Following the great news recently that the Vulcan had been saved, work has now begun to try to ensure that the Delta Lady is ready to thunder through the skies from June, as the annual service is now underway.
The fund that was recently given a £458,000 from one person, has now passed £900,000 and plans are now underway also to ensure that funds for the 2011 season are brought in well ahead of time, and quite rightly so, we don't want to go through all this worry again!
Anyway, time for Robert Pleming's latest update:
Following on from the fantastic news of two weeks ago with the achievement of our Survival Appeal target, our immediate priority has been to start the work required to return XH558 to the 2010 air display season as soon as possible.
This has involved formalising the contracts, and in most cases making full payments, for all of the third-party engineering activities, such as the base maintenance support programme (with Marshall Aerospace), component overhaul and remanufacture. The initial on-aircraft activities have been to remove components for return to their Original Equipment Manufacturers. Examples of these are the fatigue meters for bay servicing by Meggitt, and the ejection seats for their annual inspection by SES. The engineers will then focus on the first stages of the “Minor” service: the inspection of the airframe, engines and systems, and determining whether any rectification is needed. In addition to the “Minor” service, four additional engineers will join the team to install the two airframe modifications (Mods 2429 and 2430) needed to extend XH558’s airframe life for the coming years.
As the project plan stands at the moment, we are forecasting finishing in early June, but as ever, dates are dependent on what happens as we proceed with the work. We will keep you updated.
I must at this point pay sincere tribute on behalf of XH558 and the VTST team to all those supporters of XH558 who have donated or made a Pledge in the past four months. The generous support of a few thousand people will enable millions to enjoy XH558’s display this summer – a numerical inequality that I’m sure has not escaped you.
This time last year, because we were so focused on achieving a successful first full season, we took our eyes off the ball of ensuring that our financial future was secure. Now that we know have learnt the valuable lessons of 2009, Michael Trotter and I have agreed with VTST’s Board of Trustees that we need a sustainable financial plan in place by the Autumn. This is a vital objective.
From an administration perspective, we will shortly be calling in the Pledges made over the last few months.
We have created the mailing database and have provided the letter template to our mailing house. These letters will now be produced and despatched in the latter part of next week to all those loyal supporters who have made a Pledge. Please could I ask you to await the arrival of your letter, which will contain important instructions about how to honour your pledge. This is so that we can accurately record your contribution, and avoid following up Pledges that have already been honoured.
On the promotion and marketing front in the short term, we have been reshaping our plans for taking our project out to the wider world. We have a number of new initiatives that will be revealed as we approach the return of XH558 to flight.
We recognise that working with you, our loyal supporters, remains a very effective way of keeping XH558’s profile high, which is a pre-requisite for continued fund-raising from the public at large. The ongoing and invaluable support from the Vulcan to the Sky Club, remains pivotal to this effort.
From an Operations perspective, we have undertaken a full review of all aspects of the 2009 season. Last year, the Trust’s marginal costs of operating XH558 at air displays exceeded the money raised at airshows by over £130,000. This year we need to do much better, and have the goal of breaking even over the season. With air show organisers, we are seeking local sponsors to supplement the usual airshow appearance fees, to increase our airshow revenues.
We are still in the early stages of planning this 2010 air display season, but if we can’t see additional sources of operational revenues from the flying we do, we will be looking to cut our operating costs, by for example make fewer long (and expensive) transits. A provisional flying programme will be published in late May, based on discussions with organisers and the developing picture from the aircraft servicing.
Above all, with experience of running XH558 as a “single aircraft airline” for well over a year behind us, we are more confident for a viable future, based on our growing commercial activities and the finance streams we are building. The launch of our Annual Appeal for 2011, and other special events planned around XH558’s 50th Anniversary on 25th May, will be central to continuing this drive. In the medium term, the target of flying down the Mall on 4th June 2012, in celebration of Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, remains firmly in our sights.
We will of course continue with these regular updates for you, giving the very latest news on developments.
Looking back over the past couple of months to another discomforting experience on the roller-coaster that is keeping XH558 flying, it’s clear that we all, XH558 included, owe so much to one another. We must continue to do the best for what is quite a remarkable British project and unique achievement.
For being part of that, I thank you.
With kindest regards,
Robert Pleming
Monday, 22 March 2010
Tuesday, 9 March 2010
Total nears £900,000 mark
A couple of weeks ago we received the great news that the Vulcan bomber had been saved, and understandably every fan of the Delta Lady was celebrating - and rightly so.
The attention now starts to shift to the Vulcan's pre-Airshow season servicing schedule, and yesterday there was confirmation that the annual service had indeed started on XH558.
