Britain's nuclear bomber undergoes conservation | Handley Page Victor

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Duxford’s Handley Page Victor has been under conservation now for four years, and is among the largest conservation projects the team at Duxford have ever undertaken. Victor XH648 is the only tanker BK model left in the world. She's currently residing in Hangar 5 with no outer wings, no tail plane, no fin, a large chunk of her undercarriage removed, and her almost paintwork entirely stripped. So what does it take to preserve a Cold War bomber? With no instruction manual to guide them, how did the team begin this project, what can be repaired, and what needs replacing, and what have they discovered so far? Head of Conservation Jon White takes us around the aircraft and explains why a job like this takes so many years to finish.
Keep an eye on IWM's website and social media channels for an update about the project and the Victor's relocation.
Website: www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-dux...
Twitter: / i_w_m
Instagram: / imperialwarmuseums
Facebook: / iwm.london
View and licence the archive films used in this video: film.iwmcollections.org.uk/c/...
Read more about the conservation project of Victor XH648: www.iwm.org.uk/support-us/don...
Chapters
0:00 Intro
1:17 History of the Handley Page Victor
3:59 This Victor as a tanker Bk model
5:14 The conservation project
7:39 The conservation team and different techniques
8:45 Missing parts
9:43 What are they working on now?

Опубликовано:

17 май 2024

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Комментарии : 321

@garyshuttleworth3459 2 года назад

a massive" thank you" to all those dedicated people who have helped to preserve such an iconic aircraft, i look forward to seeing her

@fred6666 2 года назад

Thanks ive had mine in the shed for a few years now but wasnt sure what to do with it, good guide. 👍

@davidemery1557 2 года назад

I was waiting for the Haynes manual before starting mine.

@timnor4803 2 года назад

Mines up in the attic with some old kids clothes...

@jeffsymons4535 2 года назад

Hooray for airfix kits 😀

@wiseoldfool 2 года назад

@@davidemery1557 It'll be out before Christmas.

@garethonthetube 2 года назад

Barn find?

@mpersad 2 года назад

Hats off to the conservators and volunteers bringing this beautiful aircraft back to a standard where she can be a permanent static exhibit. Terrific video.

@BTW... 8 месяцев назад

I bet you say that to all the girls.

@Takao1078 2 года назад

I saw this plane sheltered in the main hangar in 2010 and was horrified by the condition. It was mottled, stained and panels were rusted through. I thought it was beyond recovery but I am stunned and amazed by your craftsmanship and dedication. Thank you for preserving it for the future!

@kristoffermangila 2 года назад

Hard to believe the Victor bomber is designed in the 1950's, its so futuristic-looking.

@Acepilot1312 2 года назад

Absolutely true.

@mikus4242 2 года назад

The British post WWII bombers just a flare and style to them that is so beautiful.

@wiseoldfool 2 года назад

I agree!

@JohnJones-cp4wh 2 года назад

@@mikus4242 Until Mr Wilson and Co. kicked it into touch.

@Old_B52H_Gunner 2 года назад

I’ve always loved the look of British bombers, but especially the Victor, and the Vulcan, both so incredibly unique in design.

@ArcturanMegadonkey 2 года назад

She's already looking like the day she was built. Magnificent work everyone, can't wait to see her again

@gwilymmorgan5115 2 года назад

I saw that Victor at Duxford, just a few weeks ago, and I can't wait to see it finished. Congratulations to all involved on this project.

@budspaulding7121 2 года назад

Amazing place, Duxford. I visited my daughter & family a couple years ago and we went there. The kids had a ball watching Dad freak out!

@nonamesplease6288 2 года назад

I live in the USA. In 1982 or 1983 I attended the airshow at Patuxent Naval Airstation in Maryland. A Nimrod was at the show and flew a demonstration, but a Victor had accompanied the Nimrod and was on static display. She was painted the same barley gray as the Nimrod, and I remember it vividly because it's such a unique looking aircraft, like a giant bug!

@WH-um2gx 2 года назад

Have you been to the SAC museum in Ashland Nebraska? The Vulcan B.Mk II, S/N XM573 there is outside in the back near the garbage collection bins. I have been there several times and each time a staff person has said that the airframe will eventually be worked on. A "not made here" syndrome appears to be alive and well at that institution.

