January 2008
Work In Progress
Vulcan radome
It was on eBay and it followed me home. Honest.
The Romans identified Vulcan with the Greek smith-god Hephaestus, and he became associated like his Greek counterpart with the constructive use of fire in metalworking.
What more could you want for a shed?
It's the nose radome from a Vulcan bomber. Yes, that Vulcan. The honking great big one. My garden shed will be nuclear-capable.
This piece is the lower section of the nose, the piece that's removed in the first photo opposite. To allow the radar to work, it was made of fibreglass instead of aluminium.
Avro Vulcan at CFB Goose Bay, Canada
13'6" long, 8'6" diameter. 290lbs (allegedly)
Can't tell you the original registration number yet...
Summerhouse ideas
Garden shed / Summerhouse.
Raise it on a dwarf brick wall. Glaze one end and fit glass doors. Leave the inner frame visible above (behind glazing) in all its punched and perforated aluminium goodness.
January 2008
Radome
So this is it!
Radome side
It's ridiculously long. Overall width is about right, height is adequate with a bit of a wall, but it is going to stick out backwards a lot.
The grille just visible at the open end is an air outlet. In service any leaks at near-supersonic speed would have tended to pressurise it and risk blowing it off! So there's an escape route for the air. Just how much pressure builds up inside a perforated radome?
Dad remains unconvinced
Obviously it needs lifting up by a couple of feet, hence the dwarf wall idea.
Looking down the insides
Visible at the far end is the notch where the TFR (Terrain Following Radar) originally sat, in its own "thimble" radome.
Inside the end
Pressed aluminium and flanges and rivets, Oh My!
Main construction is ½" fibreglass, still in pretty good condition. It should refinish and paint up beautifully.
The "box" visible at the bottom edge is a rainwater gutter! With a little tiny drain tube and downspout too (remember this whole thing is upside down). Originally the rescue kit access door filled the square notch above this, and it probably didn't seal perfectly. I rather like this idea of internal back-up guttering. Maybe I should install it in the house too.
Lower edge inside
A close-up shows the large number of chunky aluminium clamping points on the inside fram.
Somewhere around here.
Soon...
One day I'll learn how to edit photos!
.jpg "Now that's a garden snail problem!")