This is of course great news, and with it being a tight schedule to get the Vulcan ready for the airshow season, every second is vitally important, especially when what must be achieved throughout this year is sponsorship for the 2011 season, and possibly beyond.
RAF Cosford was the first show to witness the Vulcan's loud groans last year, and that must be the target for this year too, but we only sit 3 months away from that date now, so all the stops must be pulled out to make sure that this happens, and also that the ill fated Permit To Fly is sorted out for 2010 after the catastrophe of the Waddington Airshow last year which saw the Vulcan grounded for the week surrounding the show.
That simply must not happen again.
There will be of course, test flights once again, with I believe the only thing being guaranteed is the Display Authority, which we believe was completed late last year to enable a further 12 months of flights to take place.
So, the excitement will start to build up once again, and we'll all look forward to it, but for now, one eye must be kept on the Donations & Pledges, remember that £800,000 was needed in real money, the total of donations is currently on £622,000 with a further £275,000 in pledges, so we must not take it for granted, as those pledges will need to be honoured, but it certainly looks a far better situation than what it did this time last month!
The attention now starts to shift to the Vulcan's pre-Airshow season servicing schedule, and yesterday there was confirmation that the annual service had indeed started on XH558.
This is of course great news, and with it being a tight schedule to get the Vulcan ready for the airshow season, every second is vitally important, especially when what must be achieved throughout this year is sponsorship for the 2011 season, and possibly beyond.
RAF Cosford was the first show to witness the Vulcan's loud groans last year, and that must be the target for this year too, but we only sit 3 months away from that date now, so all the stops must be pulled out to make sure that this happens, and also that the ill fated Permit To Fly is sorted out for 2010 after the catastrophe of the Waddington Airshow last year which saw the Vulcan grounded for the week surrounding the show.
That simply must not happen again.
There will be of course, test flights once again, with I believe the only thing being guaranteed is the Display Authority, which we believe was completed late last year to enable a further 12 months of flights to take place.
So, the excitement will start to build up once again, and we'll all look forward to it, but for now, one eye must be kept on the Donations & Pledges, remember that £800,000 was needed in real money, the total of donations is currently on £622,000 with a further £275,000 in pledges, so we must not take it for granted, as those pledges will need to be honoured, but it certainly looks a far better situation than what it did this time last month!
Thursday, 25 February 2010
The Vulcan is Saved!
Today is a great day to be a Vulcan fan!!!
At the beginning of the month, it was reported that the Vulcan to the Sky team had been put on a month's notice, with the project set for a heart breaking failure, as the total of £800,000 needed to fund the 2010 season, with £500,000 of that required by the end of February.
The call for pledges was stepped up, along with donations of course, and today, the combined fund stood at £415,000, but then the unthinkable happened - the donation to end all donations!
A massive donation of £458,000 was revealed by the Vulcan team, from a donatee who wishes to remain anonymous - and it's no surprise they don't want their names revealing as they would surely be receiving several thousand letters of thanks through their door & e-mail inboxes!!
The donation now means that the project is safe for at least another year - in this it's 50th brithday year, and celebrations can now start, although the pledges will still need to be realised to ensure the £800,000 target is met.
From there, the Vulcan project need to continue raising money, and this year's airshow scene will be the ideal opportunity to build for next year's requirements.
What it will do however, is lift the spirits of all involved, and will hopefully guarantee that at some point in 2010, the Vulcan Bomber will grace the skies of the UK again.
It's time for everyone who has donated or pledged to keep the Vulcan alive, to raise a glass to themselves tonight, as they have saved the whole future of the project - but to that one anonymous donation....
THANKS!!!!!
Friday, 5 February 2010
Vulcan Pledge fund now over £100,000
Failure to reach this would undoubtedly see the Vulcan grounded forever, and the sound of the Delta Lady lost for good, which would be a sad end to the great story of the aircraft, which is celebrating it's 50th Birthday this year.
The public have been asked to play another key part in keeping the tin triangle up in the air, and have responded well already, with over £100,000 raised in pledges so far, and that is only in the first week, giving everyone hope that the project can be saved.
In fact the actual sum of pledges received so far is £109,775 and that means £190,000 is needed by the end of this month, to get to the first milestone, before the Vulcan team can continue working on the aircraft, and get it prepared for a potential, and vitally important airshow season ahead.
If you haven't pledged yet, then please do so, if you wanted to see just why we should keep this magical aircraft in the air then please view the videos listed on this blog, and you'll soon see why it's like no other, with an unbelievable sound, and shape in the air.
Believe me, if you haven't seen it in the flesh, it's a display that sets your stomach trembling, such is the power from those engines!
