XH558 - Update: Thursday 1st July 2010
01 July 2010 - VTST
Herculean efforts continue to ready Vulcan XH558 for RAF Waddington Airshow
Huge efforts are being made to complete the final servicing procedures & tests that would allow Vulcan XH558 to appear at the Waddington Airshow this coming weekend. The Vulcan to the Sky Trust (VTST), in partnership with the CAA, Marshall Aerospace, BAE Systems, Messier-Dowty, Kearsley Airways and Rolls-Royce, continues to do its utmost to try to ensure XH558 takes her rightful place in the skies above Waddington in celebration of her 50th Birthday. XH558 was the first Vulcan B.Mk2 to be delivered to the Royal Air Force at Waddington in July 1960, so it is a particularly significant & poignant year for this iconic and much loved aircraft.
Dr Robert Pleming, Chief Executive of VTST said: "Given where we were at the start of March, to be able to reach this stage and to have the aircraft almost on the brink of flying again has been an incredible achievement. Without a huge amount of commitment, energy, determination, problem-solving and hard work from all at VTST and at our partner and supplier organisations, this just would not have been possible."
"The Winter Service, Undercarriage Overhaul & Structural Fatigue Life Extension Modifications carried out on XH558 over the last four months have been a one-off & complex engineering project, which has had to be carried to the highest technical standards. Some of the work had never been carried out on a Vulcan airframe before. This was all performed in the light of the October 2009 Haddon-Cave report on the Nimrod MR2 crash in Afghanistan in 2006, which has sensitised the aerospace industry to the issues of ageing aircraft airworthiness.
We now stand at the point where we are working to ensure that all of the engineering, technical, regulatory and safety requirements are in place and correctly documented, to maximise the chance of appearing at the Waddington Airshow. Please bear with us, because while this vital work is moving forward positively, we remain uncertain it will be completed in time. We will continue to publish regular updates on our website to ensure that everyone is fully aware of our progress."
In recognition of all the efforts to return this unique British aircraft to flight, Vulcan XH558 has had the inscription "The Spirit of Great Britain" added to her livery. It is clearly only through this “Spirit” and the immense help and support that the public have so generously given that she is able to fly, to honour the brave people who remained on alert during the Cold War, to thrill crowds and to inspire the young throughout the United Kingdom.
Dr Pleming continued: "We would like to thank all the people who have given so generously to help support this superb example of British engineering and heritage. I believe that XH558 and the VTST exemplify the "Spirit of Great Britain", which I hope will inspire young people and encourage them to consider a career in the fields of engineering and technology, such an important part of all of our futures. All of the team at VTST are very proud to be associated with this endeavour, especially in this the major milestone of XH558’s Golden Anniversary year."
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