Airworthy again after more than 10 years of campaigning and comprehensive restoration work by the ‘Vulcan to the Sky Trust’, the striking delta-wing bomber was the last of its kind to serve in the Royal Air Force.  The aircraft was de-commissioned in 1993 & returned to the skies at Bruntingthorpe in October 2007. Last year, the iconic aircraft celebrated the 50th anniversary of its very first flight.

Eddie Forrester, Managing Director, Aerobytes Ltd says: “Aerobytes is passionate about keeping the Vulcan where it belongs, in the sky! We are delighted to be able to support both the bomber and Wings & Wheels by sponsoring the display and bringing this breathtaking aircraft to Dunsfold Aerodrome.”

Jamie McAllister, Event Director comments: “The Vulcan drew a huge crowd to last year’s Wings & Wheels. We are all really excited to confirm she will be displaying on both days this year and would like to thank Aerobytes for helping to make this possible. The Vulcan is another iconic addition to an already incredible line-up of aviation favourites. Tickets are now on sale from £18 and can be purchased from www.wingsandwheels.net.”

It costs around £2M each year to maintain & operate the Vulcan.  This is funded by a small army of several thousand individuals and companies like Aerobytes Ltd.  As ever, the finances of the Vulcan are precariously balanced on the edge so your help would be gratefully received.  For more information visit http://www.vulcantothesky.org/

Also included in the Wings line-up are the:

• de Havilland Vampire T11
• Team Viper (5 Hunter formation team)
• Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (Lancaster, Spitfire & Hurricane)
• RAF Hawk T1
• RAF Tucano T1
• RAF Tutor T1
• Royal Navy Lynx Helicopter
• Royal Navy Historic Flight (Sea Hawk & Sea Fury)
• Tigers Parachute Team
• Hawker Hunter – Miss Demeanour
• Hangar 11 (Curtiss Kittyhawk, Hawker Hurricane)
• Old Flying Machine Company (Supermarine Spitfire, Mustang P51D)
• The Blades
• Breitling Wingwalkers
• Red Bull Matadors
• Avro Vulcan XH558

The 7th annual Wings and Wheels will be held over the August Bank holiday weekend; Sunday 28th & Monday 29th August 2011, at Dunsfold Park near Guildford, Surrey, and is open to spectators from 09:00 until 18:30.

Tickets start from £18 for adults, £40 for a family (2 adults and 3 children aged 5 – 15yrs), £5 for children aged between 5 and 15yrs and under 5s are free. Hospitality packages start from £125 per person, weekend passes, grandstand tickets and camping are also available. For more information visit www.wingsandwheels.net or to book tickets call 08712 305572.

Wings & Wheels is promoted by Dunsfold Park Limited with proceeds going to nominated charities: Brooklands Museum Trust, Cranleigh Village Hospital Trust,  Help for Heroes and Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance.

Doors will be open at 12:00, with the event starting at 1pm. Our guest speaker for the afternoon will be Steve Bridgewater.Steve is currently editor of the new Jets Monthly magazine, which is published by Kelsey Publishing of Cudham, Kent, with issue number one just hitting the shelves in late January of this year.

He will be speaking about ‘100 years of airshows’, and his interesting and varied life in aviation.

Steve reveals how a trip to an airshow as an aspirational nine-year old moulded his life:

I remember straining my neck to look into the far distance. An unmistakable shape was circling on the horizon, a shape this fresh-faced nine-year old had seen in books and magazines, but never seen in the flesh. The incoming aeroplane was now trailing a cloud of thick black smoke and flying straight towards the airfield. The mighty Vulcan bomber was inbound. At crowd centre the pilot stood the big delta onto its tail and the engines howled as it climbed towards a large blue patch in the sky. For the next 15 minutes I stood spellbound as the V-Bomber cavorted in front of me, a wide eyed grin seemingly painted onto my young face. This was 1984, I was just nine years old but I remember my first airshow experience to this day. I’d always been interested in aeroplanes but that day, more than 25 years ago, I knew I wanted to be a pilot.

