After 33 years of service followed by 14 years of retirement, Vulcan XH558 flew again today. The Vulcan To The Sky Trust spent ten years and £6.5 million restoring the aircraft, finally leaving the ground again today for a 34-minute test flight.
The Avro Vulcan, during its time in RAF service, was not only the linchpin of the RAF's nuclear strike capability (along with the Handley-Page Victor and the Mach 3 Blue Steel nuclear stand-off missile, which they could both carry), but an extremely potent conventional bombing platform that demonstrated its abilities in the Falklands. When it entered service, it actually out-performed most of the fighters of the day at its design operating altitude. Squadron Leader Al McDicken, one of Vulcan To The Sky's pilots, said:
"All of us who have flown her have enjoyed her handling qualities but she really flies like a big fighter in some ways. It's a thrill to be involved with it."
It really put a big smile on my face to see that a Vulcan was in the air again. I still remember feeling the control tower at RAF Scampton shake when the alert pair of Vulcans scrambled.