Please, pledge today here, and whilst you're there, sign the birthday card and help try and create a world record:
http://www.vulcantothesky.org/
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Deadline set for XH558 Appeal
The bad news continues to filter through, and just now, Robert Pleming has sent through a Survival Appeal update which advises that the deadline of keeping the Vulcan in the air is February 28th, and all employees of Vulcan to the Sky Trust have been put on month's notice - is this the end?
------------
XH558 Survival Appeal Update
Dear Supporter.
XH558: the deadline has been set – the end of February.
Sadness and grim determination are the main emotions today: the Trust’s funds are such that the decision has now been taken to place all its employees on one month’s notice, as of 1st February.
We have so much to fight for, but with less than one month to avoid shutdown, the pressure is now really on.
On the few occasions when we have been in a similar position before, all XH558’s most loyal supporters have rallied to the cause, and somehow she has been saved. We are not assuming that the same will happen this time, which is why we are enlisting so many more people to help.
In 1941, Sir Winston Churchill said: “Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never, in nothing, great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.” We are not giving in.
Mindful that we should not solicit donations whilst we are uncertain about XH558’s future, we are putting 100% of our efforts into the Survival Appeal Pledge Scheme.
We need to raise over £300,000 in new pledges by the end of February to justify a stay of execution, followed by a further £300,000 in March to reach our target of £800,000.
We are therefore launching a number of new activities to secure the immediate future:
· An attempt to set a WORLD RECORD for the number of signatures on a single birthday card for XH558.
· Re-design of the Appeal website to ensure visitors understand our urgent message, with a countdown timer to our deadline of 28th February..
· A sixty-second no-punches-pulled promotional VIDEO, spread via emails, with the goal of going “viral” with our message.
· A written notice and Pledge reply slip to all those on our databases.
· A SURVIVAL RAFFLE, launched by the Vulcan to the Sky Club, to create instant availability of working capital, once we are secured. (Prizes will be honoured by the Club if the worst happens).
· A PROMOTION PACK, distributed with the Club’s Winter magazine, to all club members.
· Targeted ADVERTISING in regional newspapers where affordable.
· Contact with national media and PR agencies to get XH558’s story in front of as many people as possible.
· And of course networking with all existing supporters, sponsors and industry leaders.
If we gather sufficient momentum over the next four weeks, we may well be able to start work on XH558 once again, but we will only do this if we are confident that the target will be met.
In the meantime, work continues at Marshall Aerospace on the detailed planning for the Winter Engineering Programme, whilst our own team are helping with the Appeal.
Assuming we are successful, with the new experienced gained over the past year, we will be building funds throughout the year in all ways possible to avoid the desperate measures we have had to take each winter to keep the dream alive.
Remember our ultimate goal: to be flying down the Mall on 4th June 2012 in celebration of Her Majesty the Queen’s – and the Vulcan’s – Diamond Jubilee.
As we count down the days of February, all the thousands of our loyal supporters know full well what they will be missing if the worst comes to the worst for XH558. What is most galling, is that there are millions of people who really don’t know what they will have missed. But if they did, they could well decide to help save her.
XH558 is the “People’s Aircraft”. Can the people save her again?
Robert Pleming
-------------
Good Luck all, and please donate or pledge TODAY!!!
This is the last chance!!!
------------
XH558 Survival Appeal Update
Dear Supporter.
XH558: the deadline has been set – the end of February.
Sadness and grim determination are the main emotions today: the Trust’s funds are such that the decision has now been taken to place all its employees on one month’s notice, as of 1st February.
We have so much to fight for, but with less than one month to avoid shutdown, the pressure is now really on.
On the few occasions when we have been in a similar position before, all XH558’s most loyal supporters have rallied to the cause, and somehow she has been saved. We are not assuming that the same will happen this time, which is why we are enlisting so many more people to help.
In 1941, Sir Winston Churchill said: “Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never, in nothing, great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.” We are not giving in.
Mindful that we should not solicit donations whilst we are uncertain about XH558’s future, we are putting 100% of our efforts into the Survival Appeal Pledge Scheme.
We need to raise over £300,000 in new pledges by the end of February to justify a stay of execution, followed by a further £300,000 in March to reach our target of £800,000.
We are therefore launching a number of new activities to secure the immediate future:
· An attempt to set a WORLD RECORD for the number of signatures on a single birthday card for XH558.
· Re-design of the Appeal website to ensure visitors understand our urgent message, with a countdown timer to our deadline of 28th February..
· A sixty-second no-punches-pulled promotional VIDEO, spread via emails, with the goal of going “viral” with our message.
· A written notice and Pledge reply slip to all those on our databases.
· A SURVIVAL RAFFLE, launched by the Vulcan to the Sky Club, to create instant availability of working capital, once we are secured. (Prizes will be honoured by the Club if the worst happens).
