Vulcan V Bomber XH558 Press Release
September 19th 2008 10:21
5
pics net sourced
Vulcan makes a long awaited return to Goodwood – but her future remains shrouded in uncertainty
When Vulcan XH558 carries out a spectacular display during the Goodwood Revival event on Sunday 21st September it will be the first time that a Vulcan has appeared over this famous location for some 30 years. The rest of the UK has already been feeling the full force of the 'Vulcan Effect' this summer, with the British public flocking to witness the return of one of its greatest heroes. Since she was awarded her Permit to Fly, the newly restored Avro Vulcan bomber has made flying appearances at a number of major airshows, with each one subsequently boasting a record number of attendees as the result. With a combined viewing audience now up to over one million people, it is very clear that the Vulcan is breathing new life into the air show circuit – already the second largest spectator event in the UK after football.
“It has been absolutely terrific to see the reaction of the crowds watching the Vulcan flying at airshows”, says Vulcan to the Sky Chief Executive Dr Robert Pleming. “The sheer numbers of people who have turned up to see this much-loved and admired aircraft just shows how much XH558 is valued and remembered as a true icon of British aviation. The public seems to be taking the Vulcan to their hearts in the same way as Concorde was. Without the generosity of the public, and support from sponsors and the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Vulcan would have remained in early retirement. “
However, the dream of the Vulcan to the Sky team of continuing to showcase XH558 for the next decade is in real danger. Dr Pleming explains:
“I just hope that now we will be able to continue to bring the aircraft to many more shows and enable the younger generation to see not only a superb example of British engineering but a living part of our history. XH558 is the only Vulcan in the world that can fly. But there is a big barrier that may prevent us from achieving our objective: without commercial sponsorship, this display may be one of her last, and millions of people will be denied the experience of seeing this awesome aircraft in the air again!”
“After all of the hard work, dedication, commitment and effort that has been put in by all of the team, this would be devastating. By returning XH558 to flight after years of painstaking restoration, negotiation and fundraising, we have already achieved what was widely considered to be impossible and we have proved that we can fly and operate XH558 successfully. For this amazing project to falter due to a lack of funding would be agonising for all the team and our supporters”
Vulcan fleet in its heyday, pic net sourced
The Vulcan is also at the centre of an educational programme, explaining not only the history of the last half of the 20th Century and its relevance to today, but also the amazing design and engineering achievements that this 1950s-era aircraft represents. However, the only way to keep the Vulcan flying in public in future years will be to attract commercial sponsorship, in addition to continuing public donations.
However the future of the Vulcan, beyond her final appearance of the Airshow season at Duxford on 5th October, is very much in doubt. Although the Vulcan has helped to revitalise the Airshow circuit and has been the key attraction for many people eager to see her back in flight, following her successful £7m overhaul spanning the last three years; it now appears that lack of funding may be the factor that causes her to be grounded.
Business Development Director, Michael Trotter commented:
“As we come towards the end of our first season back on the Airshow circuit everyone in the team is exhausted but exhilarated that all of the hard work of the last few years has finally delivered this iconic aircraft back to the nation.”
“However this has to be tempered a little as the project remains on a knife edge as we still struggle to find a secure source of ongoing funding. It is extremely frustrating that, having returned XH558 to the display circuit and demonstrated the ‘Vulcan Effect’ at major shows – increased visitors, sell out crowds and recruitment to the Vulcan to the Sky Club – that we have not attracted a major sponsor to secure our future. People should be in no doubt that without such funding this may also turn out to be the last flying season for XH558 and that would be a tragedy.”
To find out about the range of very real corporate sponsorship opportunities that are available for companies and individuals to consider, please call Michael Trotter, Business Development Director on 07803 141483.
