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!!!

Take a leap of faith with the Vulcan

February 29th 2012, is one of the key dates in the Vulcan's long & beautiful history, it will see the trustees of the Vulcan to the Sky team meet to see if the plug is to be pulled on the best aircraft around.

If that proverbial plug is pulled on XH558 then it will be a very sad day for all Vulcan enthusiasts, and other aircraft enthusiasts too of course.

There are those that have been saying 'it's time to put her in a museum' whilst others will quite rightly continue to battle to keep her up there where she knows best...in the air.

So far the efforts of many have seen the appeal fund rise to over £50,000 which is in itself an incredible effort in the current climate - and I just cannot understand those who bang on about why the VTTS shouldn't be asking for money whilst there is none around. They are simply asking, not demanding. Do the same people slate Children in Need when there is no money around? That happens on a yearly basis, so does Comic Relief, and the public get something out of that, so what is so different with the Vulcan Appeal - no one is forcing anyone to prise open their wallets or purses, they are simply asking for help. Nothing wrong with that in my opinion.

Some good ideas have been raised recently to help assist with the fund appeal, the Valentine's Day one was a good one, donating £10 whilst declaring your love for the Vulcan - a nice topical idea, and I've put an idea forward to the Vulcan team - whether it gets accepted and suggested by the fundraising team I'm not sure yet, but if it doesn't then The Vulcan Bomber Blog will still push it!

The idea is based around the social network, between Facebook and Twitter, there are over 20,000 'likes' or 'followers' - now I do appreciate that there is the strong chance that people who 'like' the Vulcan's Facebook page, are also more than likely a 'follower' of the Twitter page too, but that still leaves over 10,000 individuals - so my idea was as follows:

The Idea:

For all 'Likers' and 'Followers' to donate £5.58 to the Vulcan Appeal, on Wednesday 29th February 2012, a kind of 'Leap of Faith' or as I put it to the VTTS team...'One Giant Leap for XH558' - and wherever you are in the world during the 29th February, you could donate, it could be done anywhere across the world, so participants would all feel that they had done their bit at the specially suggested time. It's a one off event that could attract the best media coverage given that they are normally after great stories, and this is a 'Best of British' story that would be a cracker...

Now, having already submitted that idea a couple of weeks ago, the news came out that the meeting would then take place on the 29th February itself, so maybe we could all just donate on the Leap Year day (is there such a term? No? Oh there is now....) - and we can all show our faith in the Vulcan Bomber and help her get past the next milestone of £100,000 which holds a large significance of course.

If every Facebook 'Liker' or Twitter 'Follower' donated the minimal sum of £5.58 then over £111,000 would be raised on it's own - adding to the £50k already in the bank. If even half of those donated, then it would still raise over £50,000 - enough needed to get to that first £100k target.

Think about it for a second, it's £5.58, that's all. It's not a massive amount (even though I'm sure any amount higher than that would also be appreciated, and feel free to donate it!) but if everyone made a collective effort on just one day then anything is possible. Think back to the Children in Need and Comic Relief days, the emphasis takes place on one given day normally, and millions are raised. The Vulcan team are not asking for millions here (far from it, the efforts of many have already reduced the target to a much lower amount compared to previous years), they are asking the public to help keep an inconic aircraft in the air - my thoughts as mentioned before are that 2012 will indeed be her final year up there, so let's all pull together, after all, what's the point of being a 'Liker' or a 'Follower' if there is no display or flying Vulcan to 'like' or 'follow'?

Let's do it, just £5.58 on Wednesday 29th February, 2012.

Here's the link to make your donation

Ps: The Vulcan Bomber Blog became proud owners of a share certificate following the purchase of a Fire Suppression share via the Component Life Register over the weekend, and also related blogs Chester FC and The Daily Banksy also became owners of shares relating to the Engine Swap & Pneumatic Cylinder components.





