79-574: Avro Vulcan XH558 ( military serial XH558 , civil aircraft registration G-VLCN ) Spirit of Great Britain was the last remaining airworthy example of the 134 Avro Vulcan jet-powered delta winged strategic nuclear bomber aircraft operated by the Royal Air Force during the Cold War . It was the last Vulcan in military service, and the last to fly at all after 1986. It last flew on 28 October 2015. Vulcan XH558 first flew in 1960, and
158-577: A Blackburn -built Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c aircraft in 1916. By 1916 , the first sequence had reached 10000, and it was decided to start an alpha-numeric system, from A1 (allocated to a Royal Aircraft Factory BE.2d) to A9999, then starting again at B1. The letters A, B, C, D, E, F, H, and J were allocated to the Royal Flying Corps (RFC), and N1 to N9999 and S1 to S9999 to the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). When
237-532: A '/G' suffix added to the end of the registration number, the 'G' signifying 'Guard', denoting that the aircraft was to have an armed guard at all times while on the ground, examples include: W4041/G, the prototype Gloster E.28/39 jet powered by the Whittle jet engine ; LZ548/G, the prototype de Havilland Vampire jet fighter; or ML926/G, a de Havilland Mosquito XVI experimentally fitted with H2S radar . As of 2009 , registration number allocations have reached
316-561: A 98-minute journey from Bruntingthorpe, which included a display in front of examiners from the CAA. Deemed a success, an application for a permit to fly at air shows was submitted to the CAA, with a view to attending its first public event in 15 years, the RAF Waddington Airshow, on 5 and 6 July. The CAA granted permission for XH558 to fly from Bruntingthorpe to Waddington on Thursday 3 July, but authorisation for display flights
395-797: A flypast with the Avro Lancaster of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight , and then a solo display. For the first season, it was anticipated the Vulcan would be able to perform 13 appearances. Ultimately however, three appearances were cancelled due to technical problems, two due to bad weather and three due to a fault in No. 2 engine. It was estimated that 3.8 million people saw XH558 in the summer of 2008, 1.5 million at displays. In 2009, she made her first and only appearance abroad, when she attended
474-418: A mystery donor. The donor was later named as Sir Jack Hayward , a British philanthropist. This topped off the £860,000 already raised. By the time of the first test flight, £6.5m had been raised, rising to £7m by the time of the first display. With the return to flying, consideration was given to using the Vulcan as a flying billboard as a way to generate continued funding. Once restored to flight, some money
553-602: A numeric part in the previously-unused 001 to 099 range. Some aircraft are given registrations as an acknowledgement to their civilian type; specifically, the first Airbus Voyager multi-role tanker transport is registered ZZ330 as a nod to the Airbus A330 from which it is derived (with the remainder of the Voyager fleet in series to ZZ343). Distinct registration numbering systems are used to identify non-flying airframes, typically used for ground training. The RAF have used
632-633: A numeric sequence with an 'M' suffix, sometimes referred to as the 'Maintenance' series. Known allocations, made between 1921 and 2000, ranged from 540M to 9344M, when this sequence was terminated. The main series of single letter registration numbers did not use 'M' to avoid confusion with the suffix 'M'. The Fleet Air Arm use an 'A'-prefixed sequence (e.g. A2606), and the Army Air Corps issue 'TAD' numbers to their instructional airframes (e.g. TAD015). The registration numbers are normally carried in up to four places on each aircraft; on either side of
711-542: A result, following completion of the 2015 Farewell to Flight display season, XH558's final ever flight occurred on 28 October 2015, a small display at its Doncaster Sheffield base. With XH558 now permanently grounded, the Trust intended to make the Vulcan the focus of a new educational and heritage facility at Doncaster Sheffield Airport, but was given notice to quit in August 2022, with a final occupancy date of June 2023. This
790-496: A study was conducted looking into the feasibility of returning XH558 to flight – a risky prospect for the owners considering the aircraft would need to be retired as a ground-based attraction and largely dismantled before restoration could begin. With the decision taken in 1998, the last public ground run took place on 5 September 1999. The Vulcan to the Sky Trust was established to raise funds; including lodging an application with
