Victor Bomber Returns For A Cold War Tribute

Stanley Carter

Teasin’ Tina.

After a lengthy hiatus, the Handley Page Victor made a rare public appearance at the Bruntingthorpe Air Show. Not a whole lot of Victors survived their service in the Cold War years but the peach colored Teasin’ Tina was a stand out at the air show.

The Victor completed the trifecta of V-bombers during the Cold War which also included the Vulcan and the Valiant. Originally it was a nuclear bomber, unfortunately, the materials used to build the jet had a tendency to break under pressure from the low-altitude flight required for bombing strikes. As a result, the Victor was converted into others roles such as reconnaissance and aerial refueling.

General Characteristics

• Crew: 5
• Length: 114 ft 11 in (35.05 m)
• Wingspan: 110 ft 0 in (33.53 m)
• Height: 28 ft 1½ in[45] (8.57 m)
• Wing area: 2,406 sq ft (223.5 m²)
• Empty weight: 89,030 lb[143] (40,468 kg)
• Max. takeoff weight: 205,000 lb (93,182 kg)
• Powerplant: 4 × Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire A.S.Sa.7 turbojets, 11,050 lbf (49.27 kN) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 627 mph[45] (545 knots, 1,009 km/h) at 36,000 ft (11,000 m)
• Range: 6,000 mi (5,217 nmi, 9,660 km)
• Service ceiling: 56,000 ft (17,000 m)

Armament

• Up to 35 × 1,000 lb (450 kg) bombs or
• 1× Yellow Sun free-fall nuclear bomb

Victor bombers suffered many accidents while in service and eventually had to be retired in 1993. There are only five surviving Victors, three on static displays and the other two are operational. Take a peek at the legendary Teasin’ Tina as she struts her stuff at Bruntingthorpe’s Cold War air show.