· A PROMOTION PACK, distributed with the Club’s Winter magazine, to all club members.
· Targeted ADVERTISING in regional newspapers where affordable.
· Contact with national media and PR agencies to get XH558’s story in front of as many people as possible.
· And of course networking with all existing supporters, sponsors and industry leaders.
If we gather sufficient momentum over the next four weeks, we may well be able to start work on XH558 once again, but we will only do this if we are confident that the target will be met.
In the meantime, work continues at Marshall Aerospace on the detailed planning for the Winter Engineering Programme, whilst our own team are helping with the Appeal.
Assuming we are successful, with the new experienced gained over the past year, we will be building funds throughout the year in all ways possible to avoid the desperate measures we have had to take each winter to keep the dream alive.
Remember our ultimate goal: to be flying down the Mall on 4th June 2012 in celebration of Her Majesty the Queen’s – and the Vulcan’s – Diamond Jubilee.
As we count down the days of February, all the thousands of our loyal supporters know full well what they will be missing if the worst comes to the worst for XH558. What is most galling, is that there are millions of people who really don’t know what they will have missed. But if they did, they could well decide to help save her.
XH558 is the “People’s Aircraft”. Can the people save her again?
Robert Pleming
-------------
Good Luck all, and please donate or pledge TODAY!!!
This is the last chance!!!
Monday, 1 February 2010
Future looking grim for the Vulcan
As the title of this particular blog suggests, it's not looking great for the Vulcan's 50th birthday season, with funds not coming through as hoped, meaning that the chances of seeing XH558 in the skies at airshows this season are reducing fast.
It is expected that Robert Pleming will have to recommend to the Board of Trustees that all VTST employees are given one month's notice from today, 1st February, due to the lack of funds available.
It's sad to read the latest press release below, and confirms that the sitiuation is indeed dire, but to think that we may have seen the last of the Vulcan Bomber in the air is heart breaking.
This has seen argumentative posts on various forums, with blame being aportioned to many different parties - but we all have one common desire - to see the Vulcan fly again.
Let's hope there is someone out there, someone who has money, that loves the Vulcan, someone who just cannot stand by and let the Delta Lady become a museum piece.
----
Robert Pleming's latest update...
Dear Supporter,
XH558’s Future Now at Risk.
I imagine that you were as pleased as I was to see the excellent coverage that XH558 and her 50th Birthday Appeal gained in the Mail on Sunday on 17th January. We all need to thank those responsible for making this happen: the supporters who wrote letters to the Mail on Sunday Editor, asking him to publicise our campaign. But the situation remains dire.
The Extent of the Problem
Having already funded Marshall Aerospace to commence the most urgent “critical path” tasks needed for the Winter Engineering Programme, we now have just sufficient funds in our bank account to pay our overhead costs from today until the end of February – slightly less than five weeks. As the result, at the end of this week, I may need to recommend to the Board of Trustees that we give one month’s notice to all VTST employees with effect from 1st February.
The implications for XH558 are extremely grave: if we don’t find the money to keep going and finish the engineering programme, we may well lose all control over her destiny. We have already launched the plea for funds in a national newspaper, unfortunately apparently to little effect. We have raised just over £180,000, but we still need a total of £800,000 to get XH558 to the 2010 display season.
Because of the amount of work needed to be done this Winter, and the lead time associated with some of the items, there is real urgency in raising the sum needed – a further £620,000. As is the nature of engineering work on aircraft, not only is it surprisingly expensive but it’s “all or nothing”, which is why we now should not proceed further until we have confidence of reaching the full amount.
Including the necessary test flight, the whole engineering programme should last no longer than four months. But the longer we have to wait before reaching our £800,000 target, the more we delay XH558’s appearance her 50th Birthday air display season, and the more funds we would have used on unproductive overheads.
For XH558, the only way is forward through to completion of the whole engineering programme.
If there’s one positive thing we can say, it is that, barring mishaps, this is by far the most expensive Winter Service that XH558 will have to undergo for the foreseeable future. It will put in place the fatigue life extension modifications necessary for the remainder of her flying life.
Action Plan
So where to from here?
First, and most important, we are not giving up. We have to turn XH558’s 50th Birthday Appeal into nothing less than her 2010 Survival Appeal.
Recognising that supporters do not want to risk any of their donations not achieving tangible success, we are re-launching and re-driving our Pledge scheme.
Shortly, our website pages will change to reflect the new Appeal. We will be launching a Vulcan viral video, containing an attempt at a new world record, which we hope, with your help, will capture the attention of many.
The nature of the tasks and lead times of the Winter Engineering Programme means that it may be possible to move forward having raised only part of the funds, as long as there is confidence that the remaining funds will be forthcoming.
