A MAN who has flown the iconic Vulcan bomber all over the world, will be re-united with the Cold War warrior at Rhyl Airshow.
Bill Downs of Harlech was an active RAF pilot for almost 30 years, 11 of them flying Vulcans, the distinctive delta winged, long-range bomber which played a vital role in the Falklands War.
Mr Downs will be a special guest at the Rhyl airshow weekend (August 31, September 1) to see the Vulcan XH588 the last airworthy Vulcan which is kept in the air only by public subscription, but whose days in the air are sadly running out.
“It was a great aircraft to fly, a pilot’s airplane. But it could also be a pig in certain weather conditions,” said father-of-three Mr Downs. “It was because of the shape. It was a delta wing designed for high level subsonic speeds and it finished as a low level aircraft and that meant sometimes it was like a feather in a gale.”
Born in Southern England and after a childhood in Maidenhead, Mr Downs joined the RAF at Cardington near Bedford for his National Service in 1955 doing his basic training in Lincolnshire.
“I was offered pilot training which I accepted and before my service had expired I was enjoying it so much I stayed on and I continued flying for the next 29 and a half years,” he said.
He started flying at Tern Hill, Shropshire, did advanced jet training at Oakington Cambridge, and air to air and air to ground firing at Pembrey in South Wales, before an overseas posting to Malaysia.
That posting was short lived mainly due to Minister of Defence Duncan Sandys who thought the days of fighter aircraft were numbered and the RAF squadrons should be reduced and replaced by missiles.
Mr Downs moved on to Venoms, the de Havilland jet fighter, and was then posted to RAF Benson where he flew aircraft all over the UK and then saw service flying the Valiant bomber, part of the Royal Air Force’s V bomber nuclear force in the 1950s and 1960s.
“It was grounded in 1963 because of main spar fracture problems and that was when I moved onto the Vulcan which I flew from 1963 to 1974. I was based at RAF Finningley near Doncaster and at RAF Coningsby, Boston Lincolnshire.
“Then the whole of 35 Squadron moved to RAF Cottesmore in Rutland.”
Mr Downs taught other pilots operational techniques before he was posted to Cyprus where he joined No 9 Squadron at RAF Akrotiri. He returned to the UK in 1974 and said goodbye to the Vulcan fleet which even then looked like it was to be folded.
Mr Downs went back to RAF Finningley where he joined the navigation flying training school at which he used the Broughton-made HS 125 before in 1982 ended up at Llanbedr airfield, near Harlech.
He and wife, Susan, who had two daughters and one son, had moved home 33 times, decided they liked Harlech so much they would make it their final home after he retired from the RAF in January 1984
Llanbedr was opened in 1941 as an RAF Fighter Command airfield but became a base for target drone services with a secondary role as a dispersal airfield for the RAFs V-bombers.
It became a Defence Evaluation and Research Agency, was largely privatised in 2001 and closed from 2004 when it was transferred to the Welsh Assembly Government.
“I went all over the world a couple of times with the Vulcan, across the Pacific and the Atlantic. I spent a lot of time on low level flying exercises, flying out of Goose Bay in Canada over the Arctic Circle. And I used to go to US Strategic Air Command in Nebraska and nice places like Hawaii and Samoa.”
Mr Downs would fly bombing training missions with dummy electronic devices on both aircraft and target sites able to assess how successful the training missions were.
He would also drop what were supposed to be conventional 1000lb bombs on ranges over the sea, which were actually bombs which contained 20lb explosive devices.
“Our flying was mainly practicing. On QRA (quick reaction alert) duties each squadron had to have one aircraft, armed and ready to go. We had a series of readiness tests and had to be airborne within 15 minutes.”
Months before it was due to be scrapped the Vulcan went to war for the first time in its history. They were flown during the Falklands War in the crucial attack on Port Stanley’s airstrip on May 1,1982, in a marathon 8,000-mile round trip, re-fuelling mid air, the longest bombing mission in history at the time.
The XH558 appearing at Rhyl, was the last Vulcan to leave RAF service, flying on from 1986 to 1993 as the single RAF Display Vulcan, a career of 33 years. Her final flight was on March 23, 1993, to Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome in Leicestershire, having been sold off by the Ministry of Defence.
It was grounded until October 2007 but thanks to enthusiastic public fundraising, the Trust which operates the aircraft has raised enough to keep it in the skies.
It has been passed fit to fly for 2013 and there are hopes it will get sufficient flying hours to keep it airborne in 2014 and 2015, providing the charity can raise around £400K.
“The days of the XH588 are numbered,” said Mr Downs. “These aircraft cost about £5,000 an hour in fuel costs alone.” But in the meantime he’s looking forward to being re-united with his old friend.
The magnificent Vulcan isn’t the only attraction at this year’s two-day show with a packed programme on Saturday and Sunday.
On Saturday as well as the Vulcan there will be the TRIG Aerobatic Team and Steve Carver’s aerobatic display, vintage Dakota, Hurricane and Spitfire fly pasts, a Search and Rescue Helicopter display, Falcons, the Royal Air Force Parachute Display Team and the Miss Demeanour Hawker Hunter.
They will all be there again on Sunday as well as the world famous Red Arrows.
There will also be the usual Military Village in the Arena including static displays from the Royal Air Force, The Army and the Air Training Corps. The Village will open at 10.30 am on both days and the flying display will start in the early afternoon with specific times to be confirmed.
Sian Davies, County Events Manager said: “This is a really exciting programme this year and we anticipate welcoming tens of thousands of people into the resort for the two-day free event.
“Of course, we are delighted to be welcoming back the Red Arrows, but having the iconic Vulcan appear in Rhyl is truly magnificent.”
For more information on this year’s Rhyl Airshow go to www.rhylairshow.co.uk