869-463: A suitably approved organisation, Marshal Aerospace were appointed to provide the necessary design authority required for converting a military aircraft to a civil one according to CAA standards. After the transfer of XH558 from the Walton family to the Trust, TVOC/Marshall continued to execute the project in the same hangar. The restoration removed the redundant offensive and defensive systems, including
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#1732797278503948-485: Is entered by the pilot after every flight, thus giving a complete record of the pilot's flying activities and which individual aircraft have been flown. The first military aircraft registrations were a series from 1 to 10000, with blocks allocated to each service. The first actual registration number was allocated to a Short S.34 for the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS), with the number 10000 going to
1027-458: Is not classified as aerobatic, and therefore the Vulcan would continue to fly with only minor changes to the display. Until the Shoreham crash, the last flying season of the Vulcan was attributed as one of the reasons for sell-out crowds at air shows across the country, although in the week after it was not expected to affect spectator numbers at other shows, most of which were due to go ahead on
1106-585: The Heritage Lottery Fund lodged in 2001 was controversially rejected a year later, attributed to the fund's lack of enthusiasm for flight projects. On the HLF's advice, the bid was refocused and a resubmitted proposal in 2003 was accepted; £2,734,000 being awarded on 23 June 2004. A total of £1m from supporters had also been raised from donors by the time the restoration commenced in 2005. As well as continued donations, further financial support arrived in
1185-435: The Heritage Lottery Fund , rejected in 2002 but then refocused and accepted in 2004. Work began on the restoration in 2005; to bring confidence to donors of the project, the Walton family formally passed ownership of XH558 to the Trust in the same year. In celebration of meeting a funding target, on 31 August XH558 was rolled out of its hangar for the first time in seven years for a publicity shoot. XH558 returned to flight for
1264-700: The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was formed in 1912, its aircraft were identified by a letter/number system related to the manufacturer. The prefix 'A' was allocated to balloons of No.1 Company, Air Battalion , Royal Engineers , the prefix 'B' to fixed-wing aeroplanes of No.2 Company, and the prefix 'F' to aeroplanes of the Central Flying School (CFS). The Naval Wing used the prefix 'H' for seaplanes ('Hydroaeroplanes' as they were then known), 'M' for monoplanes , and 'T' for aeroplanes with engines mounted in tractor configuration . Before
1343-556: The Royal Netherlands Air Force Open Days at Volkel Air Base in the Netherlands . A popular feature of XH558 as flypasts and air shows is the so-called "Vulcan Howl", a distinctive sound made by some Vulcan airframes when the engines are at approximately 90 percent power, due to the arrangement of the air intakes. In order to extend the life of the aircraft, for the 2010 season the flight time
1422-465: The Shoreham Airshow was interrupted by the crash of a Hawker Hunter . The Hunter crashed on the first day, just before 13.30 (BST), with the Vulcan due to appear at 14.05. A de Havilland Sea Vixen that was already airborne for the next display instead flew a tribute, with XH558 doing the same at its allotted time, the last aircraft to fly on the day. As a result of the crash, on 24 August
1501-756: The United Kingdom (UK). All UK military aircraft display a unique serial number, allocated from a unified registration number system, maintained by the Air Section of the Ministry of Defence (MoD Air). The same unified registration system is used for aircraft operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF), Fleet Air Arm (FAA), and Army Air Corps (AAC). Military aircraft operated by government agencies and civilian contractors (for example QinetiQ , AirTanker Services , Babcock International ) are sometimes also assigned registration numbers from this system. When
1580-445: The auxiliary power unit (APU) was on fire, only to find later it was simply a faulty warning light. Another flight two days later had to be ended because one of the undercarriage doors failed to close, found to be micro-switch malfunction. Major technical issues discovered during the first year of flight included difficulties with interfacing modern airport electrical systems with the Vulcan's electrical systems, and ingress of water into