He began volunteering at Air Atlantique in 1995, eventually becoming their Commercial Director, looking after many aspects of the Air Atlantique Classic Flight and the AIRBASE visitor centre at Coventry Airport. He left that post earlier this year. Steve has held a National Private Pilot Licence (NPPL) since September 2005 and has flown aircraft as diverse as the Jet Provost, Extra 300 and Bulldog. He was born and bred in Tamworth, Staffordshire and has also lived next to RAF Wittering near Stamford. Although trained in marketing Steve made his career as an aviation journalist and has edited Air Action and Go Flying! magazines and been Deputy Editor at Today’s Pilot and Pilot magazines. He has been short-listed for the prestigious International Aerospace Journalist of the Year Award (AJOYA) on three separate occasions and had work published worldwide.

The event is being arranged by the Vulcan Restoration Trust, the charity that preserves the ‘Southend Vulcan’ based at Southend Airport (see attached information sheet), with the proceeds from the event going towards its continued restoration and preservation.

The first ‘Visit the Vulcan Day’ of 2011 will be held on: 17 April 2011

Visitors will be able to get ‘up close and personal’ with ex-RAF V-Bomber Avro Vulcan XL426, and have a guided tour of the cockpit. VRT Team members will be on hand to answer questions, and various stalls will be available. The adjacent ‘Lancaster’ restaurant will be open for refreshments. Entry is £2.00 (under 16s free but must be accompanied at all times), plus an additional £2.50 for the cockpit tour for all ages. Gates open at 10am, with last admission at 5pm. No animals except for assistance dogs please.

The public will be able to inspect the latest work carried out on XL426 – known as ‘The Southend Vulcan’ – as the ‘426 Return To Power!’ appeal program progresses. A number of items that have been removed from the bomber for restoration will be on display.

During the day the aircraft’s Airborne Auxiliary Power Unit (a small Rover jet engine) will be run, allowing various systems on the bomber to be operated, such as the vast bomb doors, which once would have held Britain’s nuclear deterrent, the Blue Steel nuclear missile. One very lucky member of the visiting public will be able to take the controls during this demonstration, for a fee, on a first come basis. A very unique opportunity.

The ‘Southend Vulcan’ is one of only three Vulcans in the UK still in ‘running’ condition.

Vulcan Restoration Trust Website

The iconic aircraft, which is one of the most popular examples of British aerospace engineering, is lined up to take to the skies at the air show on June 12 at RAF Cosford on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border.

In 2010 more than a million people watched the last airworthy Avro Vulcan fly and its appearance at the Midlands air extravaganza is set to attract thousands of people from all over the country.

Richard Clarke, spokesman for the Vulcan to the Sky Trust, said there were a number of reasons why the Vulcan was so popular.

He said: “She is an iconic aircraft from the Cold War that helped during that dangerous period and she is the last one left flying in the world.

“She is very very popular as a display aircraft and the design of the aircraft, with the Delta wing, is a real show stopper.

“We hope that the crowd at Cosford really enjoys the opportunity to see this iconic aircraft once again.”

Air show co-ordinator Norman Branagh said he was delighted the Vulcan was lined up to appear at in the air over Cosford once again.

He said: “The aircraft’s appearance in 2009 was a real highlight and thousands of people turned out to watch the Vulcan fly above the crowds.

“We look forward to seeing her in the air again this Summer.”

And as well as the excitement in the air the crowds will also be able to enjoy a wide variety of entertainment on the ground with a fun fair, craft fair, market and aircraft exhibitions – as well as entry to the RAF museum.

Tickets will be £25.00 on the gate, only cash can be accepted, and £19.00 in advance. Tickets are free for children under 16 when they are accompanied by an adult.

Postal bookings should be received on or before June 5, 2011, and all major credit cards are accepted on the 24-hour Cosford Air Show Ticket Line on 0871 230 1083.

Tickets are also available from the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, Shropshire Star offices in Shrewsbury, Hereford, Newport, Bridgnorth, Oswestry and Ludlow, Tourist Information Centres in Stoke-on-Trent, Stafford and Birmingham and in Mid Counties Co-Operative stores.

Full information on the show can be seen on the air show web site – www.cosfordairshow.co.uk – or is available on the show information line at 0844 561 1897.

