Big week ends with February target hit and good news

Well the HUGE effort to get £100,000 in the bank by the end of February ended successfully on Wednesday, as the appeal passed that target, and on to the next target, which was £200k by the end of March.

 However, following the Vulcan to the Sky trustees meeting in midweek, this week's Newsletter announced that the remaining £200,000 target, would be split across 3 months which is FANTASTIC news for all concerned, meaning more time and a more realistic schedule to try and raise the money needed.

So, the target now looks like this:

• By March 31st - £75,000
• By April 30th - £150,000
• By May 31st - £200,000

So, £75k is the target this month, and already £8k is in the bank, so efforts will continue to raise the sums needed - and good luck to VTTS with this - I know everyone will still do their bit, so if you can donate, then donate today, as the sooner that money comes in the quicker we will see XH558 at Airshows this Summer!

I was personally really pleased that the 'Leap Day' idea I put to the team was taken on, and £3000+ was raised towards the target - it meant that 600 people must have donated a fiver - in one way a shame that many many more of the 10,000 twitter followers and facebook likers didn't commit, but in another way, those 600 may not have donated before, so good on them for doing so, it was a worthwhile initiative as it helped get over the £100k milestone, proving that yet again, Vulcan fanatics are the best out there!

So, March is a big month too, and hopefully we can get the target needed by the end of the month, plenty of goodies remain on sale at the Vulcan shop, so if you haven't bought anything yet, then please do so now!

The latest engineering report from Taff Stone, is also now available to view, and well worth a watch too, which can view here.

Finally, I do like a good Vulcan video to finish a blog on, so here we go with today's blast from the past, which was the fine display at Broughton in September 2009, finishing off with a cracker of a howl...

Take a 'Leap of Faith' for Vulcan XH558

TEXT LEAP145 TO 70070 TODAY TO DONATE A FIVER

Well, we've arrived at Leap Day - or whatever you want to call it - and today is a key day in the life of Vulcan XH558 - with the funding appeal continuing, but also at a point whereby the Trustees need to see that the chances of raising the £300k by the end of March are good.

One of the initiatives that I'm proud to have suggested to the Vulcan to the Sky Trust has been taken on and is running today, with the idea of taking a 'Leap of Faith' on Leap Day, by donating a fiver to the cause, on a day that only comes around once every 4 years.

I'm hoping that you'll back this Blogger's suggestion, and spread the word around everyone you know - as their fiver will help in making anyone reading this blog happy - a flying Vulcan is what will make all readers happy I'm sure, but we need to raise the funds to make it happen, so please please please, do what you can!

So, whatever time you do it, please just donate that £5 to this fantastic cause - if you're reading this for the first time and don't know what the fuss is all about, then have a look at the video below, and that will give you an indication as to why we love it so much:



That is why we love this aircraft so much - no other can make such a noise!!!

Time to Save the Vulcan

It's been a while since I posted on this blog as other things have had to take priority, but now is the time to come back and concentrate on the immediate future of XH558.

The message of course has come out from the Vulcan to the Sky Trust, that £300,000 is required to cover the costs to get the Delta Lady ready for the 2012 display season - and sure there will no doubt be the usual knockers who say why isn't this or that in place to prevent them from asking the public for money again.

Well the simple fact is that the Trust is exactly that, a Trust, it's not like a normal company who can reel in profits from advertising etc, the one product they have to sell has restrictions, for instance the fact that you cannot advertise anything on it - there are many traditionalists out there that say good, but the sad fact is that if the advertising restriction was lifted there would be no doubt in my mind that the Vulcan team would have no problem finding the money to get her through the season.

I'm not talking about the Vulcan being painted bright orange to represent a particular mobile phone company, or have SKY blasted all over it, although that may be the closest we'd get to Vulcan to the SKY being advertised on her, I'm on about some small but noticeable adverts, that would reel in the pounds needed to guide her through the tough times. Look at the wingwalkers for instance, having seen sponsors such as Utterly Butterly or Breitling, they look good, and that money I'm sure pays for all kinds of things for their displays, I really do think that the rules should be looked at to keep the Vulcan in the air, rather than a desperate plea for money each year.