1659-505: The 20th Century. It was kept in serviceable condition, performing fast runs along the main runway along with other fast jets during special open days. A decade earlier, shortly after the Waltons had acquired Bruntingthorpe, plans had been drawn up to fly the preserved XM575 from East Midlands Airport to their planned aircraft museum, although it never took place as the money ran out before the necessary servicing could be completed. In 1997,
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#17327972785031738-554: The 60th anniversary ( Diamond Jubilee ) of both the first flight of the Vulcan and the coronation of Elizabeth II , it was planned for XH558 to visit over 30 displays on a tour to celebrate Britain's aviation and engineering achievements during the Queen's reign. The engine failure in May led to some of these being cancelled. Following the engine replacements in 2012, XH558 opened the 2012 Farnborough International Airshow flying in formation with
1817-574: The August Bank Holiday weekend with only minor alterations. The final airshow appearances were confirmed to be at Gaydon Heritage Motor Centre (Warwickshire) and Old Warden (Bedfordshire) both on 4 October. Vulcan XH558 flew a final national tour on 10 and 11 October 2015. The tour was split into two halves with the northern route being flown on 10 October and the southern route being flown on 11 October. The tour incorporated waypoints which including several locations significant to both
1896-477: The CAA imposed temporary regulations on civilian vintage jets displaying over land, restricting them to flypasts and banning high energy aerobatics. Citing this restriction on the Vulcan, on 26 August the Durham Tees Valley air show planned for 29 August was postponed to 2016. The following day however, the Trust confirmed that after discussions with the CAA it was determined that XH558's display routine
1975-651: The K2 tanker variant, a stopgap measure to mitigate temporary shortages in the RAF tanker fleet due to some being life-expired in Falklands War operations, and newer replacement types not yet being ready. Sent to Woodford for conversion at the end of June, it passed back into service with 50 Squadron at Waddington on 12 October. The last Vulcans in service were the six tankers and a few other standard aircraft as trainers, all with 50 Squadron, which disbanded on 31 March 1984. XH558
2054-437: The RAF, making its maiden flight from Woodford on 25 May 1960, and being delivered to No. 230 Operational Conversion Unit at RAF Waddington , Lincolnshire, on 1 July 1960. The OCU was the unit which prepared pilots familiar with other aircraft to fly the Vulcan. Almost immediately 230 OCU transferred to RAF Finningley , South Yorkshire. In 1968, XH558 transferred back to Waddington, where it saw operational service with units of
2133-773: The Red Arrows. The final season began on 6 June 2015 with a display at Throckmorton, Worcestershire. it proceeded as planned with into August with only one cancellation, the mini-display for the Flywheel Festival in Bicester, Oxfordshire, on 21 June. Displays up to August included the Salute the V-Force Tour on the weekend of 27 and 28 June, which saw XH558 visit the locations of every surviving V-bomber airframe. A planned weekend appearance on 21/22 August 2015 at
2212-493: The Trust saying it needed a "miracle" with one month to go, having put the engineering staff on notice. On 6 March 2009, the appeal reached its target. During this crisis, appeals were made to the government to step in, with celebrity supporters Richard Branson , Robin Gibb , Frederick Forsyth and Air Chief Marshal Michael Knight appealing in national newspapers for XH558 to be added to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and
2291-402: The Trust starting a Downing Street petition for government funding. A shortfall in donations again attributed to the recession sparked another funding crisis in early 2010, with staff again put on notice and £650,000 needing to be raised by the end of March. With funding for maintenance work brought forward from 2011 also required, the Vulcan 50th Birthday appeal was launched to raise £800,000 by
2370-539: The Trust's stock of new engines. Major wing structural modifications were undertaken in March 2014 which extended the life of the airframe long enough to perform the 2014 and 2015 seasons – see Operation 2015 . Fundraising by the Vulcan to the Sky Trust commenced in 1999. In terms of public campaigning, the Trust was also assisted by a supporters club, Vulcan to the Sky Club (formerly Vulcan 558 Club). An application to
