Frustrating weekend for Vulcan fans

Following a week in which the ground crew and engineers pulled their plums out for the cause (not the best description, but I feel that's exactly what they did), it was a great shame that the Great British weather ruined what would have been a fine achievement on Sunday.

Great effort by the ground crew

With the big job of fixing the Vulcan following its hydraulic issues a week earlier, it seemed impossible that the aircraft would appear at both Cosby & Portrush on Sunday, but with the hours put in by an amazing group of people, on Saturday we heard that XH558 was indeed serviceable - incredible.

So, all eyes on Sunday then, and the crew of course making their way back to RAF Conninsgby, where they had made an emergency landing only a week earlier, and hopes were high of a jaunt out down to Leicestershire before heading over to Northern Ireland.

This particular poster was getting a bit excited thinking that the Vulcan may actually pass over the skies of Chester on what was a nice sunny afternoon, one where in the end I was walking round the famous City Walls, so it would have been even better to see the tin triangle up in the skies too.

Alas, the bad news filtered through, nothing technical this time, but the fact that the weather had actually closed in, in Lincolnshire, all this whilst walking in blue skies in Chester, gasping for a drink, in shorts, the works basically for a nice summer's day, yet only 3 driving hours away the opposite it seems was happening and the Vulcan was trapped on the runway, with rain and miserable skies - do we really live in the same Country????

Beaten by the weather =(

So, the news filtered through that despite the waiting around by the crew, it was a cancellation that stole the headlines, with the rain forcing the no-go for the Vulcan team, whcih I'm sure cost yet more revenue, and also leaves the team now with just the one more appearance - at Leuchars this week - to impress before it's seemingly time to concentrate on funding the winter service, which I'm sure will need another appeal based on the past month's cancellations.

How the public react to that appeal is another matter, some will diss it, some will realise what's needed and continue to put their money where their mouth is, and support the Vulcan to the Sky team for as long as it's needed, and that's the category I'll fall in to too, as the only result I want to see is a flying Vulcan in 2012.

So, if you haven't done so already, please consider a donation to the cause (text Vulcan to 70558 - texts costs a fiver donation), or why noyt set up a monthly standing order for £5.58 like many others have done - if you smoke 20 a day, then that monthly amount is just one pack of fags (so why not stretch one packet over 2 days and donate the rest), or a couple of pints, come on give it a shot!

Either way, hopefully the majority of people will embrace the fact that XH558 needs OUR help to see her through to Summer 2012!

Fingers crossed for the weather on Saturday, for the final appearance of the season, at Leuchars.