So when new pledges reach the half-way point of £310,000 (a total raised of £490,000), we will review the progress of the Appeal. If we are confident the whole amount will be raised, we will call in the pledges to date to allow work on XH558 to continue.
To set a deadline, we need to see £310,000 in new pledges by the end of February at the latest, if we are not to miss the main airshows this summer
As part of this new Campaign, I would like to offer an incentive: those who honour a pledge of £1,000 or more will receive an invitation for a personal visit to XH558 at RAF Lyneham during the Winter Service, to see her close-up and talk to the engineers who are working on her.
Please now would you help XH558 by making a Pledge if you can, but just as importantly, by spreading the word about this revised and renewed Pledge Campaign?
http://www.site.vulcantothesky.org/pledge.asp
We will continue to publicise XH558’s current plight and your help in doing this is so very valuable. So far we have not been successful in gaining the attention of very many of the 2.5million who saw her last summer – we need to radically improve this performance.
Assuming that we are successful in returning XH558 to flight, we have decided that we need to run a funding campaign spanning the whole year, aimed at avoiding getting in to a similar situation again. This Annual campaign will be launched formally on XH558’s Birthday, 25th May, and will run from this date every year. We are also closely examining our costs again, in order to reach a sustainable balance of income and expenditure in coming years.
These are desperate times and we recognise that with the shocking disaster in Haiti lest week, this is not a good time to prevail upon anyone’s generosity. However, from the above I hope you will understand that for XH558 it is now or never. We have no choice but to come back to you.
Very many thanks for any assistance you may be able to give.
Robert Pleming
-----
So, there you have it, it's looking bleak, but let's hope something positive happens today, and that we don't have to face the prospect of a Vulcan-less summer.
It is expected that Robert Pleming will have to recommend to the Board of Trustees that all VTST employees are given one month's notice from today, 1st February, due to the lack of funds available.
It's sad to read the latest press release below, and confirms that the sitiuation is indeed dire, but to think that we may have seen the last of the Vulcan Bomber in the air is heart breaking.
This has seen argumentative posts on various forums, with blame being aportioned to many different parties - but we all have one common desire - to see the Vulcan fly again.
Let's hope there is someone out there, someone who has money, that loves the Vulcan, someone who just cannot stand by and let the Delta Lady become a museum piece.
----
Robert Pleming's latest update...
Dear Supporter,
XH558’s Future Now at Risk.
I imagine that you were as pleased as I was to see the excellent coverage that XH558 and her 50th Birthday Appeal gained in the Mail on Sunday on 17th January. We all need to thank those responsible for making this happen: the supporters who wrote letters to the Mail on Sunday Editor, asking him to publicise our campaign. But the situation remains dire.
The Extent of the Problem
The implications for XH558 are extremely grave: if we don’t find the money to keep going and finish the engineering programme, we may well lose all control over her destiny. We have already launched the plea for funds in a national newspaper, unfortunately apparently to little effect. We have raised just over £180,000, but we still need a total of £800,000 to get XH558 to the 2010 display season.
Because of the amount of work needed to be done this Winter, and the lead time associated with some of the items, there is real urgency in raising the sum needed – a further £620,000. As is the nature of engineering work on aircraft, not only is it surprisingly expensive but it’s “all or nothing”, which is why we now should not proceed further until we have confidence of reaching the full amount.
For XH558, the only way is forward through to completion of the whole engineering programme.
If there’s one positive thing we can say, it is that, barring mishaps, this is by far the most expensive Winter Service that XH558 will have to undergo for the foreseeable future. It will put in place the fatigue life extension modifications necessary for the remainder of her flying life.
Action Plan
So where to from here?
First, and most important, we are not giving up. We have to turn XH558’s 50th Birthday Appeal into nothing less than her 2010 Survival Appeal.
Recognising that supporters do not want to risk any of their donations not achieving tangible success, we are re-launching and re-driving our Pledge scheme.
The nature of the tasks and lead times of the Winter Engineering Programme means that it may be possible to move forward having raised only part of the funds, as long as there is confidence that the remaining funds will be forthcoming.
So when new pledges reach the half-way point of £310,000 (a total raised of £490,000), we will review the progress of the Appeal. If we are confident the whole amount will be raised, we will call in the pledges to date to allow work on XH558 to continue.
To set a deadline, we need to see £310,000 in new pledges by the end of February at the latest, if we are not to miss the main airshows this summer
As part of this new Campaign, I would like to offer an incentive: those who honour a pledge of £1,000 or more will receive an invitation for a personal visit to XH558 at RAF Lyneham during the Winter Service, to see her close-up and talk to the engineers who are working on her.
