Vulcan Skies
6th September 2008
We were recovering from a period of relentless rainfall over the last twenty-four hours, with menacing dark skies and threats of further thunder and lightning being forecast for Lyneham. It was not on the agenda to look up at the so-called summer skies, but shortly after 3pm a break in the weather and a thundering roar was heard around the village, as a gigantic delta-wing Vulcan bomber, the icon of the cold-war era, passed over Lyneham's watery skies.

Sweeping low over the Wiltshire air-base, the newly restored Avro Vulcan XH558 made a series of low manoeuvres, throttles in position to keep the Olympus engines roaring as it passed the base. A result of years of painstaking work from volunteers enabled this former bomber to return to our skies. It was scheduled to do an air display at Southport but the weather curtailed that show, but fortunately the Wiltshire base was open and the subsonic bomber that was operated by the Royal Air Force from 1953 until 1984 put on a small show.

The Vulcan was part of the RAF's V bomber force, which fulfilled the role of nuclear deterrence against the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It was also used in a conventional bombing role during the Falklands conflict with Argentina. Vulcan XH558 returned to the skies on the 18th October 2007.

Andrew Edmondson, Engineering Director of the Vulcan to the Sky project talked earlier in the year about the delta-wing bomber's return to flight “It made me very proud to lead the team that returned XH558 to full working order. "

"Everyone, and the RAF in general, have been hugely supportive of the project. A big part of our mission is to honour all of the servicemen that served during the Cold War. Military personnel, our supporters club, the general public and the Heritage Lottery Fund have helped us move heaven and earth to return XH558 to the sky."