The Harborough Mail has reported that the world’s only flying Cold War-era Avro Vulcan XH558 bomber recently spotted in the skies above Harborough again after 15 years and £7 million was spent to restore it to airworthy condition at Bruntinghtorpe by the Sky Trust.
Picture by Chris Jenkins
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the history of British military aviation, the Avro Vulcan Bomber was used by the RAF from 1956 to 1984 and was very much part of the country’s nuclear weapons program. The Avro Vulcan XH558, also known as The Spirit Of Great Britain, was the twelfth Vulcan built and first flew in 1960 before being converted into a B2 Maritime Radar Reconnaissance, then into an air-to-air refueling aircraft and finally back into its original configuration when it was used as an RAF display aircraft from 1986 until 1992. Eventually, Avro Vulcan XH558 was restored to flying condition by charitable donations and funds from the UK Lottery’s Heritage Fund and continues to make appearances at important events.
The Vulcan is now based at Robin Hood Airport Doncaster/Sheffield but if you want to have the chance to see it again or for the first time, the aircraft will be making a special appearance at the Victory Show in Cosby on Sunday, September 9. The two day Victory Show will be held over a 100 acre site that will be filled with re-enactments from several theaters during World War II but the return of the Vulcan to the show for the first time since 2009 promises to be a highlight of the event.