Personally, even if adverts were rampant on the Vulcan, it would be the sight and sound of the Delta Lady that I'd still be enjoying, rather than the though of visiting her in a museum somewhere.

Anyway, enough about adverts, time to talk practically, funds are needed urgently, and I really do believe that this will be the final year in the sky for XH558, so let's keep fighting, as it would be a desperately sad story to have already seen her last flight.

If you have an idea to help raise funds, then contact the Vulcan to the Sky team, I've got an idea which I'm going to share with them today, and if they proceed with it - and I hope they do - then maybe, just maybe it will play a part in keeping the Vulcan in the sky this year - that's all I want from it. Nothing more.

So, £300k needed then, let's raise it, and prove once again that Vulcan fans are the best around, and keep the old lady up there!

A fine end to the 2011 season for the Delta Lady

And so, the Vulcan made it's final flight of 2011, and let's hope not it's final flight of all, on Sunday in sun filled skies, the perfect end to a display season that has seen plenty of highs and a few lows, but fortunately the no shows due to the weather or going tech were largely outweighed by the successful appearances, at the major shows up and down the country.

The season started on my birthday funnily enough - that was nice - on May 8th, when on Victory on Europe Day, the Vulcan appeared at the Abingdon Air & Country Show, and performed in front of 10,000 people - this was a great start to the year considering in 2010 the aircraft was only ready for action a good month after this, so well done to everyone involved in getting the Delta Lady through the major service that was required prior to this year's display season.

The first major show was on the May Bank Holiday, and it didn't disappoint, with over 100,000 witnessing the display at Southend, and the following day it attended the Cold War Jets Day at its former home at Bruntingthorpe, and I think it's fair to say it caused quite a stir with the take off from there, with many people staying on at the end to witness it.

Into June, and a new display for the crew and great news for the people on the Isle of Man, when the Vulcan appeared at Douglas to coincide with the Isle of Man TT, which allowed people to look upwards rather than at the roads, and in clear blue skies in the soft evening light, XH558 performed impeccably to give the locals a taste of what they had been missing.

Unfortunately, those clear blue skies soon shifted, despite the weather being fantastic around this time, for on Sunday 12th June, it really closed in across the country, and the planned appearance at RAF Cosford was cancelled due to the terrible weather that saw many many inches of rainfall across the country. Typical this really, as Cosford was the first show booked on the airshow calendar back on February 9th!

From it's display at the Isle of Man, the Vulcan had headed to RAF Kemble, and a double date on Saturday 18th June saw it display first at the Kemble Show, then headed off to Margate - another new display for the team - and once again the people at the Margate Show were treated to a vintage display, all 25,000 of them watching the Vulcan, many for the first time.

There was a couple of weeks break for the team then, as they prepared for the RAF's premier show, the Waddington Airshow, and hopes were high of good weather, and also a big turnout from the Vulcan to the Sky team. Sadly, they were only given a pitch right at the end of the static line up, although for me personally that was fine, as I was parked very close to XH558, so to see it right in front of me for most of the show was good enough.

I also got to meet Mike from the team too, and spoke at great length about the financial situation, and how we could help do our bit, I also got to see into the Bomb Day doors, and saw my name in there following a donation - that was nice.

The display at Waddo was fantastic, with the new 'cork-screw' manoeuvre added into the display too, and that was something else, but everyone enjoyed some great howls from the Vulcan, and was one of the top performers at the Show, along with the Thunderbirds, and also Team Viper.

Nearly 150,000 saw the Vulcan perform over the weekend, and the team enjoyed seeing donations flooding in from the appearance, which would help see the team through to the end of the season, along with of course, some great sponsorship from Eddie Forrester (Aerobytes) who had brought his sponsorship forward to help plug the gap that was apparent earlier on in the season.

Thrown in for good measure on the Sunday at Waddo, was a quick sortie to Goodwood for the Festival of Speed. This had proved to be a great show that has attracted the Vulcan to attend in recent years, and I'm sure everyone who was there - all 60,000 of them - really enjoyed the display once again.