For best results on the howl, tune in to the very start, and then head to about 6:30 for about 20 seconds!
The Vulcan Bomber Blog

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!

Hopes for a good winter

Well it's been almost a month now since I last blogged due to concentrating on other projects, and since then of course the Vulcan managed to get that last appearance of the season at RAF Leuchars which delighted the Scots as this was the only time that XH558 would make it to north of the border this year.

It was touch and go though with the weather, but pleased everyone got to see the Delta Lady, and hear the sound of those fantastic engines, and then of course it was back down to Doncaster to rest up for the winter.

"Just let me take off"

Due to the loss of revenue though from potential appearances at various airshows in the last month prior to Leuchars, she's lost out on around £100,000 which has been a real setback to the funds anticipated by the Vulcan to the Sky team, although it must also be stated, that the attendance record for this season has been excellent, and more often than not it was the weather that put pay to some of those non-attendances.

The VTTS are now looking for over £300,000 to be able to get the Vulcan through its Winter Service and ready for next season's displays, which of course are set to be very special with it being the 60th year since the Vulcan was born, so hopefully everyone will pull together and blitz this target to enable the dream to happen - and I think it's quite possible that this could be the very last season for our historic aircraft, so important more than ever now to donate whatever you can to the appeal.

It's always a difficult time mind, with Children in Need coming along shortly, and then of course the small matter of Christmas, which is always a time when we're all short of money, but as has been stated, even a fiver could make so much difference to the project - so if you can, donate a fiver today! (or more if you csan spare it)

Thanks for the 2011 memories!

Now that the season has finished for 2011, I think it's time to say a huge thanks to those who made this display season possible - from the people who have worked tirelessly on the servicing side of things and turned round repairs in what must have been record time (those same people had the kick in the teeth when the weather prevented an unbelievable effort in getting XH558 airbourne), to the crew who have of course given us those displays up and down the country - and have to make their own detailed travel arrangements, car sharing wherever they go - notably the trip back from Yeovilton!

Thanks also to those at the top of the project, to Robert Pleming for continuing his efforts to keep the Vulcan in the air, I think he's come in for some unwarranted stick over the years, but the fact still remains that we have a flying Vulcan right now, for a fourth year since that amazing return to flight.

One way of helping the fund right now is of course the Component Life Register, and TheVulcanBomber blog will be purchasing one of those items very shrotly to demonstrate its support of the appeal, and hopes that its contribution will help towards that total - the Blog already contributes via a monthly standing order but is only too glad to help further.

Also, any funds raised from revenue generated from Google Adsense on this blog is also being donated in to the appeal, so if you want to help in that way, please do!

That's it for today, it's good to be back blogging about the Vulcan, and I'll be back with another update soon, as we await to see what the latest appeal figure stands at.

Everyone do the Sun Dance!

It's set to be the final scheduled weekend of flying for the Vulcan crew, with the planned trip to RAF Leuchars tomorrow, but will the weather once again spoil the end of season party?

Having checked the various websites, the forecast doesn't look good, and I think we all may need to to a Sun Dance to help shift the clouds for what will be the final air show at RAF Leuchars, and I'm sure there will be many sad to say that tomorrow.

It has been a great display year for XH558 - only blemished by the last month with both technical and weather difficulties getting in the way of what would have been a fantastic season's reord of flying, but there you go, it's not been perfect but show me a display team that has been this season!

Good Luck to everyone heading up to Leuchars this weekend, and I hope you get to see some sunshine and a cracking display - remember that the blue skies arrived at Fairford in the end, so stick with it if it doesn't start the morning looking like you're going to need the sun cream!

I'm sure all the Vulcan crew will be giving the display run the best chance they can, last weekend proved that with most of their day spent waiting around hoping for better weather that sadly never arrived, and prevented them getting off the ground at RAF Conningsby.

So, finishing this Blog off with a Vulcan video from RAF Leuchars, a special one from last year's Leuchars show, but also a video that captures both a great flypast, and at the same time possibly the worst timing of a Vulcan take off as far as a person filming it goes! That's the gamble of being outside the base I guess!

