IT'S BACK - THE VULCAN RETURNS
MORE THAN 15 years after its last appearance at the Royal International Air Tattoo, the distinctive shape of the mighty Avro Vulcan has again been seen in the Gloucestershire sky above Fairford.
Touching down shortly after 3pm this afternoon, the 'Vulcan Effect' was sufficient to fill the FRIAT grandstand and empty the corporate chalets, as a crowd of several thousand onlookers witnessed the arrival of this graceful machine.
"She's a delight to fly," said Martin Withers, the veteran Vulcan pilot who performed the first 'Black Buck' bombing raid on Port Stanley's airstrip during the Falklands War and who was at the controls for today's landing.
The return of the aircraft has been keenly awaited for several years, ever since the Vulcan To The Sky (VTTS) organisation began fund raising to restore her to flying condition. That objective was finally achieved in late 2007, but her return to Fairford had to be postponed for 12 months following the devastating downpours that forced the cancellation of the Air Tattoo in 2008.
This time, she has made it and the Vulcan "roar" will once again be heard as XH558 powers up her four Olympus engines and begins her take-off roll before wowing the crowds with performances on both days at the weekend. Martin Withers is expected to be in command on Saturday, with Kev Rumens taking over the controls for Sunday, and there can be little doubt that the Vulcan will deservedly be one of the stars of Air Tattoo 2009.