The Vulcan ended up staying at Waddo due to a fault, which was worked on heavily during the week, which delayed the trip to Yeovilton, but thanks to the impressive work of the team behind the scenes, got the aircraft ready, and off to Yeovilton she went towards the end of the week, and on Saturday 9th July, she appeared in the skies of the South West to put a smile on the faces at Yeovilton, the scene of course of one of the best You Tube videos of the Vulcan.

Next, it was the big one, in terms of military airshows, the Royal International Air Tattoo, and this was the one that the team really had to be at, so every stop would be pulled out for this one, and must be the only aircraft at the display that was desperate to source sponsors to keep her in the air, with the continued avoidance of the Vulcan being included in any Heritage Flight with the RAF, which I still find disappointed even now, considering the draw this aircraft has with the public.

RIAT saw over 140,000 people pack into Fairford, and suffer incredibly with some adverse weather - what's new? Hopefully next year's display will give us better weather considering it's brought forward due to the Olympics - I'll be pushing for that date to be kept earlier too if blue skies happen to be over Gloucestershire that weekend!

Anyway, another great display by the Vulcan on the Thursday (press day), Saturday, and the Sunday, and the coffers swelling too, all added to a great weekend for the team, and the public of course.

XH558 remained at Fairford for a few more days, before the trip to the North West, which this particular blogger was looking forward to, as we don't get to see much of her in this part of the world, and the good news was that she was ready to fly on Saturday 23rd July, and a double appearance at both the Southport Airshow, which was very welcomed, and in blue skies again too, before heading on to the picturesque Lake Windermere, which allowed some great shots of the Vulcan for many a photographer - some on the hills to catch the best shots.

Then, next another new venue, the Sunderland International Airshow, and just under 1 million, yes, 1 million people saw the Vulcan perform here for the very first time, and what great numbers to display in front of, for the team. A new venue, a new observing crowd, and a healthy swoop of donations from the event.

Unfortunately, the next 11 days saw some cancellations, just when the momentum had really got going, but a fuel leak fault put pay to the much anticipated trip to Dawlish, Shoreham, Bournemouth, Oxford, and Dunsfold (sadly for one of the main sponsors).

The engineers, and volunteers worked tirelessly on getting her airworthy as quickly as possible and had done a tremendous job in getting her ready, and were given the green light on the Friday before the shows at Cosby & Portrush on the 4th September, but very very typically, the weather closed in, and the displays sadly had to be cancelled, which left only one to go, that at RAF Leuchars.

Leuchars had booked the Vulcan late on, and a big effort was made to get the aircraft up there, with the sortie to the north of the border for the first and only time this season, the weather was once again closing in, but left a window big enough to be able to get there, and gave a cracking display at Leuchars, which I'm sure was appreciated by everyone concerned at the venue.

That was scheduled to be the last display of the season, but it wouldn't be the last of the flying, as on Sunday 16th October, the team took her on a flight around parts of England that wouldn't normally have got to see her. A flypast over Highclere Castle, where Downton Abbey is filmed - although I don't think that was the reason for the flypast! - then onto Wooton Bassett, before the trip back to Doncaster, and a quick display for pilot currency purposes - saw the last action in 2011 for Vulcan fans.

Now the battle continues to try and get her through the winter service, which brings us nicely onto the fundraising side of the Vulcan team.

We heard back the spring that £350k was needed by the end of May to ensure that XH558 would be arriving on to the airshow scene with stable finances, and yet again, the Great British public rose to the challenge and dug deep to fund the appeal.

One of the reasons why I decide to put my hand in my pocket is not just for the great sight of the Vulcan in the sky, but also to doff my cap to those who put in so many voluntary hours to keep the Vulcan going, when others cannot afford to put their time and effort in to it - a donation is my way of thanking those people. If it wasn't for them, we would not be celebrating 4 years of having the people's aircraft in the air, today.

We have Eddie Forrester to thank for pulling his sponsorship forward to get the Vulcan through the display season, so now it's back down to us Vulcan fans to go for it again - I'm ready for the challenge again, and I hope everyone else who adores this aircraft feels the same.

