Avro Vulcan

Nick studied geology at the University of Birmingham before training as an RAF pilot at Cranwell in Lincolnshire.

From 1975, he flew Vulcans with 45 Squadron, the long-range bombers deployed to remain airborne with nuclear weapons at the height of the Cold War.

Another Vulcan pilot explained that, should they have to drop their payload over an enemy city, there would have been no airfield left intact where they could land.

The Vulcan was the aircraft charged with the job of bombing the runway, rendering it unusable for Argentinian aircraft at Port Stanley at the height of the Falklands War.

Because the distance exceeded its range, it was fuelled mid-air.

Nick then enjoyed a lengthy civil aviation career piloting Boeing 767, 757 and 737s across Europe, Asia and Africa.

So they were ultimately able to get those in service.

So service deliveries of the Valiants started in 1955, Vulcans in 1956, and the Victors in 1957.

In the space of 10 years, they've gone from purely propeller-driven force to near supersonic aircraft operating at 50,000, 60,000 feet in some cases.

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Yeah.

And it was the, they've moved the A1 over a bit now, so it's not quite as close as it used to be.

But they had the RAF fire school there and they flew Vulcans into there as well.

And it was quite shaky getting a glider in there sometimes.