Test flight for Vulcan ahead of air shows

The country’s last remaining flying Vulcan bomber has taken its first flight of 2013 after an extensive maintenance period over the winter.

By The Newsroom

Published 29th May 2013, 01:01 BST

The last Vulcan bomber arriving at at Robin Hood Airport in Doncaster

The iconic aircraft, which is housed at Robin Hood Airport in Doncaster, flew over RAF Scampton as a test flight ahead of a busy summer schedule of air show appearances and flypasts.

A spokesman for the Vulcan To The Sky Trust said pilot Paul Mulcahy declared the Cold War bomber to be “in the best condition that she’s ever been”.

Last year it was announced 2013 would be the last air show season for Vulcan XH558, which was restored to the sky five years ago, because of spiralling costs.

It costs about £2m a year to keep the bomber airborne.

At the height of its fame, the Vulcan bomber was one of the most fearsome aircraft in the world and became a symbol of Britain’s defence of the Falkland Islands in the 1980s.