Flying start!

A Vulcan bomber like the one owned by the trust

THE CHADDERTON-BUILT mighty Vulcan bomber could be back in the skies by next year.


Restorers of Vulcan XH558 revealed the legendary aircraft had taken a significant step forward in the technical and financial challenges of putting the plane back in the air.

The Vulcan to the Sky Trust says there is hope for the last airworthy plane thanks to a state-of-the-art 3D scanner — which may be able to recreate vital tools and parts.

Robert Pleming, chief executive of the trust which owns the plane, said: “We are determined XH558 should fly for as long as is possible. A wing modification is fundamental to success, so before we can make other important decisions we have to know if it is realistically achievable.

“We cannot change the aircraft in any way not documented in the Avro procedures - so there is no possibility of rectification if a mistake is made.”

The plane was built and designed at the former Avro factory in Greengate, Chadderton, which closed last year under the BAE Systems name.

Though most of the Cold War-built, long-distance bombers were retired by the mid-1980s, the XH558 Vulcan carried on with airshow duties until the end of the Nineties. The planes last saw action during the Falklands War, when five made record-breaking 8,000-mile flights from Ascension Island to bomb the runway at Port Stanley.

This plane’s first flight after restoration was in October 2007 - after eight years work by the trust.

The trust is launching a new fund-raising campaign for £250,000 to help pay for the research.


To find out more visit www.vulcantotheskystore.co.uk