(Images by Damian Moran (1984) and Camille Moran (2012))
A rare first person article on Urban Ghosts but couldn’t resist this one – the author stands in front of a Vulcan bomber, arms out stretched, in 1984 and 2012 respectively (with jacket borrowed from my wife for the sake of colour match!). The top image shows Avro Vulcan B2 XM652 at RAF Waddington during an ill-fated attempt to dismantle the aircraft for transport and preservation (more here). Pictured next is XM597, which took part in the Falklands War and has been displayed at the National Museum of Flight in East Fortune, Scotland, since the early 1980s. It is seen here in 2012, after recently providing a nest site for a family of swallows.
Above, the photos of the two retired jets make for a great mirror image, although only XM597 (left) remains intact as a complete airframe. XM652 was scrapped although its cockpit was saved and survives on a farm in Wales.
Keep reading – visit the online home of the last flying Vulcan XH558, and return her to flight again in 2013.