In 2010, over a million people watched the Vulcan fly. “That makes this amazing aircraft one of the most popular attractions in the UK, but we survive on a tiny fraction of the budget of comparable heritage activities and receive no Government support,” points out Vulcan To The Sky chief executive Dr Robert Pleming, who hopes to see the plane fly for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

With the Vulcan now well established as an airshow star, the Trust has developed a business plan that will provide substantially greater commercial revenues from 2011. Combined with public donations, it is hoped that this will give her a secure future. “This will allow us to increase the role the Vulcan plays in teaching science, technology, maths and Cold War history and in inspiring the young engineers of the future,” says Pleming. “Today though, 2011 looks a long way away.”

The Avro Vulcan is an iconic example of British aerospace engineering at its world-beating best. The design brief was issued by the MoD in 1947 and the plane flew for the first time in 1952, just eleven years after the first flight of its predecessor, the Avro Lancaster. Its impressive list of technical achievements includes being the first successful large delta wing aircraft (leading directly to Concorde), innovations such as anti-lock brakes, and an agility that was so close to a jet fighter’s that it was given a fighter-style control column in place of the traditional bomber pilot’s yoke.

Success as a Cold War peacekeeper meant that the Vulcan might have flown its entire service life without ever entering combat if it hadn’t been for the Falklands Conflict in 1982. After a marathon 4,000 mile flight supported by eleven Victor tankers, Flight Lieutenant Martin Withers and his crew released the bombs over Port Stanley Airport that forced Argentina’s Mig III fighters off the island and initiated the campaign that recaptured the Falkands. Two years later, the last Vulcans were withdrawn from service.

Today, only one Vulcan is left flying: XH558, owned by the Vulcan To The Sky Trust, a Registered Charity. Returned to the air in 2007, she has become an airshow phenomenon. “People forget that airshows attract seven million people annually. That’s second only to football,” says Dr Pleming. “An appearance by the Vulcan builds even on this remarkable level, typically increasing attendance by 20-40 percent. Airshow organisers talk about ‘the Vulcan Effect’ and have described the aircraft as a national treasure.”

But it isn’t only the passion that people have for the aircraft that Pleming believes makes it an important part of our heritage. He sees it playing an important role in education and training, funded by commercial activities from sponsorship, hospitality and merchandise through to integration with apprenticeship schemes, motivational activities for management and VIP ‘money can’t buy’ events for top-level incentive schemes and wealthy enthusiasts. The first of these activities are now being rolled out.

Flight Lieutenant Martin Withers DFC (he won the Distinguished Flying Cross for his heroic Vulcan mission to Port Stanley) is a passionate supporter of the educational role of the plane. “Part of our mission is to ensure that young people learn about the knife-edge fear of the Cold War,” he explains. “If I had been ordered to press the button that releases the nuclear payload, there would almost certainly have been no Britain left to fly home to. The Vulcan is the most powerful symbol of a remarkable period in British history that we must never forget.”

Withers is also passionate about the aircraft’s growing role in technical education. “This is one of the most iconic pieces of aerospace technology ever, and it is thoroughly British. The Vulcan fires young people with a passion to develop and build world-beating technologies. And we can help give them those skills through training modules that call upon the extraordinary knowledge, rigour and precision needed to restore and maintain the world’s only flying ‘complex’ heritage aircraft.”

The Trust hopes to fly the aircraft for at least two more display seasons, including the year of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012, which is also the 60th anniversary of the first flight of the Vulcan and the 30th anniversary of its heroic role in the Falklands conflict. “The airframe has limited time before it will no longer be possible to renew its Permit to Fly,” explains Dr Pleming. “After that, we hope to develop a museum and educational centre around the plane, funded by conference, leisure and other commercial activities.”

“But if we don’t make it through October,” concludes Dr Pleming, “The tremendous opportunities offered by this magnificent aircraft will be lost forever.”

The Vulcan, one of the most iconic warbirds of the Cold War era, was restored to flying condition in 2008 following a massive £7 million public campaign.

In order to display each year, the aircraft has to pass a series of rigorous tests, and operators overcame both financial and technical challenges to ensure that once again, the world’s only airworthy Vulcan would take to the skies for another season.