What a difference a week makes...

This time last week, we were all caught up in the sadness revolving around the crashed Red Arrow and the extremely sad news that the pilot had tragically died during the incident.

It's been a tough week for the Red Arrows, with all the fleet grounded, and investigations made, but relatively good news followed at the end of the week with the announcement that the grounding had been lifted and the Reds were clear to fly again - great news for all concerned, as it would enable them to fly home, and also begin to practice again, but you really have to feel for the pilots of the other Reds who have lost a great friend I would imagine, in Red 4 and Flight Lieutenant Jon Eggings.

Nearly ready for Display!

As far as the Vulcan was concerned, it has been all hands to the pump as the quest to fix the fuel leak problem has been ongoing, with the troubled part heading to Portsmouth to be fixed, and tested, before being hurriedly driven back up North to Doncaster to get it refitted back to XH558 and tested again before being classed as serviceable.

However, thanks to the efforts of many, the Vulcan is once again now serviceable and ready to go, and we're pleased to see that the Vulcan is once again ready to display, and will hopefully be making an appearance at Dunsfold, where big time supporter Eddie Forrester will be willing the team to have her ready for display at the Wings & Wheels event where she has been a key component of the show in recent years. The estimated time of departure from Doncaster is around 2.30pm, so we'll all be looking closely at the twitter feed later today!

It's testament to all that work on the Vulcan's serviceability that we're even talking about a Vulcan ready for display, and I'm sure I'm not alone when I thanks everyone for their work, and look forward to more reports about how XH558 has delighted the crowds once again, and with only a couple of weeks left on the schedule for 2011, it would be great if she can see it through to the end this year.

There are of course big plans for next year - the 60th year since the first flight of the Vulcan, and hopefully she'll be booked by many venues, and the relevant monies can be raised to get her there - we're all dreaming of a final swansong maybe at the Queens Jubilee flypast, or even the Olympics flypast, which would be extremely nice to partake in.

Whatever happens, I think we should all congratulate everyone on the Vulcan project for giving us a cracking display season, and with the introduction of the corkscrew too, something to add to what is already a great display set.

So, all the best to the team for the visit to Dunsfold, and hopefully we can see some pistures & videos shortly!

Sunderland success as Vulcan Appeal ends

Well, it's been another successful weekend for the Vulcan team, with yet another weekend delighting tens of thousands of people, this time up at Sunderland.

It was the first time that the Vulcan had appeared at the Sunderland Airshow, and judging by the comments and feedback, XH558's appearance has been well received, and with a bit of luck will get a repeat there next year.

Roaring away at Sunderland

The team performed their over the sea displays during late afternoon on both Saturday & Sunday, and following the return to Doncaster on the Sunday, I guess that it's now a case of pausing for a few weeks before the final run in starts on August 20th at Shoreham - stilll maybe time though to add a couple more appearances in elsewhere if airshow organisers can find the funds to bring her to their show.

It's certainly been another fine effort up to now as far as the Vulcan's attendance is concerned, with only the rain affected RAF Cosford show being the only display that the team could not complete - as with many others that day - even the Red Arrows had to curtail their display that day such was the awful weather.

The crew can put their feet up for a few weeks now, and knowing that their displays are thrilling everyone wherever they go, they must be bursting with pride each time they see the reviews and feedback from the crowds, they are certainly treated as the stars of the show, and in my opinion, deservedly so.

Take me back to Chester....please!

It would be my dream to see the Vulcan return to the skies of Chester, not sure we'll get to see it again following the last time at Airbus Broughton in 2009, as Chester just isn't made for flying displays, but you never know, and I'll keep my dream alive - I certainly have great memories of displays going back many years at Hawarden, and back in the golden age of airshows seemingly everywhere round the country, I remember sitting in my mum's car as a kid with many other people sat in the cars in a country lane opposite the airfield, seeing the Vulcan descending over us and down to the airfield - that was some sight (and sound), in those days, even an airshow of that nature seemed to attract the likes of the Tornado, Red Arrows, Nimrod, Javelin, Vampire, and the Shackleton - some classics there, but seeing the Vulcan on the programme would always get the excitement levels to fever pitch!

