Unusual (and stunning) view of an Avro Vulcan from a Lancaster’s rear turret

December 8, 2013 Military History
David Cenciotti

The following image shows Avro Vulcan XH558 (carrying civil registration G-VLCN), the only airworthy bomber of a fleet of 134 Vulcan V bombers operated by the Royal Air Force from 1953 until 1984.

Vulcan XH558 is not a rare plane, since it has been the highlight of several airshows in the UK, but what makes this image unique is the fact that it was shot from another legendary plane: a Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s Lancaster PA474.

In 1943 Lancaster bombers of the 617 Sqn conducted daring night attacks against the Mohne, Eder and Sorpe dams, pivotal to Hitler’s industrial heartland in the Ruhr Valley.

Image credit: BBMF Facebook page (thanks to Panos Angelopoulos for the heads-up)

 

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About David Cenciotti
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David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.

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2 Comments

  1. I was at Castle AFB in Atwater California as a child during the Falkland Island dispute. A Vulcan had just arrived at the on base museum and some Brit techs were there removing parts from the plane to support the planes doing the long haul from the UK to the Falklands. Quite a memory as a young aviation buff.

  2. XH558 is going to stay flying until 2015; then the fatigue issues become insurmountable and she’ll probably be put in a museum.

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