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Vulcan XH558 News
Permit to Fly Granted - Waddington Confirmed After a herculean effort by engineers and many other parties, the permit to fly has now been granted, just in time for the Waddington Air Show. A two-hour test flight from RAF Lyneham to RAF Brize Norton took place yesterday, in which no problems were reported, and the CAA test pilot on board even commented that "she flew beautifully". The Saturday appearance at Waddington will include a 'bombing run' prior to the main display - presumably similar to that which took place at the Victory Show at Cosby last year. Please note that the Waddington appearances will be fly-in only. XH558 is not planned to land there due to logistical reasons.
Anonymous Donation Saves XH558 At the 11th hour, with XH558's future looking decidedly gloomy, an anonymous donor has stepped in to secure the project's immediate future. £458,000 was donated by the un-named philanthropist, which saw the original £800,000 target exceeded. Pledges are now being called in by the VTST, and work on the Winter service and other repairs now begins. Engineers will be working flat-out to try to ensure the Vulcan makes the beginning of the airshow season. Meanwhile, campaigners are continuing the work to raise funds for both the 2010 and 2011 seasons. Keep an eye on the Flight Information over the coming weeks for updates to the provisonal airshow appearance list.
2010 Pledge Campaign Underway 21st November 2009 A new pledge campaign for 2010 to cover the £800,000 funding shortfall has now been started. Additional servicing requirements mean that the 2010 season will cost £2.4M. £800,000 of this is already assured, a further £800,000 is considered planned income, in which the Trust has high confidence, leaving £800,000 to be raised by March. The campaign is split into two parts: the first stage is to raise £200,000 by Christmas to pay for essential engineering work, and a second stage to raise the remaining £600,000. This appeal is urgent, since missing the deadlines will almost certainly cause costly delays to the 2010 airshow schedule, and missing the targets by any significant amount could well mean the project folds, leaving the Vulcan GROUNDED FOREVER. This year there are two options: you can make a direct donation, or if you are unable to do so right away, you can pledge an amount to be called up at a later stage. Visit the appeal website at www.vulcantothesky.org.
VTSC Attending Lincoln Victorian Christmas Market Solve all your Chirstmas present problems by visiting the Vulcan to the Sky Club stand at Lincoln Victorian Chirstmas Market, from December 3rd and 6th. Meet members of the team, talk Vulcans, and spend all your cash on goodies for you family and friends (and, of course, yourself). We will hopefully have the same spectacular pitch as last year - right in front of the Cathedral - so come along and help us raise as much cash as possible to keep XH558 in the air. Don't miss out on the new limited edition 50th anniversary goodies, and the new Vulcan Effect DVD from Planes TV.
Last Display of the Season Just when we thought the display season had come to an end, Southport Air Show organisers finally confirmed their booking of XH558 - for the Sunday, at least. This comes after supporters had lobbied organisers to include the Cold War bomber in their display line-up. This has also opened the door for a fleeting visit to Manchester Airport, where XH558 is due to make a 'missed approach' and power climb out. This should take some holiday-makers who are busy boarding their 737s for a week in Alicante by surprise. The VTSC people will have a presence at the Manchester Airport Aeropark, and on the seafront at Southport. Come along, say hello, and spend some cash. After these final displays, XH558 will be heading back to RAF Lyneham, where work to replace the main landing gear will take place. After that, who knows? Possibly she'll be there for the Winter, or possibly a new civillian home will be found.
Vulcan Formates with the Reds over Devon Skies For the first time in 17 years, XH558 has formated with the Red Arrows. The formation, which was last seen in 1992 on XH558's final farewell sortie, took place over Dawlish in Devon today. Video now on YouTube.
New TXT Donation Service Launched The ever-innovative VTS fundraising team have this week launched a quick and simple way for you to donate to your favourite Cold War Bomber. Simply text vulcan to 82055 and you will be instantly relieved of £3 (plus your standard text charge) whenever you feel the urge. This doesn't, of course, mean you shouldn't hit the e-donate button when you're at your PC, or write out a nice fat cheque and send it off in the post (both of which allow the VTST to claim the all-important Gift-Aid), but if you're on the top of a mountain or in a particularly tedious meeting and need a bit of a buzz, sneak out the mobile and t-donate. U NO IT MKS SNS.
XH558 Cleared for Whitehaven & Blackpool After scheduled maintenance, which included an inspection of the port undercarriage, XH558 has been given the all-clear from all the relevant parties and is now ready for the two air displays in the North West this weekend. This comes just a day after the confirmation of a last-minute booking for Blackpool Air Display, after Vulcan supporters lobbied organisers to book an appearance by the mighty delta-winged aircraft. After much pocket-emptying and searching behind the sofa to find the necessary funds, origanisers announced it had secured a mini-display to add to its already by-no-means inconsiderable airborne line-up, which includes the BBMF, The Blades, USAF KC135R Stratotanker, RAF King Air, and, of course, The Red Arrows. Watch out Blackpool - the Vulcan is coming (at 16:15, to be precise). The Whitehaven Food Festival boasts celebrity chefs Jean Christophe Nouvelle and Ainsley Harriot (of 'Can't Cook, Won't Cook' fame, just in case you weren't aware), both of whom will have their souffles well and truly deflated when XH558 roars in and steals the show. XH558 will be operating from RAF Lyneham this weekend, where it will also be displaying for the annual Families' Day event at the air base.