2449-565: The Vulcan Restoration Trust for XL426 at Southend. On 17 August 2007, XH558's No.3 Rolls-Royce Olympus 202 jet engine was run for the first time in over 20 years. On 22 August, all four were run at nearly full power settings, for short intervals. Various electrical faults disrupted the April 2008 test flights – on the 14th a trip to RAF Cottesmore resulted in the crew declaring an emergency and landing at Cottesmore believing
Avro Vulcan XH558 - Misplaced Pages Continue
2528-469: The Vulcan to highlight to the public what a tremendous technological leap forward it was. It is classified by the CAA in the complex category, because there are no manual backups to the powered systems. Included in the sale to the Walton family were eight engines and 17.5 tons of spares. To execute the restoration, David Walton established The Vulcan Operating Company (TVOC) as an engineering division of C Walton Ltd, owners of Bruntingthorpe airfield. As
2607-546: The Waddington Wing ( 44 , 50 and 101 Squadrons ). In August 1973, XH558 was one of nine Vulcans converted to a SR2 Maritime Radar Reconnaissance configuration, for use by No. 27 Squadron . By 1979 it had been decided the Vulcan was redundant, with the first being sent for scrap in December 1980. The last operational bomber squadron disbanded on 27 December 1982. In 1982 XH558 was one of the six Vulcans converted to
2686-606: The ZKnnn range. However since about the year 2000, registration numbers have increasingly been allocated out-of-sequence. For example, the first Royal Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III was given the registration number ZZ171 in 2001, and a batch of Britten-Norman Defenders for the Army Air Corps (AAC) were given registration numbers in the ZGnnn range in 2003 (the last ZG serial being allocated more than 14 years previously). Also, some recent registration number allocations have had
2765-410: The aircraft (typically its fuselage ) on a vertical surface, and on the underside of each wing . The under-wing registration numbers, originally specified so that in case of unauthorised low flying , affected personnel could report the offending aircraft to the local police force, have not been displayed since the 1960s, as by then jet aircraft speeds at low level had made the likelihood of a person on
2844-435: The aircraft beyond that, which meant that it would no longer have the necessary CAA approval to fly. According to the Trust, the companies arrived at the decision for two reasons: firstly, that they were now entering uncertain territory regarding predicting future safety risks to continued flight as XH558 had already performed ten percent more flying hours than any other Vulcan; and secondly, the increasing difficulty in obtaining
2923-479: The aircraft in taxiable condition. XL426 performed regular taxi displays from 1995 to 2005 at Southend Airport open days. The aircraft was repainted again in 2000–2001. In August 2005, the VRT suspended the aircraft's public taxi runs to carry out more major servicing works, which were termed the 'Return to Power' programme. The aircraft carried out taxi runs in 2006 and October 2008. It was repainted in 2011–2014, with
3002-507: The aircraft to the VMFSC in July 1993, which reformed as the Vulcan Restoration Trust (VRT) and gained registered charity status in 1996. The VRT adopted the secondary goal of having XL426 operate as a taxi-only aircraft for display, should the main goal of airworthiness fail. The aircraft underwent major servicing and in 1994 was repainted for the first time since leaving the RAF. In 1995, it
3081-477: The aircraft. The Trust aims to keep the aircraft in taxiable condition until at least around 2034. The aircraft spent a brief period indoors, inside Hangar 6 at Southend Airport in 2017 before having to vacate the building to allow Air Livery to relocate there following a fire in their hangar elsewhere on the Airport. From then until late 2022, XL426 was parked outside Hangar 5. Air Livery’s fire-damaged hangar
3160-439: The airframe in wet weather. As the aircraft operated under visual flight rules (VFR), it could not fly through clouds to higher altitudes where turbulence is lower, as this would require instrument flight rules (IFR) certification. Flying VFR in lower, often turbulent air, the airframe suffers from more fatigue which increases fatigue-index (FI) consumption. A longer-term aim was to make the authorised modifications depending on
