Photoblog: Vulcan at the Shuttleworth Collection

A few weeks ago I visited the Shuttleworth Collection's WWI Commemoration Air show in Bedford. I went, as usual, with my good friend Neil. We were lucky enough to be treated to one of the last surviving Vulcan Bomber's final flypasts*, so I thought I'd dedicate this post to some of my shots of that, with the rest of the show being represented in a future post. Neil has put together a bunch of his Vulcan shots over the last few years in a tribute post here, and I recommend having a butcher's.

Act innocent.

Tell me that upon seeing that heading towards you, you wouldn't get the urge to stop whatever you were doing just in case it was the Wrong Thing and lie face-down on the ground with your hands behind your head, and I'll call you a liar.

Up close and personal.

I think that's probably Neil's hand.

It's a little-known fact that the Vulcan has the ability to command local avians to do its bidding**.

Vrrrooooom!

One of the Vulcan's party tricks is going fast...

... at you.

This is not a view of Vulcan that you'd be especially pleased to see in a combat situation.

The Vulcan bomber looks like a big slab of metal that shouldn't be able to fly. It overcomes this issue by staring God in the face and screaming "physics?! What physics?!"

Freeeow!

No, they're not eyes...

RumblerumblerumbleROAR

... but it is looking at you.

Another superpower that the Vulcan has is its remarkable photogenicity***....

Peek-a-boo.

... and it's a lot better at hide-and-seek than most people imagine.

I was standing on the ground. Really!

This is my favourite shot of the day, I think.

So long, XH558

And with that, she heads off into the sunset.

If you haven't had enough you can see my full album of Vulcan shots from the day here.



* Find out more about Vulcan XH558 and its future here.
** Though sometimes pigeons go bad.
*** As it turns out, that is a word.