH558 was his assigned aircraft). He flew Canberras and Lancasters too!

I'm one of those who love this bird. It's majestic, beautiful of design and its howl is a music to my ears.

Fantastic video and very well presented. Thankyou IWM and Liam for showing us this great aircraft, looking forward to seeing more of the great collection at Duxford.

Back in the heyday of the Southern California air show season, early 80s, we would get a couple of Vulcan visits. Edwards AFB being generally the best spot to see them because they had so much airspace to maneuver and show off. Spectacular.

I used to see one flying over my house whenever we had an Air Show as we were half a mile from the runaway. Amazingly beautiful aircraft to see in the air, and completely awe inspiring. Even the Red Arrows were not as impressive.

Visited IWM Duxford in 2020. I always liked the Vulcan and have seen a lot of Aircraft but standing right next to it was a distinct experience. This aircraft has presence: elegant with its aerodynamic lines giving off pure authority and truely menacing - especially with the mock-up nukes (I remember a Blue Steel and a WE.177) at the display. Great video and also great display job at the exhibition. The B-52 in the america hall on the other hand impressed me only by its size.

Very well done video. Thank you for putting it together. I like the mix of static display & historical footage.

I must be some kind of aviation heretic as seeing the Vulcan take off at Farnborough a number of years ago gave me bigger goosebumps than seeing a Lancaster fly-past.

When I was young low-flying Vulcans were commonly seen around Lincolnshire and especially where I lived. You didn't really appreciate their size until they disappeared over hills and you realised that the thing that looked low enough to crash on a hill was high enough to fly over them. Their size made them seem much lower than they really were. We had one crash a few miles away. No-one was killed and pilot was decorated for staying with the plane long enough to stop it crashing into Spilsby.

I saw the Vulcan at the Rhyl air show some years ago. Magnificent. What an aircraft.

i saw the Vulcan at an air display in 1986, it was awesome to see it do a low level barrel roll. somehow the awesome size of the aircraft, made the simple act impressive, and memorable to this day

My father once told me the Vulcan was meant to cruise near transonic speeds. A feat that might shake a regular plane to pieces.

My cousin Martin flew that first Black Buck mission

I remember as a young Air Cadet going to RAF Gaydon then a Vulcan Base for an Air Display in the early 70's, they did a practice scramble of 4 Vulcans, it took only 4 mins for all the aircraft to thunder into the skies, the noise was incredible, they all clawed their way up and soon disappeared in various directions, Awesome power and superb airman ship, this was when we had an proper RAF that had several superb Aircraft !

I love the Vulcan. I studied in Lincoln in the late eighties and i had the pleasure of a vulcan bomber fly over some red arrow guys we were talking to on a static hawk jet outside lincoln castle. It tipped its wings to them. It still makes me cry when i remember So lucky to see it in its habitat above howling through the air.

I really enjoyed this, thank you. Excellent footage and a very high production quality. Hopefully this is the start of something very successful for the museum, similar to what the Tank Museum has achieved.

What an incredible machine, when Britain was ahead of the rest. It proved its worth in the Falklands attacks, but thank god it was not used for the task it was designed for, delivering nuclear warheads. Such a pity there isn't one flying today.

It had done a few airshows in Manchester where i live, the noise was deafening to say the least! As a family we would all go down to the airfield each year to watch all the planes, some of my favorite childhood memories, health and safety wasnt as strict as it is today (infact its that health and safety that stopped the Manchester airshow, the one in Barton) the jets would fly right over all the people on the fields having picnics, some only a few feet above, one day a jet flew over and directly above me it went vertically into a climb, i actually felt the thrust from the engine and fell over from being scared to death of the noise!! It was amazing and i can still picture it today 40+ years later! Great memories!

Excellent video. It brought back memories of my ground engineering service with them 1963-66 at RAF Scampton.

The Vulcan, along with the BAC Lightning, are two of my favourite English military jet aircraft. My absolute favourite though has to be the panavia Tornado .

I will always remember, as a kid in the 60’s in Darwin, the ground shaking rumble that would announce one of these huge monster aircraft coming in almost at tree top level during radar evasion exercises to “bomb” Darwin. You could look up and damn near count the rivets, they were that low….and then within seconds there would be a Mirage screaming past on an attack run, trying to take out the Vulcan.

The Vulcan is a beauty, and one of my favorites. I got to see one fly in an airshow back in the late 70s at RAF Bentwaters where I was stationed at the time.

I’ve seen just about everything I’d ever want to see fly at one airshow or another. Nothing has ever equaled or blown my mind as much as that Vulcan did when I saw its performance in the 80s.

I've been to the IWM in Duxford, near Cambridge and it is ABSOLUTELY AWESOME. Couldn't believe what they had there. RAF Hendon also unbelievable considering where it is. Amazing to see just how damn good this nation was at what needed to be done when it was needed. One of the few things left to feel a sense of national pride for.