@prof2yousmithe444 2 года назад

The entire “V-series” were a remarkable group of quality aircraft! My grandfather grew up in GB and loved to sit and watch these take off and land as w child. I believe I owe my love for aircraft to him.

@seanclark6438 Год назад

Spent an afternoon at RAF Museum Cosford at the end of April the Cold War hanger there is the only place where you’ll see all three V bombers in the same hanger,

@blissy1 2 года назад

Amazing this aircraft still looks futuristic after 60 years, and this design was started in 1947, really take a look at this aircraft with nuclear capability with a 6K range. Uncle Sam the UK ,alley and best friend had nothing to compare

@Sean-parker Год назад

Still amazing to note the bomber that cam not long before the victor was the Halifax, jet technology really did take design and capability to a whole new level

@DickHolman Год назад

With A2A refuelling & the Blue Steel stand-off nuclear bomb, anywhere on the globe could be attacked from any direction.

@rorymorris6875 Год назад

@@Sean-parker don't forget captured nazi technology and knowledge helped a lot after the war

@odysseusreturns9133 Год назад

As impressive as the B52 looks, they were inferior to Vulcans and Victors when used on exercises. However the Stratofortress has stood the test of time with several still in operational service and will remain so for several more years.

@andrewallan6802 2 года назад

Beautiful aircraft, she still looks like something from the future. Thank you all for your amazing work at keeping her on display.

@buzzabuzza3494 2 года назад

Great to see the beautiful victor resurrected 👏👏👏

@axelusul Год назад

Never forget seeing a Victor at the Teeside Airshow 1987 it was a tanker, the pilots and engineers were about and were chatting to the public. Amazingly beautiful aircraft.

@benholman6753 Год назад

Congratulations to the entire team at the IWM who have restored a true icon of British engineering and aviation history

@sergarlantyrell7847 2 года назад

The Victor B1 was the best looking aircraft ever made, especially without the camouflage paint. It's almost a shame it wasn't just polished to a shine and left unpainted (maybe with a clear coat to protect the aluminium).

@peterharrington8709 2 года назад

TBH unpolished it looks completely evil! Gotta love that in a nuclear bomber.

@seanclark6438 2 года назад

Anti-flash White looked good on V Bombers

@Imp5011 Год назад

It is a shame that conservators are always so insistent on squadron colours. That particular era of Camouflage scheme was very drab. It's been a static exhibit most of its life. Perhaps time to embrace that and make it more striking.

@peterh7594 Год назад

Memorably, I first became aware of the Victor when I saw it featured in a war comic. I was obviously impressed with its beauty and futuristic looks. I like all of the V bombers, and don't have it in me to have a favourite, but out of the three this and the Vulcan come close. Gorgeous.

@fallinginthed33p Год назад

@@peterharrington8709 The unpainted skin could get damaged by a nuclear flash. All the US SAC bombers had anti-flash white paint on the undersides.

@astromatt75 7 месяцев назад

I was at Duxford a few weeks ago and it was great to be able to walk around one of the workshop hangers and witness this labour of love. I had never really appreciated the amount of work that goes into these restored aircraft that we are privileged to see in air museums. I had all sorts of questions in my head when walking around that workshop - where do they source replacement parts from, what if knowledge is lost, how do they reverse engineer the design, etc. Seeing the restored Handley Page Victor made my day.

@JackScooter17 8 месяцев назад

seeing this in person now it’s been restored is absolutely incredible. it’s almost like a huge model the restoration quality is so good

@bugler75 2 года назад

The most beautiful V bomber. Still looks like it came from science fiction. Thanks to all who work across the UK preserving our aviation history 😊

@babalonkie 2 года назад

Well ahead of it's time and still a beautiful aircraft to this day.

@markcopeman3552 2 года назад

A truly amazing aircraft. It's utterly and completely sinister looking . Glancing up at that nose from the tarmac is enough to scare the hell out of anyone . Very organic and insect like , can't imagine how cool it would have looked in a black stealth finish.

@garethonthetube 2 года назад

I remember seeing this plane standing outside at Duxford about 20 years ago. I thought she looked very sad and dilapidated. Thanks to all you people for preserving her.

@stevecallagher9973 2 года назад

Fabulous project! As a kiwi who spent a few years in Blighty in the early 2000's I visited Duxford several times and saw this aircraft sitting outside and wondered when it would finally get a scrub up! I also thought the V bomber exhibition indoors was amazing...I still do!

