I joined the Air Force less than two years after than this legend, although it was the US Air Force. Even back then you needed a college degree to be an Officer, which was required to become a USAF pilot. Amazing how young you could be and fly a nuclear capable bomber in the UK. I can’t imagine myself flying a B-52 at age 20. Great video, thank you.
The Vulcan is an amazing achievement, especially for something that first flew seven years after the end of WWII. The engine development started in 1947. My most memorable Vulcan display was at RAF Chicksands in the late 80s. The Vulcan and F-15 were the best displays that day. My most memorable Vulcan event was having one coast just a few hundred feet over my head on its way up the Tyne valley near Lanehead, around 1980. She was just suddenly in front of me, then there was smoke as they opened the throttles, followed a second or two later by the noise. And then she was gone.
I flew with Ramsey during my conversion course in Tornado in RAF Cottesmore in 1990 when he was squadron commander of B Squadron!! Happy to see him again since I didn't see him ever since
We loved watching the Vulcan fly at Barksdale Air Force Base at Shreveport, Louisiana. It was like standing on the ocean floor watching a huge stingray swimming overhead, except it was loud and made lots of smoke.
Thanks Bill, as a youth i was not lucky enough to join the RAF, but became a B1 civy engineer. I envy your career as a pilot, and would of liked to have worked on the Vulcan, like my dad did in the 60s. thanks again for protecting us from the baddies......
A fabulous interview. I love aircraft, but the Vulcan is one of my favourite. I was lucky to see it fully stripped at Bruntingthorpe, I asked and got a personal tour. I was a member of the Vulcan to the sky membership, so I supported it in the years it flew. The RIAT "wing over" take-off we still talk about, and I still have the recording on my phone. I hadn't realised Bill was in the cockpit. What a view that must have been. Many thanks.
I was fortunate to work for Bill, many years ago. A real gentleman and a superb boss. It was a pleasure to hear his story, thank you Aircrew Interview.
I was lucky enough to meet Mr Ramsey when he was doing a talk at another Vulcan's open day which was pretty informal so my husband and I had a good chat with him
Another fantastic interview. Really brought back so many memories of XH558 when Bill answered your question at 40:05 on whether it was the right time for the Vulcan to be retired. I filmed it as it came back to land at Prestwick Airport in 2015 when it had that nose-gear issue. It was such a relief that it all ended well. Once again thank'you for sharing.
I saw 558 at many airshows but 2 highlights were Throckmorton which was absolutely rammed, so many people at a tiny air show, and Yeovilton with the formation with the Sea Vixen and 2 vampires. I saw her on the farewell tour at Old Sarum, my one regret was not making the trip to beachy head for Eastbourne.
Been looking forward to this one and it didn't disappoint ! Will never forget kev and bills display at RIAT, best Vulcan display I've ever seen and that includes when it was in service with the RAF
24 Minutes in he mentions the Vulcan Experience - please note this is the Virtual Aerospace Vulcan Experience and you can see Bill flying his airshow routine in this sim at ruclips.net/video/vyI-jmKHNDA/видео.html
I've loved the Vulcan since being a child in the '60s. My wife took me down to England to see XH558 Final season.i can honestly say I cried when she finally landed. If the B52, TU95 and AV8 aircraft can still be flown why can't we find a way to keep a Vulcan, Victor, Buccaneer etc be kept in the skies?
I know Mike likes an aircraft as a backdrop during interviews but i'm sure he could make it work with a green screen at your local drinking establishment
Much admiration & respect to all the crew's [ both aircrew and ground crew ] and above all .... ENVY ..!! lol I'm still trying to come to terms with the bombing of the Falklands and all the refueling etc. Just an opinion, but should go down in history as one of the best flights ever by the RAF. [ in ' modern times' ] thks
Great stuff... I I'm allowed a wish, could you interview an Lincoln "driver" o nav ? I'm preparing a novel about this airplane and I would love to hear from the pilot, nav or engineer... Thanks !