More information about the project can be found at www.vulcantothesky.com
For more information on the Vulcan and to arrange interviews, please contact:
Richard Clarke:
07714 898548 / richard@rclarke7.wanadoo.co.uk
Pic net sourced
Vulcan 607 Book Review
The first full account of the most ambitious British bombing raid since the Dambusters: the dramatic Vulcan attack on Port Stanley airfield at the start of the Falklands War When the Argentinian forces invaded the Falklands on 2 April, 1982, it took the British government under Margaret Thatcher completely by surprise. They needed a response, and fast. The military chiefs were
ordered to come up with a plan of retaliation. Operation Black Buck, the plan to bomb Port Stanley airfield, was their only realistic option. And even that was fraught with difficulties and danger. The plan itself was relatively simple: take two long range bombers and land a stick of bombs on the airfield in the immediate aftermath of the Argentine invasion. The realities were rather more complicated: the nearest friendly airbase was 4000 miles from Port Stanley and the only suitable long range bomber had just been taken out of service by the RAF. It wasn't an auspicious start .. And yet just over a month later, before dawn on 1 May, a lone RAF Vulcan B2 bomber made its way towards the runway at Port Stanley airport, about to strike the first blow of Britain's campaign to retake the Falklands. Through British pluck, ingenuity and determination by the hundreds of military personnel involved, the operation achieved its goals and will go down in history as the moment when Britain fought back.
Now, for the first time, the true story of the legendary raid on Stanley is told in Vulcan 607. Using extensive interviews with the combatants, residents of Stanley and military command, and with unprecedented access to military records of the time, Rowland White has reconstructed the flight and its preparation in gripping detail. It's an extraordinary and thrilling telling of a heroic enterprise - the last time that the RAF flew heavy bombers into combat, before being replaced with precision-guided modern weaponry - and looks set to join the classics of aviation literature with its blend of fascinating detail, compelling narrative and nailbiting action.(net sourced)
Posting this press release reminded me of a book I read last year about the raid by Vulcan 607 on Port Stanley during the Falklands War. Its one of those books that is a must read and a great achievement considering how the govenment at the time was decreasing military spending budgets and the like, so if you want an interesting and exciting read based on true events, then borrow, beg or buy this book.
kiwiauthor rating 9/10
Latest info in... It is with great sadness that VTST have to announce that due to technical problems XH558 will not be appearing at Siverstone or Goodwood this weekend .
Vulcan makes a long awaited return to Goodwood – but her future remains shrouded in uncertainty
When Vulcan XH558 carries out a spectacular display during the Goodwood Revival event on Sunday 21st September it will be the first time that a Vulcan has appeared over this famous location for some 30 years. The rest of the UK has already been feeling the full force of the 'Vulcan Effect' this summer, with the British public flocking to witness the return of one of its greatest heroes. Since she was awarded her Permit to Fly, the newly restored Avro Vulcan bomber has made flying appearances at a number of major airshows, with each one subsequently boasting a record number of attendees as the result. With a combined viewing audience now up to over one million people, it is very clear that the Vulcan is breathing new life into the air show circuit – already the second largest spectator event in the UK after football.
“It has been absolutely terrific to see the reaction of the crowds watching the Vulcan flying at airshows”, says Vulcan to the Sky Chief Executive Dr Robert Pleming. “The sheer numbers of people who have turned up to see this much-loved and admired aircraft just shows how much XH558 is valued and remembered as a true icon of British aviation. The public seems to be taking the Vulcan to their hearts in the same way as Concorde was. Without the generosity of the public, and support from sponsors and the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Vulcan would have remained in early retirement. “
However, the dream of the Vulcan to the Sky team of continuing to showcase XH558 for the next decade is in real danger. Dr Pleming explains:
“I just hope that now we will be able to continue to bring the aircraft to many more shows and enable the younger generation to see not only a superb example of British engineering but a living part of our history. XH558 is the only Vulcan in the world that can fly. But there is a big barrier that may prevent us from achieving our objective: without commercial sponsorship, this display may be one of her last, and millions of people will be denied the experience of seeing this awesome aircraft in the air again!”
