Successful weekend for XH558

So, in the end, the Vulcan made it to Waddington on both days, and performed a great display for all those who witnessed it, and what a great end to the display with the pull up and of course...the roar!

It was a welcome sight to see her back in the air again, and after waddo visitors missed out last year, there was no way a repeat was going to happen, although having said that the weather almost put pay to the plan on Sunday with high winds blowing across Lincolnshire.

Those who went to the airshow went home happy that the Vulcan was well and truly back, and those at the Goodwood Festival got a great display too, and can be viewed via the following links:

Waddington Display

Waddington Display 2

Attentions now turn to RNAS Yeovilton, and those going on Saturday will be hoping that the weather doesn't dent the plans again following the miserable climate that put pay to a flying Vulcan appearance on the same Saturday one year ago.

The Delta Lady is already in the area though having landed there today, so the engineers and crew will now be based there for the next few days at least to see her through safely to the end of the display.

The fact that she's now at Yeovilton gives us another excuse to wheel this one out again...



The great news for Air Tattoo fans is that the Vulcan has today been added to the flying display at Fairford in just under a fortnight's time.

The Cotswolds are set to rumble once again, as the world's largest military airshow kicks off once again, with hundreds of thousands of visitors expected at the airshow, which attracts some of the best aircraft in the world with this year a highlight being the appearance of the F22 Raptor, which attended the only ever cancellation of the airshow in 2008, and denying many the chance to witness a star display.

So, then, eyes look forward to Saturday, but also keeping check on the Vulcan website to see if any extra dates will be added across the country in the next few months.

Vulcan gets lift off for Waddington!

The Vulcan will fly at RAF Waddington tomorrow and Sunday.


That has now been confirmed by the Vulcan to the Sky Trust on BBC Radio Lincolnshire, and the news will be fantastic to all those who have helped get the Vulcan back in the air, and also to the many supporters of the aircraft.

It’s also a bonus for those attending Waddington, as last year there were problems surrounding the permit to fly which ran out the day before the air display, meaning it couldn’t fly at the airshow itself, so today’s news will be greeted with smiles across the country, and now it can focus on the display season ahead, and go in search of that elusive sponsor!

The air display programme for the weekend will now have to be rejigged to include the star performer, and I’m sure everyone will see that as a nice problem to have!

Vulcan set to fly at Waddington

The good news has kept on coming today as the chances of the Vulcan appearing at Waddington this weekend are increasing by the minute, and fans are hoping that a positive announcement will be made in just over half an hour confirming that XH558 will fly at the Lincolnshire airshow.

All tests carried out during yesterday's flight have gone okay, and the paperwork has now been submitted, and it seems that we are set for a positive outcome.

It's certainly provoked a great deal of excitement amongst the supporters of the Vulcan, many of whom have followed the test flight and anticipated breaking news whilst at work, ensuring productivity levels were hit somewhat, well at least today is Friday!!

The news is expected to confirm that the Vulcan will fly from Brize Norton tomorrow, on to Waddington, then back to Brize, whilst on Sunday, it's off from Brize onto Waddington, then down to Goodwood before returning to RAF Lyneham, where she has spent plenty of time in the hangar since late last year, and will no doubt be desperate to stay out in the blue skies instead for the next few months!

Let's all keep our fingers crossed for some good news then!

Everyone deserves it!

Up, Up and Away!

It was another emotional day yesterday, as the Vulcan bomber returned to the skies for the first time in 2010, and went off for a test flight from RAF Lyneham, to return to Brize Norton - her former home.

It wasn't a quick flight though, in fact it was almost 2 hours long as Martin Withers flew the aircraft out over yeovilton, where hopefully it will appear in the airshow later this month.

The flight itself was to gain the "Permit to Fly" and hopefully enable the Vulcan to take part at Waddington, and now it's a case of clearing paperwork, and hopefully gaining the clearance to make it over to Waddo, which by the sounds of it will be a case of flying in on Saturday and displaying, with a further display on Sunday.

If the clearance is given, it will be great credit to the engineering teams to have made it possible when it seemed unlikely in June that this would happen.

So, another busy day at Vulcan HQ today then, with every stop being pulled out in a bid to make the Vulcan's first airshow appearance of the year over Lincolnshire tomorrow.

