END OF VULCAN BOMBER

[mosu]

The last airworthy Vulcan bomber is set to make its final flight in 2013 as a result of the excessive technical and financial demands involved in keeping it operational, it has been announced. Vulcan XH558, operated by the Vulcan to the Sky trust, has flown at more than 60 outdoor events, including the Queen's jubilee celebrations, and has been seen in flight by an estimated 10 million people since its refurbishment in 2007.

By the end of the 2013 display season, XH558's post-restoration flying life will be almost at an end, Trust chief executive Dr Robert Pleming said. Citing the need for a "challenging" £200k wing modification and the increased likelihood of engine failure, Pleming wrote that replacement engines would be too difficult to locate and restore.

Remanufacturing just one wheel for the bomber would cost over £70,000, if the engineering drawings can be found, he added. "It is therefore with great sadness that we have told XH558's supporters that we are planning for next year to be the last opportunity anyone will have, anywhere in the world, to see a Vulcan in the air," he said. "I'd like to thank everyone who by the end of 2013 will have contributed to achieving six fantastic years of Vulcan displays since the restoration; it's a remarkable achievement that many people said would be impossible. With the passionate and generous support of the British people, we returned an all-British icon to the sky and brought the excitement of engineering and aviation to new generations."

Trust director Michael Trotter said that once the aircraft has finished flying, the Trust intends to maintain XH558 in running order to conduct fast taxi runs and "develop further her role in education as the centrepiece of an exciting new type of inspirational engineering education centre".