XH558 Puts in Four Displays in a Day XH558 completed displays at Sunderland, East Fortune, Windermere and a mini-display at RAF Boulmer on Saturday 25th July, not to mention several other fly-pasts, before returning to RAF Brize Norton. The marathon round-trip took just over three and a half hours and ensured some great exposure for the project. The pilots get a bit of a rest now, with the next confirmed display being at Whitehaven on the 9th of August. BBC Footage of the display at Sunderland.
Yeovilton Display Cancelled After moving heaven and earth to obtain the Permit to Fly and get '558 to RNAS Yeovilton, the display was eventually cancelled due to the low cloudbase. The engineers even overcame a last minute leak in the hydraulic braking lines, but it was to no avail. The cloudbase varied between 1000 and 500 ft all day, and even the Dutch F16, the Harriers, the Typhoon and several others were unable to fly, and the Red Arrows had to abandon their display after a few low fly-pasts and formations. XH558 was eventually towed over to a static area by the crowd line and was immediately mobbed by 1000s of spectators eager to get a close-up view. Ground crews and volunteers gave guided tours of '558, which hopefully went some way to making up for the disappointment of the cancelled dipslay. Well, it did for me, at least ;) XH558 is due to depart Yeolvilton for the transit to Fairford sometime on Friday, so there is still an opportunity for you to see (and hear) a flying Vulcan. Keep and eye on Twitter for details.
Permit to Fly Hopeful within 'Days' Well, obviously those formations at Waddington never materialised due to the Permit to Fly debacle (dubbed 'Permitgate'), however in statement released today, Dr Robert Pleming (CEO of the VTST) stated that 'VTST does not yet have a firm date from CAA on when the Vulcan will be allowed to fly again, but it has been led to believe that the delay will be days rather than any longer'. It gives no indication as to whether or not XH558 is likely to make the RNAS Yeolvilton Air Day, but there is at least some hope that it will. Therefore, if you are planning to go specifically to see the Vulcan, keep checking the VTST web site for details The full statement can be found here.
Further Formations with the Vulcan to Come Having already formated with 2 VC10s at Brize, and with a Hunter and F16 at Volkel (and not forgetting the Lancaster last year), the news is that XH558 will tie up with more classic aircraft during the summer. The RAF Waddington Blog reports that the Vulcan will be teaming up with the Breitling Jet Team on Saturday 4th July, and then with the Red Arrows on the Sunday. Further formations have been speculated for Biggin Hill and Yeovilton, so it seems they're queuing up to have their piccies taken with our lady!
 XH558 formates with two VC10s at RAF Brize Norton for the Families' Day, 13th June Photo: Peter Hodgkins
XH558 Featured in The Mail on Sunday - Win a Flight Alongside the Vulcan XH558 features in today's Mail on Sunday. There's a free double sided poster, a chance to win a flight with The Blades alongside the Vulcan, and video of the air-to-air photoshoot.
XH558 with The Blades at Sywell Aerodrome, 20th July 2008 Photos: Jamie Hunter - Aviacom
XH558 Displays at Volkel - Saturday
XH558 Displays at Volkel - Friday XH558 performed this first of two displays at the Volkel Air Show today, the first non-UK/Channel Islands display since restoration. The next display is on Saturday. The VTST hope to make many new friends and club members in Holland, and by all accounts they are sure to, as XH558 seems to have had quite an effect on our Dutch friends. More to follow.
XH558 Arrives at Volkel After a few days' unscheduled stop at RAF Lyneham XH558 has flown in to Volkel, Holland in readiness for the Airshow weekend (Friday & Saturday). A large crowd of photographers and enthusiasts was there to greet her as she arrived and also watch many of the practise displays by other Aircraft. Meanwhile, VTST representatives where making preparations for their presence. Looks like they'll be busy - XH558 is sure to steal the show...
Record Crowds at Cosford
Join the '558 Wine Club THE VTST and Williams McKenna today announced the launch of the '558 Wine Club. You get 12 bottles of selected quality wines for £89.99, and 10% of the total wine cost goes to the VTST. Full details can be found here.
Vulcan Airborne Once More! XH558 has lifted off into the skies once more, following the Winter service and the go ahead from Rolls-Royce and Marshalls regarding the corrosion found in 3 of the engines. In the captain's seat was Martin Withers. The test flight was a 3 hour marathon, ending in two test displays at Brize. Another flight is planned for tomorrow, presumably to allow Kev Rumens to practise the display sequence, and will also serve a 'proper' display for the Families' Day at RAF Brize Norton. Then it's back to Cosford on Sunday for the first airshow display of the year. The summer has OFFICIALLY started!
