Well it's been a busy last couple of months on other projects, and it's been a while since I posted on the Vulcan Bomber Blog, but like the Delta Lady herself, it's been a time to recharge the batteries and get ready for the season ahead, and with the funding appeal getting closer to its target of £300k, and the first confirmed dates appearing on the schedule, we really are set for a great airshow season from XH558.

When I last posted, it had been revealed that the remaining time to raise £200,000 required to hit the £300k target had been extended until the end of May, so that was a bonus, and I believe a justified one, even though there is still £40,000 to raise to meet that target, it's still been a fantastic effort by all concerned to get the £260k received so far. There is one more week for the original deadline, but I'm sure that if the Trustees see the efforts that have been made they will allow a little more time for that remaining target to be hit.

Recently of course, XH558 has already been out and about, and made brief appearances at RAF Cosford doing 2 flypasts and also a flypast at the National Memorial Arboretum, at Alrewas in Staffordshire. It was great to see XH558 up and about once again, in what hopefully is just a teaser for all of us as the airshow season really approaches.

Next week of course we move into the month of June, and the first scheduled appearance with Torquay & Babbacombe being first on the agenda on Saturday 23rd June, with then a display at Yeovilton (dare I mention THAT video again?!?) before heading back up to the Cleethorpes Armed Forces Day, before returning back to Robin Hood Airport in Doncaster.

The following week sees her weekend appearance at the RAF's premier airshow, at RAF Waddington, and I'll be up there on the Sunday to watch it, so banking on this decent weather to be around that day (how nice would a joint flypast of the B52 bomber & the Vulcan be if it could be arranged???).

July of course sees the bulk of Airshows coming along, with the biggie on the 7th & 8th July as the Royal International Air Tattoo takes place, and I'm sure the tens of thousands attending this year's show - which looks set to be a cracker by the way - will end up being swathed in the Vulcan Effect that so so often takes place whenever the Delta Lady revs up!

No sooner is the Air Tattoo at Fairford out of the way, the Farnborough Airshow comes calling, and the Vulcan crew will take her there from Gloucestershire on July 9th, before displays taking place over the Friday, Saturday & Sunday over the Hampshire skies.

Already some dates for August are booked in, with 3 appearances currently scheduled, the first of which is the Clacton Airshow on the 23rd August, before the Dunsfold show takes place on 26th & 27th August, scene of another great You Tube video (the 'look at thaaat!' video, you know the one, with the kids getting well excited, I know we're all the same watching it and remember the day we were like that back in the day, well okay maybe last summer!).

I'm sure there will be many more dates added, and we all await that with the kind of excitement that used to exist as a kid when the new Panini sticker album used to come out in January, or when you'd open up the packet of stickers to see a foil badge in amongst them, resulting in major elation before you saw it was two Scottish teams who you'd already got in your book!

Went a bit off track there, so back on it, and talking of the Vulcan Bomber - I still get the feeling that this year will be the last we'll see of her before she hangs up her engines. Hope not, but it's just the feeling I get, so let's ensure that the remaining £40k is raised and we get to see her at many places this Summer.

I always like to finish off with a video, and the one today features the great Sean Moffat with his quite brilliant commentary on the Vulcan Display, I think the thing that gets me along with many others here is his line "They said it couldn't be done, but here she is today" remarking on the fact that many people wrote off the chances of ever seeing a Vulcan take to the skies again, well they were wrong, and how...

Credit for the Video, goes to 264flight



BBS! (Be Back Soon!)