Please now would you help XH558 by making a Pledge if you can, but just as importantly, by spreading the word about this revised and renewed Pledge Campaign?
http://www.site.vulcantothesky.org/pledge.asp
Assuming that we are successful in returning XH558 to flight, we have decided that we need to run a funding campaign spanning the whole year, aimed at avoiding getting in to a similar situation again. This Annual campaign will be launched formally on XH558’s Birthday, 25th May, and will run from this date every year. We are also closely examining our costs again, in order to reach a sustainable balance of income and expenditure in coming years.
These are desperate times and we recognise that with the shocking disaster in Haiti lest week, this is not a good time to prevail upon anyone’s generosity. However, from the above I hope you will understand that for XH558 it is now or never. We have no choice but to come back to you.
Very many thanks for any assistance you may be able to give.
Robert Pleming
-----
So, there you have it, it's looking bleak, but let's hope something positive happens today, and that we don't have to face the prospect of a Vulcan-less summer.
Tuesday, 12 January 2010
Robert Pleming's New Year Update
Well, 2009 was a fantastic year for Vulcan fans with many, many great displays, but now 2010 is a different kettle of fish, and one where funds are once again needed in order to see the Delta Lady return to the skies.
In fact the end of December target of £200,000 was missed by around £30,000, and a further £630,000 is required by the end of March, if we are to be lucky enough to see her flying again this season.
Here's the latest detailed statement from Robert Pleming...
New Year Message and 50th Birthday Appeal Update
10th January 2010
Dear Supporters,
Firstly, I hope all of you had a good Christmas break and, on behalf of everyone at VTST, I wish you all the very best for 2010.
The message I have today is addressed to you, the “XH558 Activists”. I hope I am right in assuming that everyone who reads these newsletters is fully supportive of seeing XH558 continue to fly, and that each, in his or her own way, is committed to helping.
Your help is the past has been the reason why XH558 returned to flight, and entertained and inspired so many people over the last couple of years. Without you, and specifically your donations, this would never have happened.
Looking forward, we continue to face huge challenges. Our costs have increased, albeit hopefully temporarily, but the economy is in dire straits. I have just read a newspaper article forecasting that the impact of the recession on ordinary people really hasn’t been felt yet, and that things will get yet more painful in 2010.
In March 2009, after we reached our £1million Pledge target, I’m on record as saying: “We know that VTST needs to change, to adopt a new business model, that will ensure we don’t need to go through this all again next year, and also to have a chance of weathering poor economic conditions.”
Changes there have been: we have chopped costs wherever we can, but given what we do and how we have to do it, there is a limit to how much cost we can take out of the organisation. One example: with the business now based at Hinckley, and with XH558 at RAF Lyneham, we have saved over £10,000 per month in rental costs. We continue to focus on cost reduction, but there will always be surprises, so a large contingency element is vital.
We have increased our airshow revenues, through a combination of charging a higher average appearance fee and through a new “regional sponsorship” revenue stream. For example, XH558’s appearance at Whitehaven was sponsored by BNFL Sellafield.
We have revamped our merchandising, with the objective of substantially increasing the income from this source. A new online store will be launched on 1st February, with all profits now coming back to us. The Commercial Partnership Programme for small businesses is proving slowly successful, but corporate sponsorship in significant amounts continues to elude us due to the economic conditions, despite a very attractive offering.
But despite our best efforts, “fundraising” in all its forms remains our largest and most important revenue stream.
Since the end of the successful 2009 display season, our plan for fundraising is based on attracting large numbers of new supporters, principally from those 2.5 million who were thrilled by XH558 last summer.
Our key question to them is “Would you like to see XH558 continue to fly, so that she can entertain you and others in years to come?”. If you, as I have done, ask anyone who saw XH558 last summer this question, the answer is an emphatic “Yes!”. “Will you help by making a donation?”; “I didn’t know how to.” – is the way the conversation usually goes.
We have had no success at getting our message to this much bigger audience through the national media, even though we have tried every route we can think of, short of a national advertising campaign, which although costly, is under consideration. The problem is that we are no longer newsworthy – it’s old news, we did it, we got the Vulcan flying again!
This is where we now need you, as our loyal “XH558 Activists”, to help, principally because I believe we now have exhausted the realistic capability of our most loyal supporters to continue to fund XH558’s operation.
We need a National Campaign to keep XH558 funded, and whilst we talk to those who have been successful in setting up such a campaign, the only way we will do this is if sufficient numbers of people make a sufficiently big noise – this is where we need to have your help.
Very much our friendliest national newspaper has been the Mail on Sunday – you may recall the excellent coverage XH558 has received over the last year. But even the Mail on Sunday has admitted that there is currently no significant “hook” on which to hang a story.