Cold The Cold War Jets Collection and Lightning Preservation Group announce the spring Cold War Jets Open Day. High speed runs of the Lightning, Victor, Buccaneer, Comet, Iskra, Canberra, Hunter and Jet Provost, plus static display of some of many other aircraft based at Bruntingthorpe, including XH558. An absolutely fabulous day out for all the family. Pack your wet weather gear just in case.
Sign up the the Vulcan Newsletters You can now sign up to the Vulcan to the Sky newsletters to receive regular updates on events, Vulcan operations and club news. Click on the 'News Letter' link on the header of the VTST home page.
VTST to 'Call-In' Pledges
Now that the target of £1,000,000 has been reached the VTST has announced it will shortly be contacting all those who pledged asking them to
The announcement that the target had been reached, and administrators had given the green light to continue, meant that the VTST could also bank all the cheques from the Winter Raffle which had already been drawn back in February. A win-win situation for the Trust and the lucky winners!
It's just been announced that we have raised suffient funds to carry on with the project and proceed with the 2009 airshow season. Well done everyone! See you at the airshows! "Although nearly £1M has been pledged, the project had no cash to continue operating long enough to start collecting that money and would have ceased operation today. HOWEVER, Aerobytes & Judd Power have provided the immediate cash required to pay the wages for the coming month. So long as the pledges are honoured, we all have a very noisy & splendid year to look forward to." - Eddie Forrester, Aerobytes
Vulcan Pledge Campaign Total Reaches Over £960,000 So Close to Take-Off! In just a few short weeks, over £960,000 has been pledged by supporters and businesses to help ensure XH558 has sufficient funds to appear at airshows in the 2009 season. Over £500,000 of this has come in the last week alone after widespread publicty of the campaign on TV and in the press. If you can help by pledging, please see the Pledge Campaign page on the VTST website for details.
 Download and print off the new '09 pledge poster and display wherever you can to help spread the word.
Vulcan Feature in Mail on Sunday
The Mail on Sunday have published a large center-spread feature on the campaign to keep the Vulcan flying:- Click here for the article.
Call for Government to Save XH558 by Sir Richard Branson, Robin Gibb, Bruce Dickinson, Nick Mason & Frederick Forsyth Keeping Vulcan Flying The public has donated more than £5 million over three years for the restoration of the last delta-winged Avro Vulcan bomber. She is the only flying Vulcan in the world and the reaction last summer to her triumphant return to display flying was ecstatic. For Crying Out Loud: The stirringly beautiful Vulcan in flight is an inspiration to the young and a reminder of the need to increase the country's skills in design, engineering and manufacturing. The Vulcan is also a penetrating reminder of the lessons and sacrifices of the Cold War. The efforts to keep Vulcan flying now face potentially insuperable funding challenges. We call upon the MoD to give a home to Vulcan in an expanded RAF Memorial Flight. The public paid for Vulcan's return; now the Government needs to help keep her flying. Sir Richard Branson
Sir George Cox
Marshal of the RAF Lord Craig of Radley
Bruce Dickinson Frederick Forsyth
Robin Gibb
Peter Hennessy
Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Knight
Nick Mason
Captain David Rowland
24 Hour Vulcan Scramble!
The Vulcan to the Sky Club annouces the '24 Hour Vulcan Scramble' - 15 Vulcans in 24 hours. Taking place on Sunday 22nd February, father and son club members, Robert & Steven Lowe, from Newark on Trent, who conceived this idea, will be joined by Crew Chief Taff Stone, in one of the Vulcan to The Sky Teams' Subaru 4x4 vehicles. The club is providing 100% logistical and promotional support. Starting in East Fortune with XM597 at 00.01 hours, the team will travel the length and breadth of the country, visiting all 15 existing Vulcan Airframes - hopefully within a 24 hour period.
Vulcan to the Sky Trust Appearing at Autosport International The Vulcan to the Sky Trust have a stand at the 2009 Autosport International show at the NEC, Birmingham. Come along and say hello, get the latest news and hopefully buy a few goodies too. The stand number is 18462 in hall 18. The exhibition runs from the 8th-11th January and is the world's biggest motorsport show, with an expected 84,000 people attending and over 850 exhibitors.
Vulcan to the Sky Club Winter Raffle - Win a Flight with The Blades Tickets for the VTSC's Winter Raffle are now on sale with some amazing prizes on offer:-
XH558 with The Blades at Sywell Aerodrome, 20th July 2008 Photos: Jamie Hunter - Aviacom
Restoration of XH558 Wins Royal Aeronautical Society Award The Vulcan to the Sky Trust was awarded the Centenery Certificate for Heriatge Projects by the Historical Group of the Royal Aeronautical Society in recognition of its outstanding achievement in restoring XH558 to flight status at the annual Wilbur and Orville Wright Lecture on 11th December. Accepting the award, Dr Robert Pleming thanked the many companies who had contributed to the restoration, in particular Marshall Aerospace, and the many thousands of individual supporters who have donated.
 Photos: Charles Toop
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