Historic bomber may be grounded as charity runs into money troubles

FUNDRAISERS behind a project which saw a Cold War bomber take to the skies after years in a hangar have warned that a lack of funding may mean the plane is grounded once more.
By The Newsroom
Published 22nd Sep 2010, 23:40 BST
Updated 22nd Sep 2010, 23:41 BST

Vulcan XH558, which was once based at RAF Finningley, near Doncaster, was rebuilt by engineers from the Vulcan To The Sky project and first flew again after its overhaul in 2007.

But a charity flypast planned for this Sunday could be the aeroplane's last mission after the charitable trust which led the restoration effort revealed that it was seriously short of cash.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Flight Lieutenant Martin Withers, who won the Distinguished Flying Cross for his part in a Vulcan mission to Port Stanley during the Falklands War, said the Vulcan was vital for education.

He said: "Part of our mission is to ensure that young people learn about the knife-edge fear of the Cold War. If I had been ordered to press the button that releases the nuclear payload, there would almost certainly have been no Britain left to fly home to.

"The Vulcan is the most powerful symbol of a remarkable period in British history that we must never forget."

The Vulcan was built by British aerospace giant Avro. It is estimated that more than a million people have watched XH558 fly this year.

Related topics:DoncasterBritain