I've only ever seen XH558 parked up and just seeing it sent a shiver down my back, I can't imagine how scared you'd be seeing them fly over in a war

Wow... talk about a blast from the past... and a video that makes me feel OLD! LOL in 1972 I was a senior in high school, near Washington DC. That was the year Transpo 72 came to Dulles airport - a huge multi-week exposition of not just aircraft but all sorts of transportation-related vehicles and technologies. As a certified aircraft geek, I had no choice but to play Hookey from school and hang out at the show for as many days as I could get away with. Even got a job at one of the food stands as a way to get in the show for free. Anyway, all week there was every imaginable sort of flying demonstration - the USAF Thunderbirds, USN Blue Angels, the RAF Red Arrows, and all kinds of individual aircraft demonstrations... an F-111, a C-5A... all the latest stuff of the day. But the one aircraft that really wowed me... that I instantly fell in love with... was the Vulcan. Definitely the coolest aircraft I've ever seen - before or since. As for the "feeling old" part - that was 50 years ago. Where has the time gone? But at any rate - thanks for the memories!

Seeing this flying for my first and only time in 2009 the batlike shape both awed and shocked me. Glad to have been on the friend side of this amazing plane!

I remember seeing it in airshows and hearing the primordial sound it made :-D

This is one of my favorite British planes. I absolutely love it.

Saw a couple of the beautiful Vulcans take off from Hickam AFB on Oahu when I was a young sailor, way back in 1970. No, they weren't beautiful -- they were beyond beautiful. Thank you for the video! 😍😍

The Vulcan has such an enduring legacy, I think A.V Roe had a fantastic mind far ahead of his time, I consider it a shame that I only ever got to see XH558 fly 3 times in my life, two of those in her second life after restoration and the first when I was only 3 years old, but that day at Biggin Hill Air Fair in ‘92 must of had an impact on me

Very impressive airoplane. Cold war time, when you knew, who is your friend and who is the enemy. Greeting from (former west) germany.

Show de bola Júlio!!!!! Vários elogios!!!! os gringos com certeza vão amar um canal tão bom na língua universal, é só questão de tempo.... Congratulations!

They used to fly over my house as a child in the early 80s. We knew they didn't have long left in service then and used to take a little while longer watching them before they disappeared for good. Saying that, you never forget a Vulcan in flight!

I was lucky enough to see a Vulcan at RAF Newquay in display in 1980 as a Army Cadet. Little did i know the importance of this Aircraft going forward a few years. The noise/thrust values, of that machine climbing would make you respect it forever.

Thank you! Very interesting! But I don’t understand why there is background music.

A good summary of the Vulcan. Note for IWM - please do not use music background - different tunes and volumes and for no reason. There is no background music at live presentations at Duxford. The music in the Vulcan RU-vid presentation spoils the commentary at sometimes makes it hard to hear. Maybe re-issue with music soundtrack off?

As a schoolboy in 1960 we lived quite close to RAF Finningly where AVRO Vulcans were based. I used to take a ride to Finningly on my Bike and site at the end of the Runway with throttles open and brakes holding them still. At the time we got little sleep for two or three years as they did circuits over the local area at around 500 feet, non stop night and day. Finningly had an open day every year for Battle of Britain day and I took my daughter to see a Vulcan take off around 1988. The Thundering noise of the event was so loud that she cried at the event and it took her some time to get over it. They were quite stunning to behold and there will be nothing quite like them ever again

Thoroughly enjoyed! The information and the quality of editing was brilliant (including music) I would love to see a similar edit featuring the Lightning in future.

It was always a crowd favorite at airshows.

As a young lad back in August 1967 I joined up to the RNZAF here in New Zealand. Once I had completed the recruit course at RNZAF Wigram I was posted RNZAF Ohakea ,the place to be as based there was a squadron of Canberas and Vampires. One day I was summoned to the flight office to be told that I was to stand picket duty on the soon to arrive Vulcan. I remember it was a wet chilly night so dully dressed in uniform and my wonderful greatcoat I reported for my duty. I spent my hours wandering around under a very expensive large V bomber that made a great umbrella. I remember I was in aww of its size and beautiful shape. I couldn’t really see much apart from the undercarriage to bide my time. But I was fully aware that I was on duty to prevent anyone from stealing it, I am still very proud no one tried as if so I could have clobbered them with a very large long heavy flash light. Eventually dawn broke and the base started to stir. Soon after the crew of the said Vulcan wandered out, all kitted up in their flying gear. Much to my surprise I was thanked for my time and would I like to have a guided tour. Wow yes please. I climbed up the ladder into lower area where magic things happened. A few questions I asked were politely declined due to it being classified, like speed, altitude range etc. so thank you to the crew ,much appreciated. To carry on my recall of her being at RNZAF base Ohakea she did a few flights ,I remember one that on the that occasion a RNZAF officer went up with his bag pipes to try and claim a world altitude record for playing the pipes. It was rumoured he played a tune at 60,000 ft Sadly the record was not recognised it as a world record due to not having a Guinness representative to witness the feat. Eventually the Vulcan was to depart and head off. The base all turned to to get a place watch her leave. Well to this day December 2022 I can still see in my minds eye the sight of her lifting off turning to starboard and heading straight to the flight line and over a hangar at a very low altitude ,I mean LOW it was so low it can not been far off scraping the paint of the roof of the hangar, baggies mess and theatre. Bloody hell she was low ,the Vulcan howl and the pure noise was a full on body thrill. Never ever ever forget that day Never forget the time I stood guard, the tour over her and the various take offs I witnessed . Wow.

Thank you Sir Roy Chadwick. I have fond memories in the late 1970s, at the CNE Airshow in Toronto, of seeing an Avro Vulcan do its air display. A big, slow, beautiful airplane that the RAF officer giving the voice-over called “The Aluminum Overcast”. A true beauty.

Damn, i wish more had been preserved in the beautiful anti flash white