Deadline approaches for Waddington display

All efforts are clearly being made now to bring Vulcan XH558 to the air once again, and get the delightful bomber over to the Waddington Airshow this weekend, but it remains a very tight schedule.

The Vulcan to the Sky site confirms that a huge push to achieve the Lincolnshire visit is currently ongoing, and with engine tests on the ground having been carried out, the action now turns to the skies, in the hope that the Delta Lady will be filling them for the first time since last year when it was widely believed that could have been the last the public would have seen her.

Nobody is prepared to give in on the task of delivering her to airshows this Summer, and full credit must be given to the various enginerring teams who are doing all that is required to keep every supporter's dream of seeing her again in 2010 intact.

It is hoped that a test flight will take place either today or tomorrow as the weekend approaches, and I'm sure everyone would be delighted to see some successful results - especially considering there have been many doubters who thought that the Vulcan would appear in the skies again.

We are all hopeful this can be achieved of course, and now, let's hope for some action in the summer skies around RAF Lyneham today!

Return to flight gets closer

Well it's been a while since I posted on here, due to my involvement with setting up Chester FC, but here we go again, and what a week to come back to it all!

Most Vulcan fans are anticipating a decision from Vulcan HQ as to whether or not XH558 will be appearing at RAF Waddington's Airshow which takes place this weekend in Lincolnshire.

The on / off situation has of course been dictated by the original appeal for £800,000 which looked to be failing until a one-off donation came in for almost £500,000 which secured the project's future, and everything looked to be back on track again.

The fact of the matter of course was that plenty of work was needed to be carried out, and just like the scenario with a car service, in that you wouldn't put it through a service if you couldn't pay for it, it meant that the timeline had been pushed further out and the first half of the 2010 airshow season would be missed, with the target for return being at Waddington on July 3rd.

This week is a key week, as a test flight needs to be completed in time for the Vulcan to stand any chance of making Waddo on Saturday / Sunday. In fact the airshow organisers have done the right thing and never confirmed 558's appearance, that way they can't let anyone down like last year's scenario where the flying permit could not be obtained in time despite arriving at Waddington just two days before the airshow.

So, hopefully we'll see a return to the sky today or tomorrow at RAF Lyneham, where she is currently based, and then hopefully an appearance at the air display on Saturday.

Further airshows will be targeted at Yeovilton, and of course the Royal International Air Tattoo at Fairford on July 17th - hopefully by then we'll have the first Vulcan display under the belt, and we can all enjoy the sight and sound of the famous Avro aircraft.

Here's to a successful week!

Happy Birthday XH558!!!

Well the day has finally arrived, and the Vulcan has made it to 50 years old, and all we need now is the flying display for it's 50th year, hopefully that will be available in the next week or so.

Anyway, Robert Pleming has issued the latest newsletter regarding the birthday milestone:

Congratulations to XH558 on reaching her 50th Birthday!


Today, we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of XH558's first ever test flight on 25th May 1960 – her 50th Birthday - by launching her 50th Anniversary Season.

We will be celebrating XH558’s five decades, during five months, with at least eight key events. Our main Appeal pages now carry the FIVE FIVE EIGHT banner announcing this aim.

As a start to the celebrations, XH558 will now bear the inscription “The Spirit of Great Britain”, to reflect all that she stands for. I hope you will agree with me that this is a fitting tribute to a famous aircraft.

Also today, we will be choosing the winners in XH558’s Birthday Prize Draw, and also unveiling a GIANT Birthday Card that will be taken around the Air Show circuit, to allow all of XH558’s supporters to sign it.

As XH558 is still on an active RAF base at Lyneham, our options for public access have been severely limited, but please do look out for an update tomorrow, when we will give you a report and pictures from the day.

Later this week, we will also unveil some of the plans we have to carry on the 50th Birthday Season celebrations next month. We have some simply stunning activities planned, which I am sure you will enjoy taking part in.

Please make sure you and everyone you can contact are subscribed to our Newsletter service, in order to hear developments just as soon as possible.

We look forward to an exciting 2010 Display Season.


Kind Regards,

Robert Pleming

Vulcan To The Sky Trust.