3239-463: The decision was reversed and a major funding drive launched, which resulted in the required engineering work being done to ensure XH558 flew for the 2014 and 2015 seasons – see Operation 2015 . On 15 May 2015 it was announced that 2015 would be XH558's last flying season, because the three companies assisting the project with technical expertise ( BAE Systems , Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group and Rolls-Royce ) were unwilling to continue to support
Avro Vulcan XH558 - Misplaced Pages Continue
3318-466: The end of 2009. From 2011 it moved to a new year-round base at the commercial Doncaster Sheffield Airport . The prospect of grounding and sale due to lack of funds was regularly averted, and XH558 flew long enough for fundamental engineering life-expectancy issues to become the main threat to continued operation. After being overcome once to gain an extra two years of flight, on 15 May 2015 it was confirmed that 2015 would be XH558's last flying season, due to
3397-490: The end of March. This was met with the help of an anonymous donation of £400,000 on 24 February, allowing maintenance to begin. With the ongoing absence of a major sponsor, the Trust continued to rely on monthly public donations. United Kingdom military aircraft serials United Kingdom military aircraft registration number , known as its serial number , or tail code is a specific aircraft registration scheme used to identify individual military aircraft belonging to
3476-484: The end of the first year, a unified aircraft registration number system was introduced for both Army and Naval ( Royal Naval Air Service ) aircraft. The registration numbers are allocated at the time the contract for supply is placed with the aircraft manufacturer or supplier. In an RAF or FAA pilot's personal service log book , the registration number of any aircraft flown, along with any other particulars, such as aircraft type, flight duration, purpose of flight, etc.,
3555-479: The end of the same year, XL426 was transferred to 50 Squadron at RAF Waddington , ultimately the last Vulcan squadron. The aircraft was also painted to its current green and grey camouflage livery around this time. XL426 took part in the Falklands Victory Flypast over London on 12 October 1982 (though it hadn't taken part in the war ). Following the retirement of the Vulcan in 1984, XL426
3634-650: The first time on 18 October 2007, conducting three test flights. Given the civilian registration of G-VLCN by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), an exemption was made to allow it to fly in Royal Air Force markings as XH558 . During part of May 2008, XH558 resided at RAF Coningsby where it underwent further testing, and while there took part in a photo-call with the Lancaster and a Typhoon . On 9 June 2008, XH558 flew its final test flight,
3713-435: The form of free goods and services from companies. Technical assistance and work in kind was also received from many of the original equipment manufacturers. The project faced a funding crisis in 2006, with an appeal being sent out on 1 August for £1.2m to be raised by the end of the month, or the restoration would have to be suspended indefinitely. The target was reached thanks in part to a last minute donation of £500,000 from
3792-474: The frequency of which would be funding-dependent. With less engineering required to support the Vulcan as a taxi-able exhibit, the Trust's associated engineering company was examining the possibility of setting up as an independent, CAA-approved, heritage aviation servicing operation. As a result of the new focus post-flight operations, the Trust's additional base at Hinckley was also to close. Although XH558 had achieved its first flight in 2007, delays had meant it
3871-505: The ground being able to read, and thus report them, increasingly remote. The registration number on each side is usually on the rear fuselage, but this can vary depending on the aircraft type, for instance the delta winged Gloster Javelin had the registration number on the forward engine nacelle, and the Avro Vulcan had the registration number on its tail fin . Helicopters have only carried registration numbers on each side, either on
3950-557: The last three digits of its US Navy Bureau Number 124097. Recently, past unassigned registration numbers, including those having numerals 001-099, have been assigned. Some letters have not been used to avoid confusion: C could be confused with G, I confused with 1, O and Q confused with 0, U confused with V, and Y confused with X. During the Second World War , RAF aircraft carrying secret equipment, or that were in themselves secret, such as certain military prototypes , had