I'll have to dig out some pics that I would have taken as a kid, as I'm sure there are some in the tins upstairs (you know the tins, that everyone has stored somewhere with photos from the past kept in them!).

So, back to the Vulcan, and of course the Summer Appeal ended on Sunday, and hopefully the Appeal got somewhere towards the £350k needed, I think at last count they were £14k off so my guess would maybe be that they finished around the £343k mark, but hopefully I'll be proved wrong and finished higher, but whatever the case I really think the public - in this tough climate - have proved that they want to see the Vulcan kept in the skies rather than on the ground, and everyone can take a bow for 'doing their bit' in seeing her up there. I know I felt pride in knowing that the people of Southport, Fairford, Waddington, and so on were seeing the Vulcan with the help of my standing order donation, in fact they should get a sponsorship from Tesco's as 'every little helps!'.

Remember though, it doesn't end here, if we want to see the Vulcan ripping the skies apart then we'll no doubt still have to dig deep to see that, and I'd expect to see some kind of Appeal launched soon as the Winter Service will need to be done, anyone know how much that costs? I don't, it was a general question!

Enjoying the Summer Sun!

But whatever it costs, and whatever the appeal, I know that many will 'do their bit' again, just to increase the chances of seeing this Cold War veteran in the skies for what could turn out to be her second 'farewell' in 2012 - but let's hope not.

Finally, here's a video from the Sunderland Airshow, and when will commentators & organisers learn that people are more interested in hearing the noise of the Vulcan, rather than their own voices or the music that's been blasted out over the speakers, as in this clip...even when the Vulcan is at its noisiest towards the end of the clip he's still waffling on, and you just want to shout..."Shut Uuuuuuup!"





Long Live The Vulcan!

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!

Great news as the Vulcan confirms Lake Windermere appearance

It looks as though the North West will be getting to see a little more of XH558 as it's just been announced in the last few minutes that the Vulcan will be doing a display flight over Lake Windermere - which should be a fascinating scenic display, and will take place this Saturday - the same day she is due up at Southport.

The appearance, which has been made possible by Vulcan supporter and sponsor Eddie Forrester, whose company Aerobytes have once again put their money where their mouths are, and sponsored the display, so the sight & sound of the Vulcan is set to rip through the quiet & peaceful setting of Lake Windermere this Saturday - or Sunday, depending on the weather & serviceability of course.

The news also comes on the same day that the Vulcan Appeal total is now standing at £310,000 - so just another £40k to go, and hopefully that will be boosted by the text appeal that was contained in yesterday's Sun newspaper report, to see that again, click here.

The news gets better and better it seems at present, so let's hope that by the 31st July, the target will be hit, and we can all enjoy the August & September displays that will have been made possible by joe public.

Vulcan at Fairford...I predict a RIAT!

Yes, it's the big one as far as the Vulcan team are concerned, as it heads to 'the biggest military airshow in the world' as the organisers put - well that has been much talk about whether that is still the case now with the thinner number of aircraft on display, but it's still a massive draw to the general public and that's what the Vulcan Village team will be counting on at Fairford.

The Vulcan Village incidentally, is set to be the biggest one that they've built, and with over 150,000 visitors expected over the weekend, many will see this as the golden nugget to raise funds, and with the current total close to £290,000, it would be great to get past that £300k mark, with the deadline of 31st July looming in the background, to raise the remaining £60k.

I could talk figures until the end of the day,but it's all about the display of the Vulcan too, and that's the appeal of course, so let's just hope the weather plays ball at RIAT this weekend, the forecast isn't brilliant, but if it remains on XH558's side then that will be best for everyone, so keep your fingers crossed that the umbrellas can stay in the car this weekend, or at least not having to put them up!

