Retiring vulcan bomber to take to the skies above Woodford

by Lisa Reeves

Tuesday 23^rd June 2015

Tue 23^rd Jun 2015

Local residents will have the opportunity to see the last flying Vulcan bomber before it retires from flying later this year.

The former RAF bomber, registered as XH558, will take to the skies above Woodford Aerodrome on Saturday, 27th June, as part of the "Salute to the V-Force" farewell tour - which will see the former RAF bomber overfly every complete Vulcan, Victor and Valiant in the UK.

Each year, charity Vulcan to the Sky Trust raises more than £2 million to service and operate the aircraft, which is based at Robin Hood Airport in South Yorkshire.

The charity's chief executive, Dr. Robert Pleming said "If you don't see her this season, there will be no more opportunities to hear a Vulcan's spine-tingling howl as she climbs high into the sky for another memorable display, or to see her rolling onto her side to reveal her giant delta silhouette."

When XH558 lands for the last time at the end of a spectacular Farewell to Flight season, it will be to become the centre of a new type of education initiative.

Dr. Robert Pleming explained "XH558 is an iconic example of that remarkable period of intense post-war innovation that made British aviation technology the envy of the world. In her new life, still able to accelerate dramatically along the runway, XH558 will build on this exciting provenance to inspire and educate new generations of young people, helping to deliver the technical and aviation skills that Britain so badly needs."

There will also be a heritage centre so that enthusiasts can continue to visit the aircraft and learn about the engineering innovation and Cold War politics that brought her into existence.

The XH558 display is subject to weather and technical conditions on the day and routes may alter, subject to local conditions at the time. Visit www.vulcantothesky.org for the latest information.

In order to bring XH558 to more people in her farewell season, organisers are appealing to the public for support to help cover the £50,000 costs of delivering this tour.

Visit the dedicated Justgiving page for Woodford to make an online donation.

Photo credits Jeff Bloxham and Laurens van de Craats.

Updated: 12.20pm Thursday, 25th June.

The Vulcan XH558 is scheduled to depart from Robin Hood Airport, Doncaster at 1pm on Saturday, 27th June.

It is expected to be above Woodford at approximately 3.09pm, having previously flown above Manchester-Barton at 3pm. After Woodford it will fly on to RAF Cosford which is expected to reach at 3.23pm.

The XH558 display is subject to weather and technical conditions on the day and the route may changed as a result of local conditions at the time.

Tags:: Woodford Aerodrome

Comments

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.

DELETED ACCOUNT

Tuesday 23^rd June 2015 at 7:04 pm

The days when Woodford was a centre of technical excellence and advanced manufacture. Now it has all been bulldozed to house citizens in an economy devoted to selling each other insurance and making cups of coffee.

Nigel Davies

Wednesday 24^th June 2015 at 10:29 am

Thankyou for posting the article about the Vulcan flypast, as many people weren't aware of its final Flypast.

Wednesday 24^th June 2015 at 12:07 pm

Nigel - agree as many people as possible need to know about the flypast. It is an iconic plane and at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis crews slept next to their fully armed planes ready to go in less than three minutes. Bearing in mind how early the Vulcan was designed, by men with sliderules, it is remarkable that the US engineers made us of its wing profile in designing the stealth bomber. No doubt there are readers of this who would regard standing up to the Soviet Union as extremely Nimbyist!

Vince Chadwick

Wednesday 24^th June 2015 at 1:29 pm

It might be worth pointing out that there will be no access to the former Woodford Airfield for the general public on Saturday (or any other day). It is now the private property of Harrow Estates, is a demolition site, and has security on the gates.

The Vulcan will also overfly Barton Airfield, Manchester at 3pm on Saturday as part of this 'farewell tour'.

Barry Buxton

Wednesday 24^th June 2015 at 4:01 pm

Being a huge fan (and financial supporter) of Vulcan XH558 and being non- Nymbyist / living in the past are not mutually exclusive!

Friday 26^th June 2015 at 11:51 am

The Vulcan will now include a fly past at the Airport, in between its Barton and Woodford appearances, the Airport Authority has announced (subject to operational conditions).