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[Entwood]

From the VTTS website :

XH558 Update - 25th June 2010
25 June 2010 - Vulcan To the Sky Trust
Engineering Update Friday 25thJune 2010

The Engineers and support contractors continue to make great strides in preparing XH558 for her 2010 Display season.

The port undercarriage is now fitted and tested. The next step, was to begin lowering the aircraft weight back onto her main wheels for the first time in nearly 9 months.  This was completed on Thursday.

We still have a days work to complete the engines test and the remaining electrical test prior to the first post service test flight schedule.

Our Engineering Authority, Marshall Aerospace and OEM’s, BAE and Rolls Royce, together with the CAA, are working hard to complete all the relevant paper work necessary to allow the application for a permit to test.   Once the test flight is completed and rectification is clear, a Permit Maintenance release will be signed by MA and the CAA will then issue a permit to fly.

The CAA have stated that they will support MA with the turn around of this document in the shortest possible time.  Without the regularity paperwork in place and the master of this document on board the aircraft, we will be unable to display the aircraft.

However, as has been said many times before, reliability and safety will never be sacrificed in returning XH558 to the Display Circuit.

It should be remembered, that only in March, the whole project was near to financial collapse, with the lack of funding preventing the Winter service and major air frame life extensions from starting.

To be even in the position we are now, just 3 months later, is a major achievement for the whole team!

To offer every good chance of making RAF Waddington on the 3rd and 4th of July, we have decided to postpone an official announcement on XH558’s condition till the early part of next week. We feel this will allow the public the best notice of the aircraft's condition and the likelihood of her attendance.

We would appreciate your understanding of this matter and look forward to your continued support, throughout the season to come.

Thank you.

Vulcan To the Sky Trust.

Things balanced on a knife edge .... again ..

[tunnie]

Good news, some photos taken by me at Bournemouth last year...

[webby23]

BBC Radio Lincolnshire reporting that flight tests are starting today

We are off to Waddington Saturday and are planning a fab day regardless of whether or not the Vulcan is there

Grew up seeing it at airshows and caught it on a practice display at Waddo a couple of years ago too

Lovely noise !!!!

[Matchless]

Test flight today (Monday) is a bit ambitious....they have a ton of paperwork to complete for all the airframe mods and servicing, if this is cleared then they have to ground run all 4 engines, more paperwork, apply to the CAA for  test flight permission, more paperwork....you get the idea.
I would hope she test flies by Wednesday, then more post test flight paperwork, and then a minimum of 3 display routines in front of a CAA examiner before permission is given to display to the public.
Waddington is just possible but there is no slack for problems, crew & CAA availability etc.

[CaptainZok]

Was the Vulcan subject to these strict beurocratic proceedures during it's RAF service? Is it something that was imposed when it moved to civilian ownership or just due to the age of the aircraft?

[2woody]

don't go there - have you seen the Haddon-Cave Nimrod report ?

[Marks DTM Calib]

Was the Vulcan subject to these strict beurocratic proceedures during it's RAF service? Is it something that was imposed when it moved to civilian ownership or just due to the age of the aircraft?

Its since preservation.....as it now falls under the CAA codes as a complex aircraft.

But still, it ensures she is pretty well maintained and safe.

[Matchless]

Final pre engine run checks completed today including a tow outside so the Garmin sat nav could see the sky to check it all still works.
No engine runs as there was another dead a/c blocking access to the running pan.
Hopefully the noise generators will be checked out tomorrow.

[Matchless]

Was the Vulcan subject to these strict beurocratic proceedures during it's RAF service? Is it something that was imposed when it moved to civilian ownership or just due to the age of the aircraft?

Under CAA rules as applied to XH558 at present she must be 100% serviceable to fly or display. Most commercial a/c and military a/c will be flying with one or more 'known' snags.
This can give rise to some no-shows at air shows but there were very few engineering / serviceability related no shows in her first season back flying which is incredible given her age and the fact that she was completely dismantled at one point. Well done the engineering team.

[The Red Baron]

sounds like things are looking up

[Entwood]

Photo's of todays outing are here ..

http://www.site.vulcantothesky.org/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=9512&whichpage=10

right down the bottom of the page ..

Courtesy of "Mackrick" 

[I_want_an_Omega]

I've got a grandstand seat for this. I can SEE Waddington RAF base from my living room window on the other side of Lincoln  - so wont have to pay or drive anywhere this weekend to enjoy the noise! 

Weekend before last we got buzzed by a low level flypast by "City of Lincoln"  - awesome 

[Nickbat]

Apparently booked to fly at Farnborough!

http://www.farnborough.com/Site/Content/Farnborough2010/Aircraft/Daily-Flying-Display.aspx?Z=283

I'm considering going...

..and I see that the Boeing 787 Dreamliner will be on static display.

[Hannah Judes Dad]

I'm working at the show this weekend and I sure hope it makes a flight.

[Entwood]

From VTTS site this morning :

Herculean efforts continue to ready Vulcan XH558 for RAF Waddington Airshow

 Huge efforts are being made to complete the final servicing procedures & tests that would allow Vulcan XH558 to appear at the Waddington Airshow this coming weekend. The Vulcan to the Sky Trust (VTST), in partnership with the CAA, Marshall Aerospace, BAE Systems, Messier-Dowty, Kearsley Airways and Rolls-Royce, continues to do its utmost to try to ensure XH558 takes her rightful place in the skies above Waddington in celebration of her 50th Birthday. XH558 was the first Vulcan B.Mk2 to be delivered to the Royal Air Force at Waddington in July 1960, so it is a particularly significant & poignant year for this iconic and much loved aircraft.

Dr Robert Pleming, Chief Executive of VTST said: "Given where we were at the start of March, to be able to reach this stage and to have the aircraft almost on the brink of flying again has been an incredible achievement. Without a huge amount of commitment, energy, determination, problem-solving and hard work from all at VTST and at our partner and supplier organisations, this just would not have been possible."

"The Winter Service, Undercarriage Overhaul & Structural Fatigue Life Extension Modifications carried out on XH558 over the last four months have been a one-off & complex engineering project, which has had to be carried to the highest technical standards. Some of the work had never been carried out on a Vulcan airframe before. This was all performed in the light of the October 2009 Haddon-Cave report on the Nimrod MR2 crash in Afghanistan in 2006, which has sensitised the aerospace industry to the issues of ageing aircraft airworthiness.

 

We now stand at the point where we are working to ensure that all of the engineering, technical, regulatory and safety requirements are in place and correctly documented, to maximise the chance of appearing at the Waddington Airshow. Please bear with us, because while this vital work is moving forward positively, we remain uncertain it will be completed in time. We will continue to publish regular updates on our website to ensure that everyone is fully aware of our progress."

In recognition of all the efforts to return this unique British aircraft to flight, Vulcan XH558 has had the inscription "The Spirit of Great Britain" added to her livery. It is clearly only through this “Spirit” and the immense help and support that the public have so generously given that she is able to fly, to honour the brave people who remained on alert during the Cold War, to thrill crowds and to inspire the young throughout the United Kingdom.

Dr Pleming continued: "We would like to thank all the people who have given so generously to help support this superb example of British engineering and heritage. I believe that XH558 and the VTST exemplify the "Spirit of Great Britain", which I hope will inspire young people and encourage them to consider a career in the fields of engineering and technology, such an important part of all of our futures. All of the team at VTST are very proud to be associated with this endeavour, especially in this the major milestone of XH558’s Golden Anniversary year."