@Whiteshirtloosetie 2 года назад

Already looking stunning. A huge well done to all those working on it.

@richtaylor2129 Год назад

Thanks to all involved in restoring/conserving her. I cannot wait to see her again one day

@kiwibonsai2355 2 года назад

Flash Gordon always comes to mind when I see this aircraft. Nice job people, well done. ✌️❤️🇳🇿

@ivorbiggun710 Год назад

I'm so glad that the IWM brought this aircraft inside and restored it. It is, to my knowledge, the only Mk1 Victor that still exists and I remember seeing it when it was kept outside and it looked to be in very poor shape. The IWM seem to have done a fantastic job in returning it to its former glory. To my mind the Victor was always that most futuristic looking of the three V-Bombers and it looks like something straight out of Flash Gordon when its paint is stripped off.

@jackthebassman1 2 года назад

I always think of the Victor as menacingly beautiful.

@Peter.w 2 года назад

Brilliant update!! A massive THAANK YOU and JOB WELL DONE to everyone thats worked so hard on this restoration. The Victor looks amazing, can't wait to see her rolled out all complete!

@perin99 2 года назад

My favourite British plane. Thank you for uploading.

@BLKBRDD 4 месяца назад

Im so happy that this project exists. I cant think of a project that would be more fun to work on. especially the remanufacture of parts and going through the original plans and documentation. Respect ❤

@1982spqr 4 месяца назад

Most people get all excited about the vulcan but I absolutely adore the victor.

@mrdeathgaming1457 2 года назад

Total respect to these engineers.

@alasdairstuart3394 Год назад

Amazing ! Huge thank yo to everyone that has made this happen. I am in awe. 🙏

@gazof-the-north5708 6 месяцев назад

The Victor's bomb bay really was colossal!

@fw1421 6 месяцев назад

I was stationed at Barksdale AFB back in the late 1970’s. We had the International Bombing Competition there and the Brits would always bring a Vulcan and Victor. Beautiful aircraft. I’m glad this one has been saved. Important piece of British aviation history.

@anthonysantiago1999 2 года назад

Greetings from the U.S. She is a Beautiful Bird.. Great Job Fellas!!

@carlstewart9289 2 года назад

My Dad was stationed at RAF Marham in the mid and late 70's and early 80's. He was a Crew Chief on the Victor K2 tankers and I remember many times going with him on a weekend and crawling around these beasts. Beautiful aeroplanes.

@markcarter3617 2 года назад

I joined 57 squadron in 83 ! Best time of my life.

@125brat 2 года назад

I was posted to Victor Servicing Flight at Marham in '78. A very good friend was a Crew Chief on th K1's on 214 Sqn until they were replaced by the K2's.

@Argyll9846 3 месяца назад

Beautiful restoration work - well done all you guys who worked on it.

@soppdrake 6 месяцев назад

What a beauty! Had a poster of this wondrous aeroplane on my bedroom wall in 1964 :-)

@dwp1970 2 года назад

Looking forward to the Victor on display. Thanks for all the hard work and the video.

@James_18. 8 месяцев назад

Oh wow. Wish my Dad was still around to show him this video. He worked on this Victor when he was in the RAF

@keithlillis7962 3 месяца назад

The Victor still look futuristic - an amazing aircraft.

@johnwilson6721 2 года назад

Handley Page was fairly local to us and Victors would fly over our house in the mid '50s. I visited the plant with my school once and I remember walking round the amazing Victor, since when it has been a great favourite of mine. I can see a trip to Duxford coming up.

@jonathanvince7374 4 месяца назад

I can remember seeing the victor in the conservation hanger on my last visit to the museum. Stripped back to the metal and with no wings it looked like something from flash gordon. A stunningly futuristic shape! I still cant get my head around the fact it was obsolete by the mid 70s.

@peterbeardsmore622 Год назад

I last saw this aircraft in the hangar at Handley Page when I worked there in the 60's. Hope to visit it sometime and maybe even a nostalgic peep in the 'office'.

@itZsparkiii 2 года назад

Thank you for the very interesting videos on specific planes in your collection and great work by all those involved in the restoration.

@kerrylester8437 2 года назад

My favourite aircraft, remember seeing one take off at Radlett many years ago, a superb looking machine.. Well done to all involved.

