After having been told off by a reader for my ‘rubbish’ post on the RIAT cancellation, I thought I’d better post something at least moderately useful with regard to UK flying displays.

So, here we have a list of announced dates flying display dates for newly-restored Avro Vulcan XH558 which was unfortunately unable to display at Fairford due to the inclement weather.

Due to the donation-driven way that XH558 is operated, the Vulcan Operating Company have to work within a strict budget which will pay for about £160,000 worth of fuel this year. With XH558’s four Rolls-Royce Olympus turbojet engines being rather thirsty, this will limit the number of shows that can be attended each year. TVOC expect to be able to fly the Vulcan for about 50 hours per annum.

Announced so far:

• Farnborough Air Show : 14th - 20th of July 2008
• Portrush, Northern Ireland : 6th and 7th of September 2008
• Jersey Air Display: 11th of September 2008
• RAF Leuchars Air Show : 13th of September 2008

All of the above dates are subject to change due to the nature of private aircraft operation. The respective organisers of the shows are probably the best people to contact with regard to whether you will be able to see the Vulcan in flight and on what days. If you’re traveling solely to see the Vulcan, you should check first!

I also heard rumour that the Vulcan might be displayed at Lowestoft Air Festival but despite a newspaper article, I can’t find any further confirmation. Again, anyone hoping to see XH558 at Lowestoft on the 24th or 25th of this month would be best advised to contact the Lowestoft Air Day organisers to confirm which day the flypast would be on (if at all)

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You may have seen on the TV News that a British icon of the Cold War has taken to the skies again after 13 years.

XH558, first flown in 1960 is an Avro Vulcan B.2 nuclear bomber. The aircraft is unusual in that it is a large (about the size of a Boeing 737) tailless ‘delta’ design. It’s four Bristol Siddeley Olympus turbojets are well remembered from airshows where they produced their unmistakably loud sound.

XH558 was finally retired from display flights in 1992 and was delivered to Bruntingthorpe aerodrome in Leicestershire the following year. There, with the help of many public donations and the Heritage Lottery Fund, she has been restored to airworthiness culminating in her first test flight on 18th October 2007.

Here we have a video of her return to flight. She makes a noisy and swift takeoff due to her reduced weight; the heavy military avionics and system have been removed and replaced with a modern avionics suite suited to her new display role.

Almost immediately after takeoff, XH558 seemed to be throttled back, this presumably to avoid overspeeding the still deployed undercarriage. I’m informed the undercarriage was retracted later in the flight but I would expect the flight crew were working through operations in stages for the purposes of testing.

It’s great to see a Vulcan flying again, after some more test flights, XH558 is expected to join the display circuit in 2008.

A good description of the return to flight can be found over at Thunder and Lightnings

The Vulcan Operating Company website is here.

On a personal note: When the flight restoration effort began nearly ten years ago, I was extremely enthusiastic about it. Now, while my enthusiasm remains, I feel there is a cruel irony in that while we can return this one British built aircraft to flight, this country no longer has an extensive aviation industry. Indeed, the majority of the industry that once made us great and produced this aircraft domestically is now gone.