RIAT 2015 Avro Vulcan XH558 HOWLs!!

Kelcie Clarke, our media volunteer for the seaon, reports from another memorable weekend at The Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT).

The phenomenon of the ‘Vulcan Effect’ is totally gripping the nation this season with yet another show resulting in a complete sell out. RIAT 2015 was a show which many will remember fondly in years to come. The aptly named ‘Spirit of Great Britain’ is dominating the country’s aviation scene. Social media has been full of the images of a series of incredible performances this weekend and of the Farewell to Flight formation flypast with the Royal Air Force Red Arrows.

The massive crowds were left waiting until 14:45 for the much anticipated Vulcan display; thousands filled the crowd line to get the best perspective as XH558 roared along the runway and thrust into what many have said to be, the most spectacular take-off they had seen. No sooner had XH558 left the ground, she powered into her display, causing a stir among the congregation below. There was an air and atmosphere of incredulity and suspense as to which moves the huge aircraft would perform next. As the Red Arrows taxied onto the runway to move into position for take-off, XH558 roared above the runway into a zoom climb which resulted in a beautiful howl and a wing over, moving out of the display circuit to allow the Reds to take off.

The much awaited flypast with the Vulcan and the Red Arrows took place to the background of great anticipation and excitement and this was a very fitting farewell and send off to XH558 from the Royal Air Force. After breaking formation XH558 gracefully landed, streaming her brake chute to the delight of the applauding crowd.

I caught up with Kev Rumens shortly after landing on Saturday, to ask the questions about his breath taking display, which had everyone captivated in the moment.

'The take off was a display take off, I wasn’t permitted to turn below 50ft, so I hung on until 100ft before pulling a hard right’. As for the wing over we were all in awe by this point in the display.

Kev continued ~ ‘I always aim to use 135 degrees of bank in the wing over. It is a little harder to judge after a zoom climb, because of the nose of the aircraft. It’s a lot higher and therefore the horizon is harder to see. On Saturday, I aimed for 135 degrees as normal but in reality I think I ended up around 150 degrees’.

Photographs and videos of the display have had millions of views, and being there and seeing it in real time was an amazing and truly memorable experience. The agility of such a large aircraft was perfectly implemented with a huge credit to the very experienced and talented Kev Rumens, Bill Ramsey and Phil Davies.

Bill Ramsey was in the hot seat for the formation flight with the Red Arrows, fully utilising his highly tuned and excellent skills and professionalism to both ensure that the formation was a huge success and making a massive impact on the spellbound audience. Kev went on to comment that the blessing of the good weather had made the flight a bumpy one, with the thermals created on such a sunny day.

[Sonic]

This is our heritage, this is our culture. Although it’s a weapon of war it was an incredible piece of British engineering and ingenuity.
Makes me proud of our great history! 🇬🇧 🇬🇧 🇬🇧

[tonyfranklin]

That take-off is just trolling every powered aircraft that took off from a runway ever, just utterly ridiculous and brilliant at the same time!

[johnnys]

Three (almost four) years on I still remember this last display of the Vulcan at RIAT. The plane was undoubtedly the centerpiece of the weekend, and she lived up to all expectations. The pilots gave an incredible spectacle for her final season. I really miss that howl! What an amazing aircraft, like so many other British aircraft of her day, well ahead of her time! Thanks for the fantastic video. Brought back some happy memories.

[ElizabethSylvesterGray]

Watching this with tears in my eyes....will we ever see her like again?   What a beautiful piece of British history

[bobsurgranny]

Tell ya what, it takes some skill, confidence and balls to take off like that. What a pilot Rumens is. I'm pleased he levelled out at 0:26

[panchotherottensmurf]

That last pass, where she into a sprint and power climbs into that wing over will never be forgotten. I managed to catch her every active season since being bought back to life and the Saturday display is probably my favourite of all. Great vid mate

[mondeo]

Brings tears to my eyes, what an awesome aircraft and its criminal that she will be let down by 3 companies.

[peterh]

I will still never forget this display. There has never and will never be an aircraft with more presence. Everyone present was also extremely pleased with the somewhat more spirited display....that's wingover to the limit.... well done that man. Sad she wont fly again, but ahh for the memories. We all love the vulcan!

[Air-Jon]

So good they kept this Vulk flying long enough for HD video to happen! Thanks for the HQ filming! The way the Vulk flies is amazing! I wish there was some in-cockpit of these demos...

[littlehenham]

An absolutely awesome video, of a fantastic aircraft. Came over my house the other week, by Southend Airport, over our own VULCAN, which taxied the other day, first time in ages. Going to miss this old girl when she's static. Nothing beats the sound of a VULCAN. Thanx for sharing !

[johnsmith-crjt]

Aww man how can anybdoy not love this plane. It is beautiful to look at and handles like a jet fighter and sounds amazing. Air shows the world off are worse of for this old girl not being around anymore that's for sure.

[Marks-Garage]

That was awesome. You have probably seen the best display by XH558 since it was put back in the air. What a take off! Really throwing the old girl around.Thanks for the great video

[rustymotor]

Excellent footage of such an incredible aircraft, she had her own personality and agility all of her own and the sound is beautiful!

[Alphanatrix-ksvo]

0:12 it’s insane how much lift this plane generates it’s not even going that fast and it’s already taken off

Because it’s huge

[Asluk]

Just beautiful. Makes me feel very proud of what the U.K. used to be. Sadly no more.

[joshs]

The British really had a flair for elegance with the Vulcan, the Comet, the Concorde (With France, of course) and my personal favorite, the VC10. Beautifully filmed video, Gold Star quality. 🌟

[MrHawkwind]

Possibly the most loved aircraft of all time.

[kymmac]

The quality of this clip is superb Thank you soooo much for sharing xx

[Sparx]

keep coming back to rewatch these, I was fortunate enough to see XH558 twice at Fairford. The howl still gives me goosebumps and brings tears to my eyes, however there is nothing that can replace that feeling you get in your chest, the ground shaking and the air splitting, and the orchestra of car alarms going off that follows, seeing it in person.

[trespire]

What ?? 10 seconds from standstill to wheels up !
That's as quick as an F-16 with NO external payload.