ANZIO Digital Vulcan XH558 at RAF Waddington Air Show 2014

by Baron Halpenny, LincsMag Editor.
Date: 09 July 2014

RAF Waddington International Air Show 2014 - Lincolnshire Magazine - LincsMag.com

That iconic aircraft, the Avro Vulcan Bomber B2 XH558, once more returned to it's former base, RAF Waddington to perform its magnificent display in front of more than a 135,000 visitors over the Air Show weekend of 5th & 6th July.

The Avro Vulcan was designed in the late 1940's by the same team that built the Avro Lancaster. It is a jet-powered delta wing strategic bomber which was operated by the Royal Air Force during the Cold War as a nuclear strike platform.

Although the Vulcan was originally armed with nuclear weapons, it was capable of conventional bombing missions, a capability which was used in Operation Black Buck during the Falklands War. The RAF retired the Vulcan in 1984 but XH558 was kept active for flying displays until 1992.

‘The Spirit of Great Britain’

XH558 is the only flying Vulcan in the world and is also the oldest complete Vulcan anywhere. She represents over 300 bombers which made up the UK's contribution to the NATO strategy of deterrence.

RAF Waddington International Air Show 2014 - Lincolnshire Magazine - LincsMag.com

The Vulcan is now an inspiring tribute to the hundreds of thousands of dedicated service men and women who maintained and flew the aircraft.

This much loved aircraft, ‘The Spirit of Great Britain’, as she is affectionately known by the public, returned proudly to the public domain at the RAF Waddington International Air Show in July 2008 and has performed in front of millions of spectators all over the country since then.

During 2014 Vulcan To The Sky Trust (VTST) will be commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the end of the Cold War, with the Vulcan being the centrepiece as the last flying example of the V-Force.

The XH558's eagerly-anticipated, performance was a significant addition to the display programme that already included an array of aircraft from the RAF, Royal Navy and Army Air Corps, with spectacular displays lead by the RAF Red Arrows and the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

Operation Black Buck

Visitors also had the wonderful sight of two Vulcan Bombers together when XH558 taxied past XM607 which was the first Vulcan to participate in Operation Black Buck and to drop bombs on the runway at Port Stanley airfield during the 1982 Falklands war.

It is also a very poignant moment for one of Vulcan XH558's current pilots, as XM607 was on that historic flight of 30 April to 1 May in 1982 captained by one Flight Lieutenant Martin Withers, and who now sometimes flies the last air worthy Vulcan … XH558.

Operation Black Buck were extremely long-range ground attack missions by Avro Vulcan Bombers from RAF Waddington against the Argentine occupying force on the Falkland Islands.

XM607 now stands proudly beside the A15 road at RAF Waddington as a monument to the Vulcans and to the Black Buck Operations.

Hard Work

Before the Air Show, Dr Robert Pleming, Chief Executive of the VTST said: "I'm delighted that all of the hard work carried out over the winter by the VTST team, supported by many other companies, will now enable us to return XH558 to the 2014 RAF Waddington International Air Show. It is of course highly appropriate that the aircraft is making a return to RAF Waddington, where she was based for many years in a variety of roles, including her final one as the display aircraft for the Vulcan Display Flight, before her retirement from RAF service in March 1993.

"It was of course at Waddington where XH558 made her high-profile and emotional return to public displays on an unforgettable Saturday back in July 2008.

"This is a great opportunity for us to say a very big thank you to all of XH558's loyal supporters who have stayed with her through thick and thin, because without their unstinting help we would not be where we are today. We are incredibly grateful that the Vulcan is appearing once again at this famous RAF Station, giving people, particularly those who have not seen her before, the chance to experience the incredible spectacle of this truly iconic and much-loved aircraft."

support Vulcan XH558

To find out about the many ways that you can help to support Vulcan XH558 visit www.vulcantothesky.org.

RAF Waddington International Air Show 2014 - Lincolnshire Magazine - LincsMag.com

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