This is where you come in. As a call to action, I ask everyone who is reading this message to email or write to the Mail on Sunday to ask them to take the lead in a National Campaign to keep XH558 flying, not only for this year but right the way through to Her Majesty the Queen’s – and the Vulcan’s – Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
If you can get your friends and family to email or write, the more the better! If enough people ask for a National Campaign, this must surely stand a better chance of success.
Please email: letters@mailonsunday.co.uk
Or write to:
The Editor
The Mail on Sunday,
Northcliffe House,
2 Derry Street,
London W8 5TT
Turning now to XH558’s current 50th Birthday Appeal, as expected, the donations to the Appeal tailed off in the run-up to Christmas, undoubtedly due for the most part to the inevitable expense at this time of year.
The Appeal now stands at just over £175,000 - a very positive result, yet there is still a long way to go for XH558 to be secure for another season.
January is a critical month for us, because to keep on track to fly XH558 in late Spring, we need to move forward on the Winter engineering programme. Despite not quite reaching the target of £200,000 for the end of December, we have decided to authorise Marshall Aerospace to start the lead-in work package, planning and design office activities, and this will mean paying them a substantial amount of cash up-front from the money raised so far.
Just this work alone will seriously dent our cash-flow as we wrestle to make the best use of the money you have donated to us, especially since the National Campaign could require substantial funding itself.
With this in mind, we wish to start calling in the first batch of pledges now from those who can afford it this month; we will send out letters very soon to those who indicated that they could honour their pledges in February.
Any pledges redeemed now will be put to good use not only in moving the Winter engineering programme forward, but also leveraging greater exposure and hence giving XH558 a better chance of success. The Vulcan to the Sky Supporter’s Club have also indicated a budget that might be made available for direct advertising of the campaign, so when added to the pledges, this could make a very significant difference.
If in these difficult times you are able to make a further donation, not only will it help the now-started Winter engineering programme along, it will help us engage the wider public - perhaps now the only realistic way to ensure our cause is successful. You, our supporters, can really make the difference…
Over the next two weeks or so, little work will be done on the aircraft herself, but our engineering team will be busy on preparatory activities, housekeeping, paperwork audits and the regular anti-deterioration checks at both our new Hinckley site and in the hangar at RAF Lyneham.
For those of you thinking of visiting the AutoSport International show at the NEC at Birmingham from 14th – 17th January, I am delighted to let you that Vulcan to the Sky will once again have a stand. Members of our aircrew will be in attendance during the Saturday and Sunday to talk to those who visit.
We have triumphed before in the face of huge adversity, so I would ask you once again to do all you can over the next few weeks, be it a letter or email to the Mail on Sunday, a donation or the payment of your pledge. For the sake of all that XH558 means to the British people, we simply must not fail!
With best wishes,
Robert Pleming
Vulcan To The Sky Trust
PS: For anyone redeeming a Pledge: please mark your donation clearly as an honoured pledge, with your name and postcode to avoid subsequent reminders - thank you!
In fact the end of December target of £200,000 was missed by around £30,000, and a further £630,000 is required by the end of March, if we are to be lucky enough to see her flying again this season.
Here's the latest detailed statement from Robert Pleming...
New Year Message and 50th Birthday Appeal Update
10th January 2010
Dear Supporters,
Firstly, I hope all of you had a good Christmas break and, on behalf of everyone at VTST, I wish you all the very best for 2010.
The message I have today is addressed to you, the “XH558 Activists”. I hope I am right in assuming that everyone who reads these newsletters is fully supportive of seeing XH558 continue to fly, and that each, in his or her own way, is committed to helping.
Your help is the past has been the reason why XH558 returned to flight, and entertained and inspired so many people over the last couple of years. Without you, and specifically your donations, this would never have happened.
Looking forward, we continue to face huge challenges. Our costs have increased, albeit hopefully temporarily, but the economy is in dire straits. I have just read a newspaper article forecasting that the impact of the recession on ordinary people really hasn’t been felt yet, and that things will get yet more painful in 2010.
In March 2009, after we reached our £1million Pledge target, I’m on record as saying: “We know that VTST needs to change, to adopt a new business model, that will ensure we don’t need to go through this all again next year, and also to have a chance of weathering poor economic conditions.”
Changes there have been: we have chopped costs wherever we can, but given what we do and how we have to do it, there is a limit to how much cost we can take out of the organisation. One example: with the business now based at Hinckley, and with XH558 at RAF Lyneham, we have saved over £10,000 per month in rental costs. We continue to focus on cost reduction, but there will always be surprises, so a large contingency element is vital.
We have increased our airshow revenues, through a combination of charging a higher average appearance fee and through a new “regional sponsorship” revenue stream. For example, XH558’s appearance at Whitehaven was sponsored by BNFL Sellafield.
