(Image: Alan Allen, reproduced with permission)
Cockpit sections from out-of-use military aircraft have a tendency to be rather collectible, and the Avro Vulcan bomber is a good example. While some complete airframes survive in museums, the Vulcan’s large size makes moving, storing and maintaining it a huge challenge, and thus preserving a cockpit section is a far more manageable project. But sometimes they’re just too badly damaged to be restored – as was the case with the front of Vulcan XL386, which had perished in the fire-pits of Manston by 1993. Its mangled remains can be seen above alongside a rather battered military truck.
(Image: Alan Allen, reproduced with permission)
Another example, though arguably not quite as destroyed as XL386, was Vulcan XM656 which found itself on RAF Cottesmore‘s dump after being withdrawn from use during the latter years of the Cold War. Seen above, 656 is part of a twisted pile of aircraft remains at the once legendary Hanningfield Metals in Essex, along with Buccaneer XN930. Holes are evident in the Vulcan’s aluminium skin, reflecting the battle damage repair training that was carried out on the airframe during its time at Cottesmore.
(Image: J.E.T. 603, reproduced with permission)
Urban Ghosts has previously featured several Vulcan cockpit sections that were saved, including those of K2 tanker XL445 and B2 XM652. Another full body casualty, however, was Vulcan XL427 (above) which was scrapped after a grueling post-service life as a fire trainer at Machrihanish on the Mull of Kintyre, Scotland.
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