And the ironic thing, folks, is that aside the Falkland Islands conflict where the Vulcan flew the longest long-range strike missions IN HISTORY, the plane is probably best known now for being hijacked and plundered for nuclear warheads in the 1965 James Bond/Sean Connery film, "Thunderball." I was very surprised to see it turn up in a Bond film but it was a very new plane when the movie came out. It shouldn't be that huge a shock that it was there at all. They were always trying to be current in those films and make them contemporary. Still, it was a very convincing mock-up that they did of the bomber for the underwater scenes. You would have sworn it was a REAL Vulcan unless you know were to look for the tell-tale signs. I don't! Link about the mock-up used in the Bond movie => www.urbanghostsmedia.com/2012/06/rare-photographs-avro-vulcan-bomber-mock-up-thunderball-bond/
I have been an aviation fanatic since, well, very early on in my life. I had a specific interest in military aircraft, and knew of the Red Arrows long before I knew of the capital of my home country. That said, I was completely unaware of the Vulcan until I saw it portrayed in Thunderball, at the age of 8 or 9. At first I thought it was a made up aircraft for the film, especially considering the somewhat unusual, almost fighter-esque shape of the airframe. In my mind, it was simply to attractive to be a bomber. Thanks for the link! That is an extraordinary mockup!
Sorry mate, you're curently in 3rd position, behind the B-52Gs that flew from Barkdale to Iraq and back and behind the B-2 thet flew more than 44hs without landing to bomb Afganistan..." Four hours later, we were approaching the u-shaped island, ready to touch land for the first time in 44 hours. The B-52 that landed immediately before us had an emergency upon landing forcing us to “go around.” After having been airborne for 44 hours, we enjoyed the 15-minute flight over the island. We touched down after being 44.3 hours in the air. For Brian and I, the mission was over, but not for the Spirit of America. "
Nice interview, i suppose the grobs hes talking about vere just purchased by the Finnish airforce? Not everyone of my countrymen are so happy about it. And sertainly not Grob which wanted to sell us new planes. It seems they are now refusing spareparts and Technical support for these planes.
@@karens4503 What I was referring to happened in 2015, you can watch the photos animated of it here : www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-34712346
Wow an expert. Can you kit manage to share your opinion in a more intelligent way? Most people on the internet can’t honestly. Your comment is pretty stupid as well. Both aircraft did their jobs, and the Vulcan was advanced for its time. Do you want to know something though? The B17 is a piece of junk compared to the B52.
I joined the Air Force less than two years after than this legend, although it was the US Air Force. Even back then you needed a college degree to be an Officer, which was required to become a USAF pilot.
Amazing how young you could be and fly a nuclear capable bomber in the UK. I can’t imagine myself flying a B-52 at age 20.
Great video, thank you.
The Vulcan is an amazing achievement, especially for something that first flew seven years after the end of WWII. The engine development started in 1947. My most memorable Vulcan display was at RAF Chicksands in the late 80s. The Vulcan and F-15 were the best displays that day. My most memorable Vulcan event was having one coast just a few hundred feet over my head on its way up the Tyne valley near Lanehead, around 1980. She was just suddenly in front of me, then there was smoke as they opened the throttles, followed a second or two later by the noise. And then she was gone.
I flew with Ramsey during my conversion course in Tornado in RAF Cottesmore in 1990 when he was squadron commander of B Squadron!! Happy to see him again since I didn't see him ever since
We loved watching the Vulcan fly at Barksdale Air Force Base at Shreveport, Louisiana. It was like standing on the ocean floor watching a huge stingray swimming overhead, except it was loud and made lots of smoke.
Thanks Bill, as a youth i was not lucky enough to join the RAF, but became a B1 civy engineer. I envy your career as a pilot, and would of liked to have worked on the Vulcan, like my dad did in the 60s. thanks again for protecting us from the baddies......