We have revamped our merchandising, with the objective of substantially increasing the income from this source. A new online store will be launched on 1st February, with all profits now coming back to us. The Commercial Partnership Programme for small businesses is proving slowly successful, but corporate sponsorship in significant amounts continues to elude us due to the economic conditions, despite a very attractive offering.
But despite our best efforts, “fundraising” in all its forms remains our largest and most important revenue stream.
Since the end of the successful 2009 display season, our plan for fundraising is based on attracting large numbers of new supporters, principally from those 2.5 million who were thrilled by XH558 last summer.
Our key question to them is “Would you like to see XH558 continue to fly, so that she can entertain you and others in years to come?”. If you, as I have done, ask anyone who saw XH558 last summer this question, the answer is an emphatic “Yes!”. “Will you help by making a donation?”; “I didn’t know how to.” – is the way the conversation usually goes.
We have had no success at getting our message to this much bigger audience through the national media, even though we have tried every route we can think of, short of a national advertising campaign, which although costly, is under consideration. The problem is that we are no longer newsworthy – it’s old news, we did it, we got the Vulcan flying again!
This is where we now need you, as our loyal “XH558 Activists”, to help, principally because I believe we now have exhausted the realistic capability of our most loyal supporters to continue to fund XH558’s operation.
We need a National Campaign to keep XH558 funded, and whilst we talk to those who have been successful in setting up such a campaign, the only way we will do this is if sufficient numbers of people make a sufficiently big noise – this is where we need to have your help.
Very much our friendliest national newspaper has been the Mail on Sunday – you may recall the excellent coverage XH558 has received over the last year. But even the Mail on Sunday has admitted that there is currently no significant “hook” on which to hang a story.
This is where you come in. As a call to action, I ask everyone who is reading this message to email or write to the Mail on Sunday to ask them to take the lead in a National Campaign to keep XH558 flying, not only for this year but right the way through to Her Majesty the Queen’s – and the Vulcan’s – Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
If you can get your friends and family to email or write, the more the better! If enough people ask for a National Campaign, this must surely stand a better chance of success.
Please email: letters@mailonsunday.co.uk
Or write to:
The Editor
The Mail on Sunday,
Northcliffe House,
2 Derry Street,
London W8 5TT
Turning now to XH558’s current 50th Birthday Appeal, as expected, the donations to the Appeal tailed off in the run-up to Christmas, undoubtedly due for the most part to the inevitable expense at this time of year.
The Appeal now stands at just over £175,000 - a very positive result, yet there is still a long way to go for XH558 to be secure for another season.
January is a critical month for us, because to keep on track to fly XH558 in late Spring, we need to move forward on the Winter engineering programme. Despite not quite reaching the target of £200,000 for the end of December, we have decided to authorise Marshall Aerospace to start the lead-in work package, planning and design office activities, and this will mean paying them a substantial amount of cash up-front from the money raised so far.
Just this work alone will seriously dent our cash-flow as we wrestle to make the best use of the money you have donated to us, especially since the National Campaign could require substantial funding itself.
With this in mind, we wish to start calling in the first batch of pledges now from those who can afford it this month; we will send out letters very soon to those who indicated that they could honour their pledges in February.
Any pledges redeemed now will be put to good use not only in moving the Winter engineering programme forward, but also leveraging greater exposure and hence giving XH558 a better chance of success. The Vulcan to the Sky Supporter’s Club have also indicated a budget that might be made available for direct advertising of the campaign, so when added to the pledges, this could make a very significant difference.
If in these difficult times you are able to make a further donation, not only will it help the now-started Winter engineering programme along, it will help us engage the wider public - perhaps now the only realistic way to ensure our cause is successful. You, our supporters, can really make the difference…
Over the next two weeks or so, little work will be done on the aircraft herself, but our engineering team will be busy on preparatory activities, housekeeping, paperwork audits and the regular anti-deterioration checks at both our new Hinckley site and in the hangar at RAF Lyneham.
For those of you thinking of visiting the AutoSport International show at the NEC at Birmingham from 14th – 17th January, I am delighted to let you that Vulcan to the Sky will once again have a stand. Members of our aircrew will be in attendance during the Saturday and Sunday to talk to those who visit.
We have triumphed before in the face of huge adversity, so I would ask you once again to do all you can over the next few weeks, be it a letter or email to the Mail on Sunday, a donation or the payment of your pledge. For the sake of all that XH558 means to the British people, we simply must not fail!
With best wishes,
Robert Pleming
Vulcan To The Sky Trust
PS: For anyone redeeming a Pledge: please mark your donation clearly as an honoured pledge, with your name and postcode to avoid subsequent reminders - thank you!
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