Vulcan to the Skies

[BPickles]

Originally Posted by Sternjaeger II

.. and anyway a military nuclear bomber from the Cold War has nothing to do with the spirit of Olympic Games, it's like going to a Bar Mitzvah in a Kubelwagen: uncalled for.

LMAO! Epic

But, how would the Lanc flying over be any better, surely that would be worse. They flying it to becuase thats the only British thing we have left in this country cos we sold everything else, plus the hosting country shows off something unique and from its country at the start of the games, all the countries have done it, I think it would be better if the thing dropped a great big 12000lb'r, especially as the "once" free games have now become just like every other money making scheme on the planet.

[winny]

I think that this discusson is overlooking the fact that the UK is no longer producing it's own warplanes.. (Thanks Maggie and co.).

All we have is a History of building them, so I think in general we're a little reluctant to let them go. (Cue lots of 'I remember when Britain was great' type statements). It's another in a long line of British engineering projects that get re-hashed/restored simply out of a long lost national pride in building stuff.

Whatever the motivation the Vulcan as an Aircraft is worth seeing when it flies. I think that the aviation/air show world is better off having a flying vulcan than not having one, if only so that people get to see it. If people wanna donate that's fine. The fact that it's a nuclear bomber is irrelevant to me, after all, all warplanes were designed to kill and if you start arguing that one type of killing is better/worse than another than you're morally lost.

It's more about herritage and lost industry than the celebration of a bomber designed to wipe cities off the map.

Old warplanes are all, without exception, money pits. To say that spending 4.5 million on the Vulcan is a waste of money is entirely subjective. It totally depends on if you think it's worth it. Some do some don't, ce la vie.

[bongodriver]

Originally Posted by winny

I think that this discusson is overlooking the fact that the UK is no longer producing it's own warplanes.. (Thanks Maggie and co.).

All we have is a History of building them, so I think in general we're a little reluctant to let them go. (Cue lots of 'I remember when Britain was great' type statements). It's another in a long line of British engineering projects that get re-hashed/restored simply out of a long lost national pride in building stuff.

Whatever the motivation the Vulcan as an Aircraft is worth seeing when it flies. I think that the aviation/air show world is better off having a flying vulcan than not having one, if only so that people get to see it. If people wanna donate that's fine. The fact that it's a nuclear bomber is irrelevant to me, after all, all warplanes were designed to kill and if you start arguing that one type of killing is better/worse than another than you're morally lost.

It's more about herritage and lost industry than the celebration of a bomber designed to wipe cities off the map.

Old warplanes are all, without exception, money pits. To say that spending 4.5 million on the Vulcan is a waste of money is entirely subjective. It totally depends on if you think it's worth it. Some do some don't, ce la vie.

Winny I already made this very argument but someone seems to be a .little upset because they are selling baseball caps

[winny]

Originally Posted by bongodriver

Winny I already made this very argument but someone seems to be a .little upset because they are selling baseball caps

They're selling baseball caps!!??? How dare they!

Quick, somebody call the merchandise police.

Just for the record I like the Vulcan. I'm glad that people get a chance to see it in the air. In the same way I'm glad there are Spit's, 51's, Vampires, sabres Migs, Phantoms et al.

The Vulcan is part of the celebration of flight through the ages. Not a celebration of an attack on Port Stanley.

Flying the Vulcan in the Olympic opening ceremonies is stupid. They should fly a Spitfire and a Hurricane. Nothing else comes close.

[bongodriver]

Originally Posted by IamNotDavid

Flying the Vulcan in the Olympic opening ceremonies is stupid. They should fly a Spitfire and a Hurricane. Nothing else comes close.

I quite agree, despite my liking of the Vulcan I think the ceremony should be opened by aircraft that are actually operated by our armed forces....the BBMF Lanc Spit and Hurri and the Red Arrows in particular.

[bongodriver]

Originally Posted by winny

There's selling baseball caps!!??? How dare they!

Quick, somebody call the merchandise police.

Just for the record I like the Vulcan. I'm glad that people get a chance to see it in the air. In the same way I'm glad there are Spit's, 51's, Vampires, sabres Migs, Phantoms et al.

The Vulcan is part of the celebration of flight through the ages. Not a celebration of an attack on Port Stanley.

Exactly.....but for some reason everytime the Brits want to do something remotely patriotic everybody else want's to shove some past event up our backsides, apparently us using a bomber during a war is a crime.....

[Bewolf]

Using military aircraft, no matter what kind or of what period, for the opening ceremonies of the olympics is a bit of an oxymoron, imho. The olympics are the antithesis to armed conflict. This issue has nothing to do with patriotism (unless the only means of showing patriotism is in the military, which in the case of the UK I highly doubt)

[winny]

Originally Posted by bongodriver

I quite agree, despite my liking of the Vulcan I think the ceremony should be opened by aircraft that are actually operated by our armed forces....the BBMF Lanc Spit and Hurri and the Red Arrows in particular.

Me too, the Vulcan is ok in an Aviation setting, seems a little random to be in the opening ceremony of the Olympics.

Just let the Red Arrows do it, not sure the BBMF would be wise, they are a little too jingo-istic to be involved in a worldwide celebration of one-ness. I dont think WW2 refereces are relevant to a sporting event. You can imagine all the German competitors thinking 'not again, when are they gonna stop reminding us about it!'

EDIT: Bewolf beat me to it..

Originally Posted by bongodriver

I quite agree, despite my liking of the Vulcan I think the ceremony should be opened by aircraft that are actually operated by our armed forces....the BBMF Lanc Spit and Hurri and the Red Arrows in particular.

I would not even include the Lanc. The Spitfire and Hurricane saved the country while the Lanc was still sitting on the ground.