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Vulcan XH558 - Serious Engine Failure
Posted: May 29th, 2012, 12:48 pm
by Keith Mitchell
Prior to a practice flight for the Queen's Jubilee Celebrations this weekend, XH558 piloted by chief display pilot, Martin Withers, suffered a serious, if not catastrophic, failure of one engine and damage to the other Olympus in the pair when being run-up, prior to take-off at Doncaster yesterday. Debris appeared to be ejected from the engine onto the runway.
Martin - our guest at Elvington last August -immediately shut-down the failed engine and was heard to comment that the adjacent in the pair had got very hot .....
All further flying is cancelled and a full inspection will take place over the next two weeks ('Vulcan to the Sky' website).
Doesn't sound great to me - but let's hope ....
Re: Vulcan XH558 - Serious Engine Failure
Posted: May 29th, 2012, 1:45 pm
by Bob Thompson1894
Thats terrible news at a very busy time for them. Lets hope its not as bad as it sounds.

Re: Vulcan XH558 - Serious Engine Failure
Posted: May 29th, 2012, 4:25 pm
by Vince Raia
Looks like you'll have to lend them one of your turbines Dave

Re: Vulcan XH558 - Serious Engine Failure
Posted: May 29th, 2012, 9:06 pm
by DAVE JOHNSON
Vince--i am sure they have spare turbines,but its the damage thats done to airframe etc thats a worry !!!
Re: Vulcan XH558 - Serious Engine Failure
Posted: May 29th, 2012, 10:27 pm
by Tony Collins 1073
Let us all be very thankful that it happened on the ground run. We have to count our blessings.
Re: Vulcan XH558 - Serious Engine Failure
Posted: May 30th, 2012, 11:13 am
by Dave Berry 2911
Sadly its not a new problem on the Vulcan; it happened a number of times when it was in service.
Sounds like a compressor failure which lead to debris being 'coughed' out of the engine and then ingested by the one alongside.
Re: Vulcan XH558 - Serious Engine Failure
Posted: May 30th, 2012, 4:05 pm
by Keith Mitchell
Re: Vulcan XH558 - Serious Engine Failure
Posted: July 3rd, 2012, 4:23 pm
by Dave Berry 2911
Good newsdespite the gloomy weather!
XH 558 is back in the air over Yorkshire doing a flight test - ground runs apparantly went well
Dave J's got competition for the biggest flying overcast after all

Re: Vulcan XH558 - Serious Engine Failure
Posted: July 3rd, 2012, 5:13 pm
by DAVE JOHNSON
Great to hear she is back flying again---lets hope the gloomy weather doesnt affect test flights thsi week so it can attend Fairford
Re: Vulcan XH558 - Serious Engine Failure
Posted: July 5th, 2012, 8:24 pm
by Jason Griffiths
XH558 was flying around Stamford area this afternoon - landing & taking off at RAF Wittering - Very nice to see aswell

Re: Vulcan XH558 - Serious Engine Failure
Posted: July 5th, 2012, 9:36 pm
by Barrie King
It flew past our flying site twice today, once about 2pm going South, then again just before 4 going back north, great sight!
Re: Vulcan XH558 - Serious Engine Failure
Posted: July 5th, 2012, 9:39 pm
by Jason Griffiths
Barrie must have been going to Wittering then between them times .... made Stamford rumble

Re: Vulcan XH558 - Serious Engine Failure
Posted: July 13th, 2012, 6:27 pm
by Keith Mitchell
.... now I know what John Willis meant when he said flying the Vulcan was like looking at the world through a letterbox.......!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIaTvzPaJIE
Re: Vulcan XH558 - Serious Engine Failure
Posted: July 14th, 2012, 8:00 am
by Vince Raia
Great video

John Willis, what a great loss to British aviation, a truly wonderful man.