We all know that D-Day will come, but for now, we can still look forward to at least one more year of the Vulcan ripping the skies apart with the ferocious howl, and delightful calm that follows, so if you can spare a fiver, then donate it today - remember what you donate today brings the total of the Winter Service down, and maybe next time the appeal will be less money to raise, and maybe, just maybe, a sponsor may be attracted to meet the gap - I do feel gutted though for the VTTS team that all those regulations around the lottery funding means they can't advertise on the aircraft - I wonder if one company would fund the difference to advertise on the Vulcan, at the expense of the lottery funding? Does it work that way?

It's a thought, but personally I wouldn't care what was on the aircraft, as long as it was in the air!

Target Hit!!!

Amazingly, the news came through yesterday that the £350,000 target for the Vulcan's Summer Appeal had been hit - after a major weekend on the donations front.

In what was a surprising final figure, £351,264 was raised thanks to a last weekend donations total of nearly £15,000 saw the Appeal hit that target, which had been set to ensure that the 2011 Airshow schedule could be completed, and once again the Vulcan supporters (and the public) have stepped up to the plate when it mattered, and given us all that fantastic sight and sound of the Vulcan to the Sky!

So, it's a time to celebrate for Vulcan fans, and those celebrations will I'm sure go on until the end of the season in September, when the planning and fundraising will no doubt start again with the Winter Service in mind, and as ever those Vulcan fanatics will be ready to help once again.

At this point I want to congratulate all concerned who have helped keep the Vulcan in the skies for 2011, from those putting their money where their mouth is, to those who have serviced the aircraft and looked after it on the ground, to of course the team flying the Delta Lady, and of course the Vulcan to the Sky team for their achievements this year.

Target hit...Boom!

Blues skies seal special Vulcan appearance on Saturday

Vulcan fans in the North West of England were treated to a special appearance by XH558 on Saturday at both Southport and Lake Windermere as the sun beat down on the crowds watching.

At Southport on saturday, the 'Vulcan Effect' was in full swing, as many people were overheard saying "I can't wait for the Vulcan" or something similar - I lost count of the amount of times I heard that on Saturday.

Having started off with some turboprop items on Saturday as well as the Hunter & Hawk, like the weather, the show was just getting warmed up in time for the big hitters to arrive after 3pm, and arrive they did, the 2 Tornado's doing their role demo certainly woke the place up with many pyrotechnics going off on the beach, and some fantastic fast passes from the pair, before then the tranquility of the Lancaster bomber and a Spitfire from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight then took over.

Just after 4pm it was time for the Vulcan's friends, The Blades, to do their display, and what a great little display they have, with all ex-Red Arrows pilots doing the biz here, and whilst the end of the their display was approaching you could visibly see he vast numbers of people swelling towards any vacant space, looking around for the first sight of the Vulcan.

XH558: Busy thrilling the Southport crowd

It was spotted out to the right in the Blackpool direction, and without hesitation flew in straight into her routine, and once here had a captivated audience enjoying every minute of the Vulcan display on a blue sky background, which was extremely welcome!

The twists and turns of Martin Withers display was beautiful to watch and of course those power climbs which sees the arrival of 'the noise' and we weren't let down when awaiting 'the howl' - you could see them shaping up for it over the beach, and up they pulled and out came the famous howl, now one of the main attractions of the display, and the corkscrew followed, however no need for airbrakes this time thanks to that sea breeze!

Fantastic sight over Lake Windermere

Then we were treated again, just when we thought the display was over, XH558 lowered the undercarriage, and gave us another pass before pulling up with a final power climb that made Southport beach shudder such was the noise that followed, and upon that climb it was time to wave farewell for the time being to the Vulcan, and off she went in the direction of Lake Windermere, off to thrill the thousands waiting up there to see her.

Much has been said about the crowds disappearing after the Vulcan display has finished at the various venues, well I'm a Vulcan fan of course, but didn't leave the display but I did retreat back to the pub & then the car to be in place to leave once the Red Arrows were due to finish their display, so it's true in a sense that lots of people do tend to be glued to the Vulcan display, and then once over, they do head elsewhere, one thing is for certain though there was certainly evidence of the 'Vulcan Effect' at Southport once again.

