18/10/07 - News section
Historic day for aviation as Vulcan bomber returns to the skies
after 14 years
The Vulcan bomber - a warrior of the Cold War era and a decisive
weapon in the Falklands War - took to the skies for the first time
in 14 years today.
The Avro Vulcan XH558 was the last of the aircraft to fly in 1993
when it was hangared at an airfield in Bruntingthorpe, Leics.
Today, after a £6 million restoration project, it was returned to
flight.
The plane, which can reach speeds of up to 645mph, was expected to
scale heights of around 3,000 feet during the 20-minute test flight
and burn in excess of £1,000 of fuel.
Project organisers were describing it as a "historic day for
aviation".
It is the first time an aircraft of the Vulcan's complexity has
been given an extended overhaul on such a scale and then returned
to flight, meeting all current aviation standards, said the Vulcan
to the Sky Trust.
With a characteristic screeching roar, the plane rose majestically
into the sky to a cheer from watching supporters, sponsors and
engineers before banking to the left.
Just over 20 minutes later, to widespread relief, co-pilots Al
McDicken and David Thomas landed it back on a Leicestershire
airstrip.
Speaking immediately after the flight, Squadron Leader McDicken
said: "She was an absolute delight, every bit as good as I can
remember. It was a tremendous privilege to fly it again. We were
suitably aroused.
"What a statement for those people who made that aircraft all those
years ago.
"It's 25 years almost to the day that I last flew one. It was just
wonderful."
Engineers had failed to restore the Vulcan in time for a flypast
over London earlier this year to commemorate the Falklands
War.
Witnessing today's test flight, Dr Robert Pleming, chief executive
of the Vulcan to the Sky Trust, said he felt a "huge sense of
achievement" at finally getting the plane off the ground.
"We finally did it after so many ups and downs," he said. "It's the
British bulldog spirit."
Among the pilots to have worked on the project is Martin Withers,
who piloted a Vulcan for the first of the famous Black Buck
missions during the Falklands War.
Describing the significance of today's test flight, he said: "This
is the only one of the V-bombers (Victor, Valiant and Vulcan) to
play such an important role during the Cold War as our prime
nuclear deterrent, in good enough condition that you could
reasonably expect to be airborne again."
The XH558 will undergo further test flights before it can gain a
Civil Aviation Authority permit to take part in air shows.
It is hoped the aircraft will then become the star turn at events
from next spring.
Following RAF service spanning more than three decades, the plane
was retired from active service in 1992.
It had been a part of Britain's nuclear deterrent and served as a
maritime reconnaissance, air-to-air refueller and, finally, as the
Vulcan Display Aircraft for six years from 1986.
It was not among the Vulcan bombers which played a major part in
missions during the Falklands War.
The restoration project was kick-started by a £2.7 million grant
from the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2004. In return, the project
organisers will make the aircraft available for students studying
the Cold War in the National Curriculum.
Ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers chairman Sir Jack Hayward donated
£500,000.
And some 3,500 members of the public joined the Vulcan to the Sky
Club, organising a host of events to raise cash for its
restoration.
Acting club chairman Richard Clarke said: "The chance to be
involved in such a large scale undertaking rarely comes along in
anyone's life, so to have been able to contribute to such an
historic project is very exciting."
Restoration work on the aircraft has included a total overhaul,
including the rewiring of more than 12 miles of electric cabling,
installation of refurbished flying controls and new piping for its
pneumatic and hydraulics systems.
Corrosion has been removed from the plane's structure and the rear
spar strengthened.
Fourteen fuels tanks have also been re-installed along with four
Rolls-Royce Olympus 202 engines, and a modern new avionics suite
and modern navigation aids, such as GPS.
It will cost an estimated £1.6 million a year to keep in the air
and available for viewing by members of the public.
After a 'second life' of up to 15 years as an air show star it will
be retired to a national aerospace museum.
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