A fabulous interview. I love aircraft, but the Vulcan is one of my favourite. I was lucky to see it fully stripped at Bruntingthorpe, I asked and got a personal tour. I was a member of the Vulcan to the sky membership, so I supported it in the years it flew. The RIAT "wing over" take-off we still talk about, and I still have the recording on my phone. I hadn't realised Bill was in the cockpit. What a view that must have been. Many thanks.
I was fortunate to work for Bill, many years ago. A real gentleman and a superb boss. It was a pleasure to hear his story, thank you Aircrew Interview.
I was lucky enough to meet Mr Ramsey when he was doing a talk at another Vulcan's open day which was pretty informal so my husband and I had a good chat with him
Another fantastic interview. Really brought back so many memories of XH558 when Bill answered your question at 40:05 on whether it was the right time for the Vulcan to be retired.
I filmed it as it came back to land at Prestwick Airport in 2015 when it had that nose-gear issue.
It was such a relief that it all ended well.
Once again thank'you for sharing.
I saw 558 at many airshows but 2 highlights were Throckmorton which was absolutely rammed, so many people at a tiny air show, and Yeovilton with the formation with the Sea Vixen and 2 vampires. I saw her on the farewell tour at Old Sarum, my one regret was not making the trip to beachy head for Eastbourne.
What an engaging and fascinating interview. I hope that Mr Ramsey knows how grateful we are. You both must have been rather cold out there.
Cheers Peter. It was rather cold that’s for sure but Bill was great and a pleasure to work with.
@@deeremeyer1749 Here he is, the English hating yank ! God your boring ! I bet you don't have any friends
Excellent interview with so many missed questions.
I was lucky enough to see it 3 years at the Ayr air show with my kids fantastic herd the Howell amazing 👍👏
Love that famous engine howl, only wish I could see one flying - another post-WWII British classic!
Been looking forward to this one and it didn't disappoint ! Will never forget kev and bills display at RIAT, best Vulcan display I've ever seen and that includes when it was in service with the RAF
Happy to hear this :) It was always a show stopper.
@@Aircrewinterview Show stopper and alarm starter :)
How the hell these blokes has the balls to pull this off beats me. Top job lads
Great interview. Met Mr Ramsey at Vulcan Day 2015. Nice man.
Sat in one. Unbelievably small cockpit. Long way to the Falklands in that...
Very interesting interview. Thanks for all the hard work.
Thanks Colin!
24 Minutes in he mentions the Vulcan Experience - please note this is the Virtual Aerospace Vulcan Experience and you can see Bill flying his airshow routine in this sim at ruclips.net/video/vyI-jmKHNDA/видео.html
Really enjoyed this interview!
I've loved the Vulcan since being a child in the '60s. My wife took me down to England to see XH558 Final season.i can honestly say I cried when she finally landed. If the B52, TU95 and AV8 aircraft can still be flown why can't we find a way to keep a Vulcan, Victor, Buccaneer etc be kept in the skies?
Remember his name from airshows.
Thank you Mike & Bill (he looked cold). Amazing video as ever, I was counting down the days for this one to come out :)
Che Mikey Itwas very cold!
Happy to hear you enjoyed it.
I know Mike likes an aircraft as a backdrop during interviews but i'm sure he could make it work with a green screen at your local drinking establishment
Thanks for sharing a great and very interesting video
You’re welcome.
Much admiration & respect to all the crew's [ both aircrew and ground crew ] and above all .... ENVY ..!! lol I'm still trying to come to terms with the bombing of the Falklands and all the refueling etc. Just an opinion, but should go down in history as one of the best flights ever by the RAF. [ in ' modern times' ] thks
Excellent,thanks
Cheers Simon.
Thanks !!!
Shame (afaik) that no one tried a Draken-style 'short parade' (Cobra) in the Vulcan.
I sat in that very one pulled the black curtains down to stop the flash after the bomb
Question that should have been asked - that howl, could you hear that inside?