Unfortunately this blogger cannot make it to the Air Tattoo this year, but looking forward to seeing the reviews and the hundreds of youtube clips of the air display.

To all going, have a great time, and good luck to the Vulcan team in bringing yet another fantastic display to the Great British public, oh and don't forget a fiver (text Vulcan to 70558) goes a long way!

Here's a reminder of that great take off from 2009 on the wet Sunday to whet your appetite...

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 8

So, to Day 8 on the Top 10 Vulcan videos, and I have to say I do enjoy watching these back, and some great footage out there!

Now, it's a bit of a brief one today as I'm off to Alton Towers so day off work...so just getting ready for the short trip to Staffordshire!

Anyway, enough about that, time to showcase another great Vulcan video - now as far as footage of XH558 goes this video is thin on the ground, but it's more the reaction of the two kids and the major happy father that delights in this video.

The father is obviously made up to catch a real gem as the Vulcan appears so low by the trees, "Look at that, my days, look at thaaaaaaaat!" - superb response from happy father on that one, and then the two kids take over. The youngest one in the yellow shirt very excited, whilst the slightly older one replied with a cool, "Yep" - good stuff!

That one filmed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where of course XH558 is heading again this Sunday.

Tomorrow is a big day for the Vulcan, as the permit revalidation is due to take place at Doncaster, fingers crossed everything goes as expected, and we can all relax and look forward to the weekend!



Original link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0aLQ3srOrs&feature=related

Top 10 Vulcan Videos - Day 7

Well it's the start of the week once again, and it's Waddo week, with this weekend's airshow being one of the main attractions on the airshow calendar this year.

For the 10 days leading up to arrivals day I've been looking at ten of the best Vulcan videos, and there aren't half some crackers out there - in fact I could probably make a top 20 out of it!

For today's choice, it's a preview of what's to come on Thursday as XH558 flies in to Waddington for the Press Day, and there are various versions of this video out there, but not many as good as this one...

The anticipation of the arrival, with that Yeovilton style fear of what's coming next was clearly kicking in, and what must the driver of the blue car have been thinking????



Original link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuenaXkcb9A

The best bit of course is at the start, but a worthy shot of the Lanc follows it too!

Top 10 Vulcan Videos - Day 3

So, to the third day of the top ten Vulcan videos, and another corker for today, hope you like the choice!

Cast your minds back to RIAT 2009, and after the relief of the airshow going ahead after the previous year's washout, XH558 made her return to the skies over Fairford, and in front of nearly 100,000 signalled perhaps a collective rubbing of hips - after all everyone seemed to get out of their seats when they saw the Vulcan preparing for take off, and commanding everyone's attention for the display.

Saturday was the dry but windy day, and that's the day that I saw the display, but on the Sunday the weather changed for the worse, and it was looking doubtful that there would be a Vulcan display with the weather closing in, but just like that the rain held off just when the Delta Lady was due to fill the skies, and cue the take off...

That is what the day 3 video is all about, the dampened crowd were to be served up a treat with a stunning take off that saw a wing over that simply looked like the Vulcan had turned upside down - it must have had everyone talking on the day, now obviously it didn't go upside down, but how looks can be deceiving hey?

So, to the video...



Original Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmwOowyoN3o&feature=related

Top 10 Vulcan Videos - Day 1

Well, we're not that far away from the Vulcan's appearance at the Waddington Airshow now, and as the battle to reach the £350,000 donations target continues, I thought it time to have a look at my favourite Vulcan videos posted on You Tube.

