One of the newest aircraft in my Microsoft Flight Simulator fleet is Just Flight’s Vulcan (officially: Avro Vulcan B Mk. 2, K.2 & MRR) bomber. When they came out with it I knew I had to have it but I hadn’t had time to check it out until now. It’s officially available for MSFS 2024 and this was my first flight in it.
Firing up the Vulcan
I’ve known about the Avro Vulcan was since I was a small child. Vulcan and Spitfire were words I knew how to say by the time I was two or three. No small wonder the aviation bug is still with me decades later.
For this first flight I just wanted to get acquainted with the Vulcan and learn a few of the systems. I’d prepared myself by reading through some of the documentation and watching a few videos on the jet. Now it was time to take it into the skies and see how it flies.
My departing location is the familiar EGSU Duxford airport. This is home to Imperial War Museums Duxford with its indoor and outdoor displays. Its long been on my wishlist for places to visit and one day I hope to.
For this flight, I started up the Vulcan with the aid of the Just Flight EFB with a bespoke setup just for the Vulcan. Here you can toggle some of the various options for the Cold War era jet bomber including a quick start setup.
After that, I taxied the aircraft over to Runway 06R and got myself prepared for takeoff. Trim, engines, and everything set and then full power. Here is where the Vulcan can really put a smile on a flight simmers face! Have you heard of the Vulcan howl? Only one engine version of the Vulcan has it but no matter which variant you fly you’re going to be treated to a symphony of very loud and powerful sounding jet engines. It sounds and feels great!
Not being fully loaded, it didn’t take very much to get the Vulcan and its huge wing into the air. A bit of work on the trim to steady it out and then a gentle roll to the left to clear the airport area and head out.
The Vulcan has a lot of power and a lot of capability for such an old aircraft and I’m sure the crews that flew them, had they come from WWII era piston engine types previously, would have been blown away by the difference. Only a handful of years separate the Vulcan from the legendary Avro Lancaster but the Vulcan is a spaceship by comparison.
Over London
Our mission today was to do a test run and sightseeing flight over to London. With good weather in the area and me not known the jet all that much it seemed like a good short flight.
Climb to cruise was quick and painless with the Vulcan’s engines howling away the whole time. This familiarization flight gave me a chance to get to know the aircraft a little bit and I spent quite a bit of time buried in the cockpit. It has an autopilot and that helps make doing heads down tasks easier and longer flights too. It’s not a sophisticated one but it’s pretty good for the age of the airplane.
Once over London, I deployed the airbrakes and did a gentle descent over the city.
From there, it was a scenic cruise up the Thames. We flew over London City Airport, the O2, Canary Wharf, Big Ben, the Palace of Westminster, and some of the other famous London landmarks before putting a little extra power into the throttles and gently climbing away.
That was fun!
Back to Duxford
After that, it was an easy flight back to Duxford. Two challenges presented themselves here. First, the Vulcan isn’t awfully easy to see out of and Duxford is surrounded by a lot of agriculture. The farmers fields make the the small airport difficult to spot.
Despite that difficulty, I was eventually able to find Duxford and bring the Vulcan in for a smooth landing. Surprising given my history but impressive and fun to do with this airplane.
Taxi, park, and shut it down. After that, I spent a little more time admiring the exterior of the aircraft. Really impressive all around! I have some ideas for some flights that I’m going to do with the Vulcan when time allows so this won’t be the last time it shows up in a Journal. Stay tuned for more!
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