Great stuff... I I'm allowed a wish, could you interview an Lincoln "driver" o nav ? I'm preparing a novel about this airplane and I would love to hear from the pilot, nav or engineer... Thanks !
Could tell that this was shot at newark air museum from the thumbnail 😉
I have been there
A man clever enough to survive.
Did You Know?: There was a knuckle on the stick grip so that your fingers parted in respect to spock and the vulcans. 🖖
Good one!
Ahhhhhh I love this interview, ahhhhhh I mean no offense,ahhhhhhh you have my respect
It's not scripted - unlike your comment !
And the ironic thing, folks, is that aside the Falkland Islands conflict where the Vulcan flew the longest long-range strike missions IN HISTORY, the plane is probably best known now for being hijacked and plundered for nuclear warheads in the 1965 James Bond/Sean Connery film, "Thunderball."
I was very surprised to see it turn up in a Bond film but it was a very new plane when the movie came out. It shouldn't be that huge a shock that it was there at all. They were always trying to be current in those films and make them contemporary. Still, it was a very convincing mock-up that they did of the bomber for the underwater scenes. You would have sworn it was a REAL Vulcan unless you know were to look for the tell-tale signs. I don't!
Link about the mock-up used in the Bond movie => www.urbanghostsmedia.com/2012/06/rare-photographs-avro-vulcan-bomber-mock-up-thunderball-bond/
I have been an aviation fanatic since, well, very early on in my life. I had a specific interest in military aircraft, and knew of the Red Arrows long before I knew of the capital of my home country. That said, I was completely unaware of the Vulcan until I saw it portrayed in Thunderball, at the age of 8 or 9. At first I thought it was a made up aircraft for the film, especially considering the somewhat unusual, almost fighter-esque shape of the airframe. In my mind, it was simply to attractive to be a bomber. Thanks for the link! That is an extraordinary mockup!
Sorry mate, you're curently in 3rd position, behind the B-52Gs that flew from Barkdale to Iraq and back and behind the B-2 thet flew more than 44hs without landing to bomb Afganistan..." Four hours later, we were approaching the u-shaped island, ready to touch land for the first time in 44 hours. The B-52 that landed immediately before us had an emergency upon landing forcing us to “go around.” After having been airborne for 44 hours, we enjoyed the 15-minute flight over the island.
We touched down after being 44.3 hours in the air. For Brian and I, the mission was over, but not for the Spirit of America. "
Nice interview, i suppose the grobs hes talking about vere just purchased by the Finnish airforce? Not everyone of my countrymen are so happy about it. And sertainly not Grob which wanted to sell us new planes. It seems they are now refusing spareparts and Technical support for these planes.
Cheers. I am not sure about the Gross but I will try and find out.
He could always form a "Madness" tribute band. The guy's a dead ringer for Suggs.
I would like to know who barrel rolled her.. so I could shake their hand and say nice one!
Roly Falk- Vulcan test pilot. This happened not long after the first Vulcans (MK1) came into service at Farnborogh Airshow.
@@karens4503 Those Farnborogh airshows were crazy back in the day, they even used to go supersonic.
@@karens4503 What I was referring to happened in 2015, you can watch the photos animated of it here : www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-34712346
where was this shot?
Newark Air Museum
thought so i went there in jan
Grob means "coffin" in russian btw haha
5g
compare to B-52, Vulcan is a pice of Junk.
In what way Allan?
@@QatarVegan Many ways, design, capability, life expansion and extension , beauty. B-52 lasts for a century.
@@allankariman91 Fair point that the 52 has amazing life expansion. But beauty....I have to disagree there.
@@allankariman91 that’s because money has be poured into it. The Vulcan certainly wasn’t junk when it was in service
Wow an expert. Can you kit manage to share your opinion in a more intelligent way? Most people on the internet can’t honestly. Your comment is pretty stupid as well. Both aircraft did their jobs, and the Vulcan was advanced for its time. Do you want to know something though? The B17 is a piece of junk compared to the B52.