@thomasbrophy4123 2 года назад

just seen her about a week ago, beautiful aircraft and an absolutely amazing museum!

@christiancolson Год назад

Thank you for preserving this very important part of cold war history. :)

@jackthebassman1 7 месяцев назад

I always think the Victor looks beautiful in a menacing way.

@bigblob1623 2 года назад

Oh man, I am so jealous! You guys have the coolest job, and the Imperial War Museum is one of my favorite places in Europe. I love those cold war birds.

@stewsretroreviews 2 года назад

Some great work going on there. Remember going to Duxford with son a few yrs back and seen this plane, looking forward to seeing it back to its former glory again😊

@johngreen8693 4 месяца назад

Always loved the lines of these, my Father used to fly them in the RAF (with Blue Steel). Still have his flight log books.

@darrensmith6999 2 года назад

Thank You for looking after her (:

@ExpressionCulture 2 года назад

I always go and visit this aircraft when i visit duxford and pop a £5 donation the contactless card machine. Love seeing this slowly getting restored

@xushenxin 2 года назад

I built one of these models when I was a boy. It was astonishingly beautiful aircraft.

@tsmithkc 2 года назад

Amazing aircraft, so far ahead of their time.

@MoreRift 2 года назад

Can't wait to go see the Victor when its finished!

@stefanwilliams1687 Год назад

Amazing job, absolutely beautiful aircraft, thanks for all your efforts

@MadMatt13 2 года назад

That's a mammoth task, hats off to you all. Thank you!

@dmutant2635 2 года назад

Those V bombers just looked dangerous. I saw a Victor at Oceana (?) shortly after the Falklands War. Didn't realize how rare they were.

@blxtothis 2 года назад

Duxford is such a terrific day out, must return to see the Victor completed!

@SynapseDriven 2 года назад

I have to say, and as cool as the Vulcan is, the Victor was always my favourite V.

@MrJpbmusic2005 29 дней назад

Can’t wait to visit Duxford this year in July and incredible looking aircraft hopefully I will get see this at the museum

@14rnr 2 года назад

Thank you for sharing this video I thoroughly enjoyed it.

@Le_Petit_Lapin 2 года назад

aww yeah, easily my favourite aircraft of all time. I just love the look of it, its like its been lifted out of a retro-futuristic sci-fi comic. The front view of it is stunning.

@adampoultney8737 2 года назад

“BK Model” XH648 is a Victor B1a(K2p). The original designations for what were later the K1 and K1a were Bk1 and Bk1a respectively. Both B and K in the designation indicated that it is a tanker (k) that retains the ability to carry bombs (B) if required, although this may be more complex than simply opening the bomb bay and loading her up. In reality it would be too large of a task to revert to bomber configuration for the three point Bk1 and Bk1a tankers so they were redesignated K1 and K1a. The B1a(K2p) is an earlier stopgap two point tanker, quickly converted to cover the absence of the Valiant while the Bk1/1as were still under development. I believe this was actually initially designated the Bk1a but was changed to add the K2p to distinguish it from the three point tankers. K2p refers to “tanKer, 2 Point”, and is not to be confused with the Victor K2, the definitive Victor tanker based on the Victor B2R and SR2, that came 9 years after the B1a(K2p). To add to the confusion, the B1a(K2p) was sometimes shortened to K2 before the actual K2 was introduced. Tldr: Victor variant designations are confusing and inconsistent.

@seanclark6438 2 года назад

Well the Victor K2 variant certainly played it’s part in ‘82

@adampoultney8737 2 года назад

@@seanclark6438 knackered the fleet as well... they had to uprig the aerilons by 2° after that

@seanclark6438 2 года назад

@@adampoultney8737 did the job though at a time when we could all too easily ended up with egg on our face

@kaisair3190 2 года назад

Love the Victor, even got a part of one.

@kevincollins1060 2 года назад

Superb video really enjoyable, the Victor is my favourite aircraft still looks futuristic and stealthy, well done to all people involved can’t wait to see it (hope it’s kept indoors) 👍🏻

@philipashley1517 2 года назад

Loved watching the Victor tankers at Woodford many year ago,,,fantastic aircraft. 😍

@maryrafuse3851 2 года назад

This was so very futuristic. What an impressive aircraft from across the pond.