4029-456: The life of XH558 and the V-Force as a whole. Waypoints included: At least two further flights were planned for late October. According to Andrew Edmondson, engineering director of the Trust, the restoration of XH558 was "the most complex return-to-flight project ever attempted in the world". The Trust's head often references the 11-year gap between the first flights of the Lancaster bomber and
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#17327972785034108-419: The navigation and H2S radar, reducing the maximum all up weight to 146,000 lb. This includes dead weight which had to be re-added in certain places, to re-balance the aircraft. As part of the restoration, all four of the Vulcan's original Olympus 202 engines were replaced with the zero-hour units which had been stored since 1982. The removed engines were either scrapped, sectioned for display or passed on to
4187-447: The necessary expertise, particularly with regard to the engines. Various options to continue flights beyond 2015 were considered and ultimately rejected for engineering, cost, practicality or other reasons outside of the Trust's control – limiting the hours flown in 2015, building new Olympus engines and sourcing parts from other Vulcans, training new staff, using other technical authorities, and even relocating XH558 to another country. As
4266-468: The obscured insignia of Squadrons 617 and 50 re-added on opposite sides of the tail fin. More taxi runs were carried out in April 2012, July 2014, June 2015, July 2016, December 2017, December 2018, November 2019, December 2020 and September 2021. In November 2019, XL426 was taxied for the public for the first time since the 2005 suspension. The VRT continues to run 'Visit the Vulcan' days as of 2020 , in which visitors can get an up-close look at
4345-568: The pennant of senior RAF commander John Slessor painted on the side of its nose. On 10 September 1963, Slessor flew XL426 from CFB Goose Bay in Labrador , Canada to RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire , England in 4 hours and 5 minutes, an unofficial pre- Concorde Atlantic crossing speed record. From April 1964, following a reorganisation of how aircraft were assigned to squadrons, XL426 was rotated between all squadrons at RAF Scampton (which
4424-476: The registration number Z9978 had been allocated to a Bristol Blenheim , and it was decided to restart the sequence with a two-letter prefix, starting at AA100. This sequence is still in use today. Until the 1990s, this two-letter, three-numeral registration number sequence, had numbers in the range 100 to 999. An exception to this rule was a Douglas Skyraider AEW1 which received the UK serial WT097, which incorporated
4503-572: The result that XH558, despite being the earliest Mk.2 to enter RAF service, had actually flown considerably fewer hours than most of her stablemates. Earlier the aircraft had appeared in the 1961 Central Office of Information (COI) film No Claim Bonus which was also later used as a Trade test colour film on BBC 2 . Having been put up for disposal, XH558 was acquired by the Walton family, and delivered by air to Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome in Leicestershire on 23 March 1993, its last flight of
4582-614: The sequence reached the prefix K, it was decided to start at K1000 for all subsequent letters instead of K1. Although the N and S series had earlier been used by RNAS aircraft, the sequence N1000 to N9999 was again used by the Air Ministry for both RAF and RN aircraft. The 'Naval' S sequence had reached only S1865, a Fairey IIIF , but when R9999 was reached in 1939 , the next serial allocations did not run on from that point, but instead commenced at T1000. From 1937 , not all aircraft registration numbers were allocated, in order to hide
4661-498: The tail-boom or rear fuselage. XL426 Avro Vulcan XL426 is one of three remaining taxiable Avro Vulcan strategic bombers , the other two being XH558 and XM655 . It has been owned and maintained by the Southend-on-Sea -based registered charity the Vulcan Restoration Trust since 1993 and carries out regular taxi runs at London Southend Airport . It served with the Royal Air Force from 1962 to 1986. XL426
4740-438: The third-party companies responsible for maintaining it withdrawing their support. Since its last flight, XH558 is now kept in taxiable condition, in common with two of the other surviving Vulcans , XL426 and XM655 . A total of 136 Vulcans were produced at Woodford Aerodrome between 1956 and 1965, with the first entering operational service on 20 May 1957. XH558 was the first of the upgraded B2 version to enter service with