I'm sure everyone has their favourites, all for differing reasons, whether its for the power, the majestic sight of XH558 owning the skies, the howl, or indeed the old barrel rolls - whatever the reason I hope you like the 10 that I've selected, so here we go (and in true reality show style) in no particular order here is the first pick:

Yeovilton

What a way to start, with this monster of a video, with over 50,000 hits. It can be a little shaky at times, now whether that's the nerves of the person holding the camera I'm not sure, but considering what happens once the fence has been cleared, I'd be shaking too - the sight of the sheep darting off in all directions is quality too!

Anyway, enough jibber jabber, time to enjoy the video....



That video is legendary!

Tune in tomorrow for another one!!!

Don't forget if you can spare a penny or two, please donate today here

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

The £100k barrier is broken as donations continue

The latest news on the Vulcan is good, as nearly £110,000 has been raised towards saving the Vulcan Bomber, which needs a total of £350,000 raising by the end of May to ensure that it can fly throughout the 2011 summer airshow season, which itself is starting to look a little lightweight following the lack of RAF fast jets.


As we’ve heard before from many sources, the Vulcan does rely on public money to keep it going, but it is the one item that does stop people in its tracks when it’s around, ever stood and listened to a Vulcan take off – I can assure you there is nothing quite like it.

Vulcan on the way past £100k

It’s great news that the £100k barrier has been broken through as it gives that little bit of extra impetus to try and get the next large milestone, which will be £200k by the end of April, there is still 18 days to go til then, and that means an average of £5000 per day needs to be raised, it can be done.

If anyone has any ideas then pop them onto the Vulcan team, as they need as much as possible raising that money.

The Vulcan does of course have a new home, that being Robin Hood Airport at Doncaster, which was previously RAF Finningley, and I wonder if anyone else remembers the airshow in which it took off in what was dreadful weather – I think from memory it was the same year that the SR-71 Blackbird was sitting on the tarmac in pitiful conditions. I don’t know if that ever was going to fly on that day had it been dry, but I remember being so disappointed at not seeing it in the air, and that remains one of my biggest airshow disappointments in my life.

Back to the Vulcan take off though, and I just remember it was as murky as anything but the roar was just incredible, and up it went straight off into the rainclouds, and a darkening sky, and I think it was about the same time as when they called a halt to proceedings at the air show, and that was that.

The best memory for me has to be seeing it at Fairford (I think) were the B52, B1, F-111, and the Vulcan all took off one after the other – although I can’t recall in which order, but I just remember the non stop noise at that point of the show – I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed anything like that since with take offs in mind, although I always enjoy the mass take offs leading up to a mass flypast, they are always good.

Anyway, back to XH558, and the battle for survival – hopefully soon we’ll be hearing of the next milestone being reached, and remember if you have a few quid to donate, you can do so text 80255, call 0845 5046 558, or visit the official site here - http://www.vulcantothesky.org/


Let’s keep her in the air!

The Vulcan Display at RIAT 2009

One of the highlights of the airshow season is the Royal international Air Tattoo, and this year's was keenly awaited thanks to two things, the cancellation of 2008's show thanks to the weather, and the fact that the Vulcan was making it's return to RIAT at Fairford.

XH558 didn't disappoint either, with a fantastic display on both days of the show, with the clouds staying in the distance on Day 1, and on Day 2 the rain just held off in time for it's Display.

It was certainly a mammoth take off for the Vulcan, which looked almost like it was flying upside down at one stage, obviously it wasn't, but it was pretty close!

The modern day display may not come close to the displays of the past, but that is fair enough, due to the limited time on the airframe, but it still does quite enough to stop everyone in their tracks, the sheer sight of the Vulcan bomber is enough to make everyone stop what they are doing.

On a personal note, I am counting down the days until XH558 makes its appearance at Hawarden next Saturday (5th September) as long as the weather holds and is serviceable of course.

It's been a good couple of decades since the area was treated to a Vulcan display, but those memories will all come flooding back if the Delta Lady turns up to delight all once again!

Next up is a weekend full of displays, as it heads to Silverstone on Saturday, then off to Dunsfold, Uffington, and Romsey on Sunday. Fingers crossed it manages each display.