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!

Cosford first date for the Vulcan

Well we were all wondering where we'd see the Vulcan's name first, and on Friday the news broke that the first Airshow to book XH558 is indeed RAF Cosford on June 12th - great news!

Hopefully this will be the first of many bookings in a year where the Vulcan team have promised to take her to more and more venues, hopefully funds will permit that to happen as the more people that see this famous aircraft the better!

Unfortunately last year the Cosford Airshow came too soon for the Delta Lady to be ready for, as she was obviously undergoing the major service following the appeal to raise funds, so hopefully this year all things will go okay and on time, and Shropshire will roar to the sound of the Vulcan.

The latest update from the Vulcan team explains how the CAA are giving the aircraft the once over, and probably twice over too, as the Permit to Fly regulations are checked out, to make sure the team are complying with all the terms and conditions!

Anyway, just a short one this week, to delight in the news that the shows are starting to book the one and only Vulcan Bomber!

Rolling back the Years

Don't know why but that Simply Red song 'Holding back the years' came into my head yesterday, so I thought I know what about a blast from the past for the Vulcan Blog today...

So, I thought I'd have a delve into the archives at the Vulcan footage, and thought the old footage of the barrel roll would be a corker to feature, so here it is, with thanks to You Tube's tkey for this one (you can view tkey's You Tube Channel here)...



The above footage was shot at Woodfield Airfield near Manchester - how I miss those Airshows each year, although I do remember on many occasions getting soaked to the bone there!

Wouldn't it be great to have that airshow back again, I know it's not going to happen, but I can still wish!

Winter Service Update

Well we're now well into January, and all those new year celebrations are now a thing of the past, instead our thoughts are now turning to the the end of winter and return of Spring, which hopefully will see the return to the sky of our Delta Lady too!

 The Winter Service is the name of the game at the moment, and the latest update from the Vulcan To The Sky crew confirmed that there were 100 'non routine' cards identifying repair actions. That figure is a little higher than hoped, but these were minor issues such as replacement seals and door fasteners, as well as maintenance to remove corrosion followed by a high-temperature paint.

The final phase of the service will commence this week, and the team have now received permission from Health and Safety to use a powerful X-ray machine, according to Engineering Director, Andrew Edmondson, and areas to receive special attention will be some parts of the spars and the stressed areas where the wings join the fuselage.

Funding is always an issue with the Vulcan of course, with the public constantly backing the project with their own money, and those who contribute do so knowing that the only payback they are interested in seeing is the sight of the beautiful XH558 in the air across the country at various airshows.

The winter service is expected to cost over £100k and so far £10k has been raised towards it via the Winter Service Plaque campaign - and The Vulcan Bomber Blog will be amongst those names to go in the bomb bay following a donation to the cause.

With the absolutely freezing weather which has dominated the country will hopefully be shifting soon, and we'll get to the stage where we can all look forward to warmer weather and sunnier skies, and hopefully we can all play a part in helping the Vulcan crew to deliver show stopping performances at the early airshows - which have been missed in recent years due to a lack of funds.

It's also approaching that time when we see some provisional bookings being rumoured about or confirmed on the Vulcan's appearances page - looking forward to seeing that filling up as time goes on!

That's it for this weekend, look forward to hearing some more positive news very soon!

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.

Seasons Greetings to all Vulcan fans!

First of all let me say a very Merry Christmas to all followers and visitors of The Vulcan Bomber blog, and as 2010 draws to a close, it's worth remembering what a fantastic year this has been.

The Vulcan was of course in danger of becoming a museum piece in 2010, with major funding campaigns saving the day, proving just how Great the British public, and also for those overseas who contributed towards keeping our delightful Delta Lady in the air.

We wouldn't be talking about the great appearances at this year's displays if it wasn't for everyone digging deep, and of course in October we came close to losing her but for a £400,000 target that was hit as November approached.

Since the last blog, the hangar tours have re-opened, and the Vulcan shop is a great place to get some goodies from, so for those who have received the odd tenner in their Christmas cards, how about picking something from the shop and helping the funds swell even more as we look at the horizon to see the 2011 season approaching.

The Vulcan Facebook page is also up and running, with a new page for all to visit, so click on the link and pay a visit and 'Like' the page to see all the latest updates.

This blog will become much more active in the new year, as we get excited for the new airshow season, but for now, best wishes from the Vulcan Bomber blog - become a follower, and get it in your favourites!

Target Hit - The Vulcan Lives On!

There was great news for all fans of the Vulcan bomber last night as it was confirmed that the October appeal to keep the project going was a complete success and the target was met!

That now means that all employees who had previously been on a month’s notice can now continue in their role, and work on the Vulcan in preparation for the 2011 season, in which we hope to see another successful season. I’m sure that the work will be ongoing throughout those chilly winter months, as we look towards next Spring and the start of the Airshow season.

It’s certainly a time to celebrate though, as £400,000 was a massive amount of money to be raised in such a short space of time, and okay, maybe not as much as the £1m that had to be raised earlier on in a public campaign, but this was a real test, as this time there was no miracle donation from one person, this was a culmination of donations from all over the world from Vulcan fans everywhere, who just wanted to ensure that the aircraft was not lost to someone overseas, or permanently grounded.

So, it’s time to get those withdrawal symptoms treated by viewing endless clips of the wonder that is XH558, on You Tube, and wherever else the videos are stored, and listen to the famous howl, and look forward to the next time we can all point up to the sky in the distance, and say “there she is” as the delta shaped “Spirit of Great Britain” gets ever closer to the display circuit.

Well done to everyone who has helped keep the spirit alive!

Here's a case of timing for you as the latest statement was uploaded to the Vulcan site:

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£400,000 October Appeal success heralds new funding initiatives.


First, I’m delighted to confirm to all XH558’s supporters that the target of £400,000 for our October Appeal was reached just in time over the weekend.

What is most significant is the sheer numbers of people who donated – many thousands – the welcome result of active promotion by our core team of supporters and valuable coverage of the Appeal by the media. The fact that the Appeal has been such a success despite the current economic conditions once again proves without doubt the magnitude of the public’s affection and support for XH558.

Earlier this year, the Trust embarked on a series of new fund-raising initiatives. With XH558’s Winter Service planned to start in January, the team now has the time to convert these initiatives into sustainable revenue streams. You can learn more about some of our initiatives here: http://www.vulcantothesky.org/news/126/82/2012-and-beyond.html

I’m pleased to be able to report that one of the initiatives, Merchandising, is already bringing in over £10,000 per month. Soon, we will be distributing the catalogue of new merchandise for Christmas, along with the details on new ways that people can help XH558.

In another initiative, we aim to bring those who have loyally supported XH558 in the past into more regular contact with the Trust and its plans for XH558, encouraging small but regular contributions.

Our objective is of course, to guarantee that XH558 flies on next year and through the Diamond Jubilee year. This will continue to drive our efforts over the next three months to ensure that we meet our future funding needs.

In the meantime, I hope that you will join with me in thanking everyone who has made the October Appeal such an outstanding success and I very much hope that you will see your Vulcan flying next year!


With kind regards,


John Sharman

Chairman of Trustees, Vulcan to the Sky Trust

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Once again...hurrah!