4819-534: The true number of aircraft in production and service. Gaps in the serial number sequence were sometimes referred to as 'blackout blocks'. The first example of this practice was an early 1937 order for two-hundred Avro Manchester bombers; which were allotted the registration numbers L7276-7325, L7373-7402, L7415-7434, L7453-7497, L7515-7549, and L7565-7584, covering a range of 309 possible serial registration numbers, and thus making it difficult for an enemy to estimate true British military aircraft strength. By 1940 ,
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#17327972785034898-567: The usage of fatigue index and engine cycle, to allow the fatigue life to match expected engine life with both expiring at about the same time. On 28 May 2012, shortly before a take-off run from Doncaster Sheffield Airport on a practice flight, both port engines developed a fault and had to be shut down, closing the airport for 90 minutes. The cause was ingestion of silica gel desiccant bags into No. 1 engine, which failed and led to debris entering No. 2 engine. Although no structural damage occurred, both engines were written off, requiring replacement from
4977-499: Was able to be recouped by charging a fee for a display (£8,000 for a full display, in the first year). Based on a flight time of 50 hours, the fuel bill alone was £160,000 at 2008 prices. A commercial donation secured before the first ever display allowed the Trust to commit to attending the Royal International Air Tattoo at Fairford and Farnborough International Airshow in the first display season, where it
5056-787: Was coincidental with the announcement of the commercial failure and possible closure of the airport. The Trust's ongoing commitment was to keep XH558 in good condition and use it for educational purposes, which they committed to do for 80 years as a condition of the 2005 Lottery funding. The first stage was to establish the Vulcan Aviation Academy & Heritage Centre, involving an academy building for 14–18 year olds, focussing on "six areas of aviation skills: piloting, air traffic controls, airport ground operations, aircraft operations, cabin crew and aviation engineering". XH558 would be housed in an adjacent heritage centre, where it will be maintained so as to be able to perform taxi runs,
5135-503: Was converted to a crew trainer. XL426 gave dozens of display flights from 1984 to 1986 as part of the Vulcan Historical Flight (later Vulcan Display Flight ). However, as its flying hours were running out before needing a major service, its role as a display flight aircraft was transferred to XH558 , which had been retrieved from a fire dump at RAF Marham . XL426's final display flight was on 14 June 1986. XL426
5214-535: Was finally withdrawn from service on 17 September 1984. XH558 was subsequently selected for display duties with the RAF's Vulcan Display Flight at Waddington. The VDF had been formed in 1984 and was already using XL426 (the aircraft donated to Southend in 1986). For display duties, XH558 was returned to B2 configuration in 1985, and made its debut at Bournemouth in May 1985. It served in the VDF for seven years, making its final flight at Cranfield on 20 September 1992. It
5293-718: Was flown to Southend as a result of a tentative agreement with local maintenance company HeavyLift Aircraft Engineering to maintain the aircraft. Jacobsen had plans to continue operating both aircraft for display flights and had formed an organisation called the Vulcan Memorial Flight. However, the funds could not be found, and the aircraft sat dormant at London Southend Airport, while XM655 sat dormant at Wellesbourne Mountford Airfield in Warwickshire . By its last flight, XL426 had made 1,891 flights and amassed 6,236 hours of flying time. During this time, XL426
5372-485: Was hoped significant commercial sponsorship could be secured. The Great Recession thwarted plans to secure major commercial sponsorship, with the Trust also believing XH558's past as a nuclear bomber made some investors reluctant to get involved. After its first display season, the operating costs for one year's flight were estimated as £1.6m per year, with insurance alone costing £180,000, leading to an appeal being launched in December 2008 to raise £1m in four months, with
5451-406: Was limited to between 30 and 40 hours, reducing the number of air show appearances from 2009. Some two-day fly-in shows were limited to just one appearance, with the first day being given preference to allow the second day to act as a reserve in case of technical or weather difficulties. A leak in the fuel tanks caused several August 2011 airshow appearances to be cancelled. To celebrate 2012 being