As fas as the appeal goes, we're nearly there folks, as of Friday's total only another £31,000 to raise by the end of July to ensure that the appearances for August & September are completed, and considering the delight that has been given to fans by the Vulcan crew, I'll certainly be throwing another donation forward as that £350k target gets ever closer.

Text 'Vulcan' to 70558 today to donate a fiver

I'm sure there will be another appeal later in the year as the Winter Service is needed, but hopefully their will be some additional sponsorship accrued, and with all the standing orders that have been set up, it would be interesting to note how much per month is now raised via those - remember the more standing orders that are in place the lower the remaining targets should be, so if you can spare a little more then please set one up, it's only £5.58 per month.

I was reading Barry Masefield's latest blog and it was an eye opener when I read about the trip to (and from) Yeovilton, as following the immense achievement of getting that number two engine ready, the team had to get off down to Yeovilton before the airfield closed for the day, but get down there they did, followed by a stop over in a Travelodge, before then having to display, and drive back up to Lincolnshire to pick up their cars - you don't really think about that part, you just think oh they'll stay down there until they fly the Vulcan back, but of course it's never what you think - fair play to the crew, and keep the blog going Barry!

That's it for now, hopefully another update on the finances to come, and hopefully another major step closer to reaching that magical target - remember you can donate a fiver today by texting Vulcan to 70558 - do it now if you can!

Successful weekend at Fairford as Appeal passes £300k

The weekend saw another successful couple of displays at arguably the biggest airshow on the UK calendar, as the Air Tattoo was graced by the presence of the Vulcan with two stunning displays.

XH558 : Star of the Show

Many who were at the event commented how the display had been more dynamic than ever, which is a recurring comment it seems at present, and that will surely help boost the coffers - in fact right now the Vulcan Appeal stands at £302,000 - a significant milestone passed as the £350k target gets closer and closer, with the July 31st deadline looming.

Included in that total of £302k is also a very welcome £10,000 donation from the Vulcan to the Sky Supporters Club, and is a perfectly timed input from the VTTSSC, and with the Vulcan Village having their biggest display of items for purchase at the Air Tattoo, then hopefully the target will reduce quickly, although I would expect that once that target is reached the team will soon be planning their next appeal which will be the Winter Service.

On the subject of appeals, there was a good piece in The Sun yesterday about the appeal to save the Vulcan, and you can read more about it here - shame about one of the comments below the story, however, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but one of them is just so way off the mark it's untrue! let's hope the article encourages a few more to donate. Link: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/3700033/Once-Britains-first-defence-against-nuclear-annihilation-iconic-Vulcan-warplane-now-faces-extinction.html


This week of course its the run up to the Southport Airshow, and XH558 will be appearing at the Saturday show at approximately 4.20pm, give or take the odd minute delay due to sea breeze!

Fairford to Southport via Wittering!

This is the North West's chance to welcome back the aircraft that was built in the same region of course, Woodford in Manchester to be exact, but sadly there is no possibility of even a public flypast there due to the authorities claiming that the roads would become a nightmare surrounding the former British Aerospace factory.

So, Southport it is, and the Vulcan crew will be hoping for some blue skies to greet them following the downpours at Fairford which delayed the start of this year's show.

It will be an exciting time for 'us lot' camped up here in the North West where we rarely get to see the Vulcan fly, so we'll all be making the most of it this coming Saturday.

As an appetite whetter, here's a dark but very good youtube video of the Vulcan at Southport, something quite haunting about this particular one...

Duo with Sea Vixen highlight of Vulcan weekend



http://www.vulcantothesky.org/donate/


It's been another rip-roaring weekend as far as Avro Vulcan XH558 is concerned as the Yeovilton Air Day came and went, with a treat for all fans, as the Vulcan not only provided its own display, but twinned up with the Sea Vixen for an excellent fly past during the airshow.

The Vulcan as we know has been a key attraction at recent events, and next week will no doubt be the centre piece for many at RIAT - the Air Tattoo - which has been struggling to name some star attractions, mainly because of the cut backs in the military world, but also because of the current conflicts taking place in Libya & Afghanistan.

