Vulcan will take to Waddington Air Show skies

The iconic Avro Vulcan Bomber B2 XH558 will be flying at this year’s Waddington International Air Show.

The 1940s XH558 Vulcan, the only one still flying and the oldest complete one, will fly over the annual air show on July 5 and 6.

The craft represents over 300 bombers which made up the UK’s NATO strategy of deterrence and represents thousands of service men and women.

The Vulcan was designed by the same team that built the Avro Lancaster, and is a jet-powered delta wing strategic bomber used by the RAF during the Cold War as a nuclear strike platform.

While is was armed with nuclear weapons, it could also carry out conventional bombing missions, such as those used in Operation Black Buck during the Falklands War.

The plane retired in 1984 but the XH558 was kept active for flying displays until 1992.

It is also nicknamed “The Spirit of Great Britain” by the some people.

RAF Waddington International Air Show Director, Sqn Ldr Paul Sall (Rtd) said: “This year’s display is shaping up really well, with an exciting line up already confirmed.

“I am really delighted that the XH558, such a favourite of the crowd, will also display this year.

“There is no doubt that this iconic aircraft, which was once stationed here at RAF Waddington, will once again create the ‘Vulcan Effect’, thrilling thousands of our spectators at the Show this year.”

Dr Robert Pleming, Chief Executive of the VTST added: “It is 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.

“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.”

Other displays already confirmed at the show so far include an array of RAF, Royal Navy and Army Air Corps aircraft, such as the Red Arrows and RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, the Spanish helicopter display team, the Swiss Air Force Solo Display and the Slovak Air Force’s Albatross L-39 training aircraft.

For more information about the Waddington Air Show and tickets, visit the official website.