Vulcan XH558, which was built in 1960, enjoyed a 33-year career in the RAF, including service during the Falklands War. Along with the Valiant and the Victor, the three aircraft comprised the Royal Air Force’s legendary V-bomber force, designed to protect the UK from nuclear threat from the 1950s to the 1980s.

The ambitious restoration of XH558 was supported by a £2.5 million grant from the Lottery Fund, a £500,000 donation from philanthropist Jack Hayward, commercial sponsors plus contributions from more than 20,000 members of the public. The campaign also received significant fundraising support from the Air Tattoo throughout the restoration project.
Last year, its appearance at the Air Tattoo was considered by many to have been the highlight during the airshow’s eight-hour flying display.

Air Tattoo Chief Executive Mr Tim Prince said he was delighted to be welcoming back such a popular and unique aircraft. He said: “It’s been touch-and-go as to whether the aircraft would be ready in time but I am absolutely thrilled it is now able to join us. There are few aircraft flying today that can match its beauty and sheer thunderous power. In my mind, it is one of a handful of legendary aircraft, including the Spitfire and Concorde that has the ability to stir the emotions.”

Vulcan to the Sky . . . . One again!

The Vulcan to the Sky trust has received an anonomous donation of £458,000 securing the short term future of the project. The donation has meant the £800,000 target of funding by the end of march has been exceeded allowing work to return XH558 back to the air for the 2010 airshow season to move forward. The trust now have to collect the thousands pledged over the last few months

This year sees XH558 celebrate it’s 50th birthday. Marshalls of Cambridge will be undertaking some life extension work on the aircraft which should see it remain airworthy beyond the 2010 airshow season.

The letter from Dr Robert Pleming this morning read as follows:-

There can now be no doubt that XH558 has a guardian angel looking after her: I can now confirm some really good news that vastly changes the status of our current Appeal.

Shortly, the Results Graph on our appeal site will show a massive increase due to a fantastic confirmed donation of £458,000! The donor has asked to remain anonymous, but I can reassure you that he is fully aware of the significance of this contribution.

As the result, I have pleasure in confirming that the Board of Trustees has decided that VTST now has sufficient funding in place to go forward with the planned engineering programme, and onward to the 2010 Display Season.

We have to temper this great news with the fact that our Public Appeal has been waning compared with previous years, probably as a result of the poor economic conditions and the weariness of boom and bust cycles.

Our main drive this year will be to finally put XH558 onto a firm business footing, with many new income generation schemes: Educational Lectures, New Merchandise, Regional Sponsorship, Competitions, and of course, an ongoing Annual Appeal. We must acknowledge we will continue to need public support, but gear the appeal over the whole year.

We will now focus our campaign on the 50^th Birthday Appeal, which will also be marketed through our World Record attempt for signatures on XH558’s Birthday Card, until we launch our fresh campaign in May, aimed at taking XH558 on into 2011.

Very soon, those who have pledged will be receiving their “redemption” letters. Please await their arrival before making payment, so we can accurately record details and apply Gift Aid if applicable.

Your continuing support is much appreciated by everyone who appreciates what XH558 represents and by all those who have helped XH558 over the years. She is adored and appreciated by people all over the world. She is quite simply – the one and only!

Each and every one of us owes a deep debt of gratitude to every individual who contributed, no matter how small their donation, for keeping the dream alive.

My sincerest thanks and best wishes to you all,

Dr Robert Pleming

Unfortunately, the Vulcan was made airworthy just in time for one of the deepest economic downturns in history. Sponsorship for such a project has proved very hard to come by despite some very high profile campaigns and appearances at some of the countries biggest airshows. Ever since it make it’s first test flight, the Vulcan has been almost entirely dependant in public donations to keep flying. It has been an amazing feat of will-power and public support that has kept the Vulcan flying.

The Vulcan has had a profound effect on UK airshows. While it may not have been totally responsible for the massive crowds that most shows have enjoyed in the last couple of years, it certainly has contributed. The Vulcan does attract significant media interest for the shows which can only boost crowd numbers and as well as attracting a band of ever enthusiast supporters. Indeed, Bournemouth Council put a large part of the success of it’s show to the Vulcan’s three appearances during the air festival. The sheer presence of this emotive aircraft has always turns heads, particularly the final “howl” as the Vulcan spirals into the heavens at the end it’s displays.