Yeovilton was of course eagerly anticipated just like Waddington, and whilst the airshow weather wasn't as kind this weekend, it was still good enough, although many were fearing that the Vulcan wouldn't attend due to the engine problem being experienced earlier in the week, but fair play to the many volunteers who worked long hours in the week to get XH558 ready for action, and on Friday afternoon she was declared ready for action, and off she went from Waddington to Yeovilton, no amazing overshoot opportunity this time a it was straight into the base at the first attempt, but thanks to the volunteers she had made it to her destination.



Sea Vixen & XH558 together in stunning flypast

 And so on Saturday, she took to the skies mid afternoon ready for another display to whip up the masses and she didn't disappoint with a spectacular fly past with the De Havilland Sea Vixen, unexpected that's for sure, but very much welcomed by the attending public, and as you can see from the pictures very special indeed.

Another great display from the team, and also on the back of another boost with the current Vulcan Appeal total standing at £281k, meaning that now the remaining target is £79k, very much achievable, and surely at this stage the decision must be made to continue, as there are several key venues to visit, and display at in September, let's hope Leuchars can find a sponsor for the Vulcan to attend their airshow so that the Scottish public can once again witness the great display that the Vulcan is capable of - and also command the attention of everyone on the airfield, that has been prevalent at each display so far, with everyone having their eyes fixed on the 'tin triangle' in the air!

Another week starts tomorrow, but it's no ordinary week, as its the build up to the Royal International Air Tattoo, and hopefully two great displays on Saturday & Sunday will see the donations come flooding in as that £350,000 target gets closer and closer.

XH558 will remain at Yeovilton this week until the trip to Fairford, which at present is likely to be Thursday or Friday, and many will I'm sure flock to Yeovilton to witness the take off whilst at the other end at Fairford, there are sure to be many waiting on one of those Arrivals Days.

As a reminder, here's the link to the Vulcan Appeal where you can contribute, or indeed text Vulcan to 70558, where each texts sends a Fiver to the Appeal - let's do it for XH558!

Top 10 Vulcan Videos - Day 10

It's the final day of the series looking at ten top Vulcan videos, and hopefully if you're a reader of this blog you've enjoyed the selection - I'll come to the final one in a moment.


Yesterday though was the day that mattered for the Vulcan team as the permit revalidation was to take place following the submission of the application to renew from Marshall Aerospace, and according to Vulcan officials everything went as expected, and the permit was extended by another 12 months which is fantastic news for the team & its supporters!

So we should all expect XH558 to depart Doncaster this afternoon for her appearance at Waddington as part of the Press Day, with the main show of course being at the weekend.

The skies of Lincolnshire will once again be thundering to the sound of the Vulcan with not one, not two, but three performances in four days - lucky people over there in Lincoln!!
Anyway, to the final video of the top 10, and I have to confess - it's one of my own - yep, sorry for that, but I was just so fortunate to get the Vulcan howl that day, and what a howl it turned out to be, lasting for an eternity, and also described on the youtube comments as something like off War of the Worlds, and yes you can understand where they are coming from on that one!

The video itself was filmed on a day when I decided to treat my mum to see the Vulcan take off - she'd not seen that in the past few decades, ad it was herself that introduced me to XH558, so she will have my eternal thanks for that.

Have a read of the full description on the video for everything that revolved around that day, but the whole Vulcan team were fantastic to us, with a closer up view, sitting inside the cock pit, and then the ultimate...seeing the Vulcan take off from the Brize Norton control tower - what a day...

Typical of my mum though to start talking just as the howl was about to be heard across what seemed the whole of Oxfordshire! Another thing about the video was the crazy looking skies that appeared too, it went from blue skies to a creepy pinky blue, with you almost thinking time for the lights to come on, and yet this was about 3pm!




Original link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqA6bgFPGWI

Vulcan crew get ready for Kemble

It's another anxious look to the skies this weekend for the Vulcan crew as they embark on their latest display destinations, hoping for better luck with the weather than what was experienced at Cosford last Sunday!

The Isle of Man weather would be fine mind!!

The crew have checked in early today to make an earlier flight from Doncaster down to Kemble, with a 10.30 flight time likely.

The funding appeal now stands at £225,000 - so just another £125k to go now to hit the target, which is of course needed by 31st July. To donate, please visit the Vulcan to the Sky homepage