Vulcan XM605 at Castle Air Museum

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This site operated by a trained and qualified Vulcan technician.

It's where you can see recent pictures and keep up with the details about XM605, her condition and her future.

The original and 'official' British
Vulcan XM605 web site.

If you're interested in Vulcans then this is the only site for accurate technical information about XM605.

The site is operated by Jeremy MacDonald, ex-RAF Electrical and instrument technician, Victors and Vulcans

If you have any technical questions about the Vulcan's (any Vulcan's) systems or operation please contact me for a quick response.

If you're ex-RAF and ex-Victor or Vulcan please get in touch.

Vulcan XM605 is still the property of the British government.

XM605 is on loan from the British Government to the USAF, who have, in turn, loaned it to the Castle Museum.

It is parked at an aviation museum in an outside display area at Castle Air Museum in Atwater, California where it landed in 1981 and is surrounded by over 40 other beautiful aircraft.

Unfortunately there is NOBODY at Castle with even the REMOTEST connection with the Vulcan or the RAF nor with any technical knowledge about this aircraft - they are merely the civilian custodians of XM605 and no proper maintenance of any kind is done on it by their volunteer civilian 'crew chiefs', nor is any such work allowed.

The aircraft is nearly complete - almost every instrument, almost all its equipment is still installed except the TFR (Terrain Following radar) system, which was removed back in 1981 (and one or two other items more recently)- in other words it's almost EXACTLY the way it was when the crew climbed out. It's one of three Vulcans in the USA - another being at SAC headquarters but that one is apparently not as complete and another (XM606) in Louisiana.

The aircraft is in pretty good condition really - being here in California where it hardly ever rains (well - at least not until El Nino!) it has had considerable leaking into the cockpit and other areas for some years and this could do with immediate attention because it has caused the cockpit to deteriorate - all the steel parts and most screws are rusty and water has run through the radar crate and through many of the rear crews' systems.

Also sunlight has faded many of the instrument panel labels. These are the usual problems faced by aircraft that sit outside in all weathers if they aren't carefully preserved. Still, she looks pretty from the outside and looks complete inside. The Vulcan is such a technical aircraft, being almost totally electric and electronic. The systems are, though, fairly easy to maintain provided they aren't neglected for too long. Thanks to this site XM605 is now under close scrutiny by people who care about our British aviation heritage.

Grounded but not forgotten
XM605 would be a perfect candidate for at least taxiing if she were able to be transported back to the UK or Canada, where Vulcan enthusiasts abound. However the weather here is much kinder to the aircraft so, even though she might never be able to run up her engines again she will probably survive as a silent display for years to come.

I did have some great success a year or so ago and was able to apply power to some lighting services but it was shut down abruptly due to unexpected events. In the process, however, I was able to thoroughly inspect the condition of the aircraft and can provide details on request.

Click this picture to see XM605 flying

The picture was taken by:
Stuart Bourne of:
QUALITY AVIATION PHOTOS INTERNATIONAL Copyright 1991

Many thanks to Paul Teale, Vulcan enthusiast extraordinaire for supplying this picture of XM605 at work.

The following pictures are very large so allow a minute or so for downloading....

Here are some great pictures of XM605 at work in the RAF - all pictures are copyright their owners.
Please contact me if you are the owner and object to its use or would like your copyright printed here.

Click here for detailed descriptions of the crews' responsibilities and equipment
Here are some pictures taken in Early 1999. click on them to get the large version - sorry about the ones that are not properly focused - they will be replaced gradually. Thanks for visiting -please feel free to comment.


	The whole aircraft is sitting way too low!		Nose oleo has been bled down and the ladder is actually touching the ground!	Note I found in XM605's radome!!
	It looks to be in great shape in here - the engine can be hand turned		AEO's power control panel	Navigator's equipment
The AEO could check under the aircraft with this periscope e.g. to look at the undercarriage	Looking up inside the entry door	Not much room between the ejection seats!
lots of rain has dripped on this panel over the years	The day I put 28 volt power on XM605 again after 18 years!!
XH558 was expected to fly again in 2001 but lack of funding stalled it.		Vulcan XH558 at Biggin Hill June 1992. Photo by R. Gardiner

Links to other Vulcan sites:

- Home of Ex-Vulcan Crew Chiefs club. If that's you then you may well meet some of your old friends here. The Ex-Vulcan Crew Chiefs
The XH558 Club - Home of Vulcan To The Sky Club, who've done so much to keep XH558 in the public eye and mind. These are people with the 'right stuff'. I have had the pleasure of being in their company a few times at Bruntingthorpe. See the link above and the VOC site next door ===>	The Vulcan Operating Company owns and will be operating the Bruntingthorpe based Vulcan XH558 if she returns to the air. Much has been accomplished indeed and is worthy of a much longer description here.
The web site of The 655 Maintenance & Preservation Society contains information on the important work taking place at Wellesbourne. I was at Wellesbourne each of the last 3 years and was underneath XM655 all day while she ran her up her engines and then sped down the runway - great sound and smell and many memories! Many thanks to the XM655 team for their hospitality. A dedicated and valiant group has brought this great aircraft back from the brink of catastrophe to a fully working, roaring beauty. New repainted and with her refuelling probe refittedd	Vulcan Restoration Trust - Avro Vulcan Bomber XL426 Official Website of The Vulcan Restoration Trust - Preserving XL426 at Southend airport. She often roars down the runway. Only dedication and determination by a team of selfless volunteers can yield results like this.
	Let's not forget the valiant effort for many years by the team on XM603 (still running) at Woodford, where most of the Vulcans were built. Here's a link to John Falk's web site. John's father, Roly, was the Chief Test Pilot for the Vulcan design.
Paul Osborne is the man for Airshows in the UK. As well as airshow info, he has competitions, a picture of the week, and Vulcan stuff too. He also produced and and maintained the XH558 web page for a long time.	The Vulcan XL319 site at the North East Aircraft Museum. There's plenty of effort being put in by one or two determined people. She's indoors, too!
Paul Hartley's XA903 site.. This is one of only two examples of a Vulcan B.1 left and is the only one privately owned. Paul also owns another Vulcan - XM537, now on display at Bournemouth Air Museum.	John Falk's father, Roly, was the Pilot on the Avro Vulcan's maiden flight and a chief test pilot during the development of the Avro 707's and the Vulcan. John is a keen supporter of the remaining Vulcans.
Guy Bartlett has a Vulcan tribute page with many pictures.	On his superb web site, Damien Burke has a section crammed with pictures and information on the Avro Vulcan. Very highly recommended.
Garry Lakin has some superb pictures of Vulcan XH558.	Gareth Honeywood's site is dedicated to the Vulcan, its Squadrons and RAF Stations.
Trevor Mooney has a A Tribute To A Lady on his site. The Lady in this case being the lovely Avro Vulcan XH558, the most talked-about Vulcan for the last 3 years!	Robin Goodliffe's Vulcan site.
Howard Curtis' Airnet Links Site is a valuable resource, containing links to many aviation sites on the web. If you are undertaking any aviation research, here's an excellent place to start. Howard is a regular contributor to Aircraft Illustrated magazine.

If I've left anybody off this list it's entirely unintentional. You can easily find all the Vulcan sites via the above links or email me with any requests for a link here and I'll be only too happy to oblige.

Many thanks for visiting!
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