Winter Service complete!

Great news from the Vulcan appeared on Friday, when it was announced that the Winter Service had been completed with great success - and now the next step is getting ready for the airshow season!

There is of course the small matter of £350,000 to raise, and the team are calling on the public to back the latest campaign - of course it's the public that have saved the Vulcan on many occasions previously, but the reward for all those who have donated previously is the sight of the beautiful XH558 rip roaring through the skies at airshow venues around the UK in the summer - there can be no better reward.

The Winter Service was completed with flying colours, which included the testing of the engines last week, and the lucky residents around RAF Lyneham would have heard the dulcet tones screaming through the trees signalling the return of the Delta Lady!

It's time then to look forward, and soon the Vulcan will leave its current base for a new home, rumoured to be RAF Coltishall in Norfolk, although RAF Wittering has also been mentioned, so we await to see where she ends up in the not too distant future - in fact, it's set to be at the end of March, so not long now.

It's also not long now until the Airshow season gets underway, and already RAF Cosford have booked the Vulcan, and will be hopeful of getting the first glimpse of her at a UK airshow this season.

The Summer Season Plaque campaign is now underway, and for a modest £5.58 per month, your name can appear in the Bomb Bay doors, alongside the Winter Service Plaque that was created over the last few months, so this is a new exciting opportunity to get involved if you missed out previously. See here for more details.

The Vulcan has kept herself in the news too with a visit from the Chelsea Pensioners last week, great to see that these veterans get to meet up with another veteran - albeit one that ways around 30 tonnes!!!

So, all eyes will now start to focus on the Participation Lists of various airshows, in the hope that they will be close enough to travel to a major venue near them to see the famous howl of the Vulcan - sadly I'm based in the North West, who unfortunately don't get to see her that often, so hopefully there will be more appearances up North than ever before this year, as we're all desperate to see her, and you lucky folk in the south just don't realise how lucky you actually are!

In the words of Dale Winton (with the exception of a word or two)....Bring on the Vulcan!

Another Display season is on the horizon!

Happy New Year to all Vulcan fanatics that are reading this blog, hope you all had a great Christmas!

Now that 2011 has arrived, it's time once again to start getting the excitement of the nearing of another display season, and with the close shaves that the Delta Lady has had, it's fair to say that for Vulcan fans the excitement of seeing her in the air again for another year is more and more valued as each new year passes.

The new Facebook page has proved a roaring success with now over 2600 people 'liking' the new page, and I'm sure that will grow as time moves on.

The latest press release from the Vulcan team is that the winter service is hoped to be a lot less stressful than the last one, with a few components to be changed, engineering director Andrew Edmondson confimed, "We aren't expecting to find anything, but if we do then addressing them now will save a lot of money and hassle in the future. Cracking in aluminium is usually undetectable by the naked eye and can develop quickly, so early identification is vital."


Andrew also explained that the service would certainly hit the six figure mark once the total costs of the service were added up, so funding is vital for the project - which I'm sure we're all well aware of.

One of the initiatives that the team have come up with is a great idea to have your name added to the Winter Service Plaque on the Bomb Bay doors for a donation of onluy £20, and I'm sure many will take advantage of that offer - myself included!

The Vulcan is of course now accessible thanks to the hangar tour that the team are doing, which means you can get up close and personal with arguably the world's best aircraft - and up close she is just as beautiful as she is up there in the sky.

All you need to do is to e-mail tours@vulcantothesky.org and you could be on the next tour which is well worth a donation I'm sure!

The January Sale has also started in the Vulcan Shop now so forget that trip into town, and avoid the queues at Primark, M&S, and Boots, the Vulcan Shop is a great place to head instead, and from the beauty of your own living room!

It's time to get revving the engines as the Spring edges that bit nearer with the passing of each day, and let's hope that the dates of the Airshow appearances are revealed soon, as it's always one of the most eagerly awaited moments seeing that list updated!

Anyway, that's it for now.