Goodrich Helps Bring History to Life with “Vulcan to the Sky” Aircraft Restoration

Technician at Goodrich Corporation’s Actuation Systems unit in Huyton, UK works on the Avro Vulcan XH558’s constant speed drive unit. Click on the image to download a high-resolution version.

When the restored Avro Vulcan XH558 thunders to the air in its planned public appearance July 18 as part of the 2008 Farnborough International Airshow, the “Vulcan to the Sky” project will be thanking a host of participants, including Goodrich Corporation.

Employees at two Goodrich business units in the UK - Actuation Systems in Wolverhampton and Huyton, and Engine Control and Electrical Power Systems in Birmingham and Pitstone Green - worked on the seven-year project. When the Vulcan was originally produced Goodrich designed and supplied 84 products consisting of 341 parts to each aircraft. Five of these product-types restored by Goodrich were assessed as flight safety-critical and required refurbishment, including the engine chassis mounted fuel system, the constant speed drive unit, the engine AC generator, the powered flying control unit electrical motors, and the airborne auxiliary powerplant.

The restoration project for the Vulcan, which was retired from active Royal Air Force service in 1984, presented the Goodrich team with a number of challenges centering on obsolescence. In many cases, companies that had originally manufactured parts for the 1956 aircraft had either gone out of business or had been acquired by other companies. The lack of sources for parts and materials drove the Goodrich team back to the original blueprints to re-source replacement spare parts. In addition, special tooling and rigs for assembly and test had to be re-invented, modified or refurbished.

“We were literally reliving history,” said George Davison, Technical Support Manager at Goodrich’s Engine Control Systems in Birmingham, who coordinated the project. “It was challenging, educational and rewarding, particularly for the younger technicians and engineers.”

Davison and his team recovered some “phantom knowledge,” such as how to refurnish the complex hydromechanical fuel systems and auxiliary powerplants, from retired or near-retirement co-workers who worked on the original Vulcan project in the early 1950s.

“As one of the longest-established aerospace companies in the UK, we are proud to be part of the Vulcan to the Sky restoration project,” said Davison. “Apart from the heritage aspects of the program and the extraordinary sight of this beautiful aircraft in flight, the long term educational benefits for students and the general public are considerable.”

The Avro Vulcan was developed after World War II, when the Cold War ushered in the need for strategic bombers that could carry heavy bomb loads long distances at high speeds and high altitudes. With a wingspan of 111 feet and four Rolls-Royce Olympus engines, the Vulcan became a symbol of British engineering excellence, flying gracefully at altitudes up to 61,000 feet, yet maintaining unequalled maneuverability at altitudes as low as 500 feet.

Goodrich Corporation, a Fortune 500 company, is a leading global supplier of systems and services to the aerospace and defense industry. Serving a global customer base with significant worldwide manufacturing and service facilities, Goodrich is one of the largest aerospace companies in the world.  For more information visit http://www.goodrich.com.

Goodrich Corporation operates through its divisions and as a parent company for its subsidiaries, one or more of which may be referred to as "Goodrich Corporation" in this press release.