@marcwaller3657 2 года назад

Interesting to see what's been done on the plane. It's been great visiting and seeing the work being done but really looking forward to seeing it finished. If you do an in the cockpit experience as you've done on the Vulcan, I'll book straight away!

@grahamepigney8565 4 месяца назад

The Handley Page Victor has to be one of the sexiest aircraft ever. The Avro Vulcan just looked big and brutal, and there is nothing wrong with that. The Vickers Valiant looked, well, rather conventional and was probably intended to be as the "safe" option. Having said that the back up Short Sperrin was even more conventional and never got beyond the prototype stage once the three "V" bombers were chosen.

@megorra Год назад

I'm not really into planes but ever since I saw the Victor at Elvington near York, I fell in love with it. A beautiful looking plane and such a shame it will never grace our skies again.

@e-rj8984 2 года назад

Beautiful Work You have done 👍🌷

@brendanquinlan5936 2 года назад

Great video. Thanks for uploading 👍

@joshbritton3268 2 года назад

What a stunning plane.

@nicwilson89 2 года назад

Beautiful aircraft! Also, that laser paint stripper looks very fun :D

@Stevieboy130664 2 года назад

Coolest looking British aircraft ever. Beautifully weird or weirdly beautiful - probably both.

@tommyduk1779 2 месяца назад

Gorgeous. Styling quite organic. Dan Dare. Ekranoplan....But beautiful and effective. I do wish we still dreamed of and made things like this. All such ramblings aside, Great job!

@EricTViking 2 года назад

Looking forward to visiting it when it's ready 👍

@williamduncan5679 4 месяца назад

When sitting on the ground it looks like it's doing mach one what a beautiful air craft.❤❤❤

@soonerlon 2 года назад

It's great to see history being conserved. It's a good thing aircraft manufacturers had limited room on their own assembly lines thus requiring the use of "wing production breaks" like on this aircraft and other "heavies". All one has to do to remove the outer wing is simply disconnect the flight controls, fluids lines, electrical connections and then remove about 4 thousand fasteners and the wing will just fall off. Excellent job - please keep it going!

@zimbabwesteve4620 2 года назад

You guys are amazing. Thank you so much for doing this

@edwinleslie1330 2 года назад

My Favourite V Bomber. Brilliant shape. Well done. Restorers amazing people whatever they restore. Without them all we would have is photos. 👌

@indigohammer5732 2 года назад

Thank you for sharing a very informative look at your important work at IWM. What a fantastic aircraft, although it is an evil looking thing! A thousand thank yous!

@wiseoldfool 2 года назад

Great to see. The Victor still looks sleek by modern standards. My first reaction to the the intro was that I've seen Vulcans on the tarmac with engines running, but I was sure I'd seen some Victors converted to tankers, and in-flight refueling F-4 phantoms. Now I'm going to watch the rest of the video. Great work, people.

@steve55sogood16 2 года назад

My favourite V-bomber!

@-DC- 2 года назад

Had mine on SORN couple more bits from eBay and I'll get it in for a MOT, Great Work IWM.

@matthewbrooker 2 года назад

Wow, I have grown to love the Victor more over repeated visits to Duxford. Not as pretty as the other V bombers - far more menacing in looks:) Favourite feature are the engine inlets moulded so well at body/ wing intersection. Nice to see a restore underway after years in the elements. I look forward to my next visit to see progress. World class aircraft and a world class museum. Britain and Brits at their best.

@alexrox321 Год назад

You guys make fantastic videos, i can't wait to come and visit Duxford :D

@philipblick8887 2 года назад

Great video well presented congratulations from Aotearoa (New Zealand)

@davegreen9558 2 года назад

Congratulations to the team on such a great job conserving this beautiful aircraft. Where is it going to be displayed? I do hope it will be indoors but wonder which hangar has enough space?

@billjenkins687 2 года назад

Fabulous video. Thank You from the USA

@landoremick7422 4 месяца назад

Designed and built by brilliant men. We have lost the ability to design and produce such technology. How this nation had fallen

@Rob-lu8me 2 года назад

The Victor just shouts ‘Cold War’ . It’s truely sinister looking. I love the frontal view with the massive deployed ‘chute dragging behind.. that image has stayed with me for years. (I now have it tattoo’d on my leg !). The Vulcan was beautiful and graceful… this thing was more ‘come on then !’ Well done Duxford !