5530-450: Was moved to a purpose-built pan by the railway line on the airport's eastern perimeter, where it was more visible to the public. On 7 October 1995, XL426 performed its first taxi run since moving to Southend. In spring 1997, it performed its first public high-speed taxi run on the main runway, during an airport open weekend. The VRT ultimately abandoned its goal of restoring the aircraft to airworthy condition and instead focussed on maintaining
5609-587: Was not granted until the Friday, allowing the first display flight, lasting five minutes, to go ahead on the Saturday in front of an estimated crowd of 125,000. An electrical fault prevented it from flying on the Sunday. XH558 was named Spirit of Great Britain in 2010. A combination of factors resulted in a decision at the end of 2012 to retire XH558 after the end of the 2013 season. After another feasibility study
5688-455: Was one of the few examples converted for a maritime reconnaissance role in 1973, and then again as an air-to-air refuelling tanker in 1982. After withdrawal in 1984 it continued with the RAF's Vulcan Display Flight , performing until 1992. In 1993 it was sold to C Walton Ltd who used it for ground-based displays at their Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome in Leicestershire, until 1999. Through a combination of public donations and lottery funding , it
5767-513: Was parked on the main apron of London Southend Airport and later the grass beside the apron, in full view of the terminal. In 1991, it was moved to the northern end of the airport's disused runway, out of public view. In March 1990, local enthusiasts formed the Vulcan Memorial Flight Supporters Club (VMFSC) to support Jacobsen's plans and help maintain the aircraft. Jacobsen eventually transferred ownership of
5846-443: Was part of the first batch of 24 Avro Vulcans ordered by the Royal Air Force on 25 February 1956. It was built at Avro's Chadderton and Woodford plants, like other Vulcans, and was the 44th of 88 Vulcan B2s built. Its first flight was on 23 August 1962, from Woodford Aerodrome , which lasted 1 hour and 35 minutes. XL426 entered service with the Royal Air Force on 13 September 1962, initially in 83 Squadron . The aircraft had
5925-404: Was put up for sale in the summer of 1986, and after a failed deal with a French consortium, it was eventually sold to businessman Roy Jacobsen of Croydon , who had purchased another Vulcan, XM655 , two years prior. The aircraft was delivered to London Southend Airport on 19 December 1986 (which would be its final flight) and became registered as a civilian aircraft on 7 July 1987, as G-VJET. It
6004-514: Was restored to airworthy condition by the Vulcan To The Sky Trust, who returned it to flight on 18 October 2007. The donations required to reach that point totalled £6.5 million. It recommenced its display career in 2008, funded by continuing donations to assist the £2 million annual running costs. In the summers from 2008 to 2010 it was based at RAF Brize Norton , Oxfordshire, moving its winter base to RAF Lyneham , Wiltshire at
6083-495: Was termed the " Scampton Wing "). This lasted until January 1971. XL426 was equipped with the nuclear missile Blue Steel until 1969, when the nuclear deterrent role was passed on to the Royal Navy . From 1971 to 1981, XL426 mostly served with 617 Squadron but also served briefly with 27 Squadron and 230 Operational Conversion Unit . It was the 298th and last Vulcan to undergo a major service at RAF St Athan in 1981. At
6162-466: Was the last Vulcan in service, largely due to the fact that it had seen little service as a low-level bomber and had spent considerable time grounded due to an accident when taking off for a northbound maritime sortie from RAF Scampton, on 6 November 1975. On takeoff, the No. 3 engine disintegrated after ingesting a seagull, resulting in a very large hole being blown right through her starboard wing. Subsequent major repairs grounded XH558 for many years, with
6241-667: Was unable to return to the display circuit for the 2007 season as had been hoped, or join the flypast down The Mall in London on 17 June 2007 marking the 25th Anniversary of the Falklands War . Post-restoration, displays were conducted every year from the 2008 to 2015 seasons inclusive, helping the Trust to exceed the requirement placed as part of the Heritage Lottery Fund grant to fly for at least 250 hours. The first post-restoration display at RAF Waddington comprised
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