“After all of the hard work, dedication, commitment and effort that has been put in by all of the team, this would be devastating. By returning XH558 to flight after years of painstaking restoration, negotiation and fundraising, we have already achieved what was widely considered to be impossible and we have proved that we can fly and operate XH558 successfully. For this amazing project to falter due to a lack of funding would be agonising for all the team and our supporters”
Vulcan fleet in its heyday, pic net sourced
The Vulcan is also at the centre of an educational programme, explaining not only the history of the last half of the 20th Century and its relevance to today, but also the amazing design and engineering achievements that this 1950s-era aircraft represents. However, the only way to keep the Vulcan flying in public in future years will be to attract commercial sponsorship, in addition to continuing public donations.
However the future of the Vulcan, beyond her final appearance of the Airshow season at Duxford on 5th October, is very much in doubt. Although the Vulcan has helped to revitalise the Airshow circuit and has been the key attraction for many people eager to see her back in flight, following her successful £7m overhaul spanning the last three years; it now appears that lack of funding may be the factor that causes her to be grounded.
Business Development Director, Michael Trotter commented:
“As we come towards the end of our first season back on the Airshow circuit everyone in the team is exhausted but exhilarated that all of the hard work of the last few years has finally delivered this iconic aircraft back to the nation.”
“However this has to be tempered a little as the project remains on a knife edge as we still struggle to find a secure source of ongoing funding. It is extremely frustrating that, having returned XH558 to the display circuit and demonstrated the ‘Vulcan Effect’ at major shows – increased visitors, sell out crowds and recruitment to the Vulcan to the Sky Club – that we have not attracted a major sponsor to secure our future. People should be in no doubt that without such funding this may also turn out to be the last flying season for XH558 and that would be a tragedy.”
To find out about the range of very real corporate sponsorship opportunities that are available for companies and individuals to consider, please call Michael Trotter, Business Development Director on 07803 141483.
More information about the project can be found at www.vulcantothesky.com
For more information on the Vulcan and to arrange interviews, please contact:
Richard Clarke:
07714 898548 / richard@rclarke7.wanadoo.co.uk
Vulcan 607 Book Review
The first full account of the most ambitious British bombing raid since the Dambusters: the dramatic Vulcan attack on Port Stanley airfield at the start of the Falklands War When the Argentinian forces invaded the Falklands on 2 April, 1982, it took the British government under Margaret Thatcher completely by surprise. They needed a response, and fast. The military chiefs were
ordered to come up with a plan of retaliation. Operation Black Buck, the plan to bomb Port Stanley airfield, was their only realistic option. And even that was fraught with difficulties and danger. The plan itself was relatively simple: take two long range bombers and land a stick of bombs on the airfield in the immediate aftermath of the Argentine invasion. The realities were rather more complicated: the nearest friendly airbase was 4000 miles from Port Stanley and the only suitable long range bomber had just been taken out of service by the RAF. It wasn't an auspicious start .. And yet just over a month later, before dawn on 1 May, a lone RAF Vulcan B2 bomber made its way towards the runway at Port Stanley airport, about to strike the first blow of Britain's campaign to retake the Falklands. Through British pluck, ingenuity and determination by the hundreds of military personnel involved, the operation achieved its goals and will go down in history as the moment when Britain fought back.
Now, for the first time, the true story of the legendary raid on Stanley is told in Vulcan 607. Using extensive interviews with the combatants, residents of Stanley and military command, and with unprecedented access to military records of the time, Rowland White has reconstructed the flight and its preparation in gripping detail. It's an extraordinary and thrilling telling of a heroic enterprise - the last time that the RAF flew heavy bombers into combat, before being replaced with precision-guided modern weaponry - and looks set to join the classics of aviation literature with its blend of fascinating detail, compelling narrative and nailbiting action.(net sourced)
Posting this press release reminded me of a book I read last year about the raid by Vulcan 607 on Port Stanley during the Falklands War. Its one of those books that is a must read and a great achievement considering how the govenment at the time was decreasing military spending budgets and the like, so if you want an interesting and exciting read based on true events, then borrow, beg or buy this book.
kiwiauthor rating 9/10
Latest info in... It is with great sadness that VTST have to announce that due to technical problems XH558 will not be appearing at Siverstone or Goodwood this weekend .
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