Saturday, March 1, 2014

AVRO Vulcan


The AVRO Vulcan was designed as Britain's first nuclear bomber.  The designer was none other than Roy Chadwick, who had been responsible for the Lancaster bomber, among other important accomplishments with  A.V. Roe and Company.  He broke away from conventional thinking to offer a delta design.  Below, one of his 1947 sketches.  (Tragically, Chadwick died later the same year in the crash of a Tudor 2 airliner, another of his designs.  S.D. Davies, Avro's Assistant Chief Designer, miraculously walked away from the wreckage to continue the Vulcan project.)

Below, Vulcans under construction at the huge Avro factory at Chadderton, Manchester, and the assembly hall at Woodford, Stockport:



The aircraft model ended its career being used as a tanker, after which most airframes were diverted to use as fire dumps and rescue training, since they were robust enough to stand numerous "burns" before being destroyed.


Photos and information from Duncan Cubitt with Ken Ellis, Vulcan.  Last of the V-Bombers.  (Chancellor Press, 1996).

At least it's still remembered as a model kit:


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