The season however, wasn’t without it’s low points. The first couple of weeks of July 2009 were particularly trying with issues with the aircraft’s “Permit to Fly” preventing displays at Waddington and combined technical issues (brakes) and poor weather preventing a display at Yeovilton. However, after that the Vulcan made some spectacular airshow appearances and it has enjoyed some superb support from the public.

But all the summer’s fund-raising  has not been enough to secure the future of the project. There’s been plenty of critism of the Vulcan to the Sky Trust (VttS), mainly on internet forums and even media such as Twitter and Facebook! Many good valid points have been made but much of it is unfounded. Opportunities have been missed with the fund-raising, notably a very late start for the 2010 fund raising campaign that really should have been running way before the end of the 2009 display season. However, the Civil Aviation Authority have been very positive about the VttS’s approach to the operation of the Vulcan.  In a recent interview on key.aero Padhraic Kelleher, head of Airworthiness with the CAA, commented about the “Permit to Fly” issues at Waddington and VttS’s approach to the problems; “They behaved impeccably, and just what you would hope for an organisation that’s in charge of such a fabulous symbol.”

I think it’ll be a huge shame if the Vulcan were not to make it to the 2010 display season. Airshows will survive without the aircraft but the displays would be greatly missed. However you view the Vulcan to the Sky trust, you cannot escape the fact that the Vulcan is a hugely expensive aircraft to operate and any operator would be struggling without massive financial support.

Whether the Vulcan flies or not in 2010 depends on whether the masses really want the aircraft to fly again. If it goes, it’s likely to go forever and end up being a lifeless museum exhibit rather than an inspirational and exciting living example of British engineering at it’s best.

To pledge money to help return Vulcan XH558 to flight and airshows throughout 2010 -- CLICK HERE.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqAW5zZser4

Vulcan Effect Blu-Ray Cover

Produced by Planes TV; Available from Planes TV -- Blu-Ray £24.99, DVD £15.99

There’s little doubt that the 2009 season was dominated by the Vulcan. The aircraft’s story during the display season had all the ups and downs you’d associate with ant popular soap opera. The production is narrated by Sean Maffett, the aircraft’s official commentator.

The production starts on high introducing the viewer to some of the many faces behind the display. Many of these people are overlooked by the airshow going public but they play a vital role in getting Vulcan airworthy. The season for the aircraft started off on a high with successful test flights and practice displays at Brize Norton. There’s some stunning footage from the first few displays at Cosford, Volkel, Kemble and Biggin.

It’s very good that Planes TV didn’t shy away from the the difficult period in early July when the Vulcan arrived for Waddington Airshow only to find it’s Permit were not going to be renewed in time for it’s displays there. The low ebb continued for another week where weather cost Vulcan another public display at RNAS Yeovilton.

But every hero needs a dramatic comeback -- cue RIAT, Lowestoft and the stunning Windermere Airshow. RIAT is covered in some detail including that take-off on the Sunday. Many of the Vulcan’s display appearances are covered including highlights of Dawlish (in formation with the Red Arrows), Bournemouth, the World Aerobatic Championships at Silverstone, re-enacting the Black Buck at Cosby and it’s stunning appearance at RAF Leuchars. Interviews are interspersed throughout, even with the viewing public demonstrating the affection for the cold war warrior.

The finale of “The Vulcan Effect” is nothing short of spectacular. High definition on board cameras cover the aircraft’s appearance at the Southport Airshow including the flyover of Woodford, where the Vulcan was built . But it’s not all over, Planes TV’s Iain Campbell gets the chance of a lifetime for film the Vulcan air to air from Ultimate High’s Extra 300L. The result is a truly fascinating sequence of filming despite the some typically grey weather and the cramp conditions in the front seat of the Extra! In Blu-Ray form, this sequence is epic.

The film ends at the Vulcan’s current home at RAF Lyneham with some more of the behind-the-scenes activities. The Vulcan faces some important fund raising over the winter and proceeds from the Blu-Ray/DVD goes to help keeping Vulcan flying.  Even if you’re not a Vulcan fan, this a superb record of  a “year-in-the-life” of an airshow icon.  This is a stunning production and Planes TV really have done the Vulcan proud.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtzubACHk0M