Historic aircraft over the skys of Alderley Edge

by Martin Reeves

Monday 28^th September 2009

Mon 28^th Sep 2009

At about 16:15 yesterday the historic Avro Vulcan XH558 flew over Alderley Edge. I was down the park with the children when the large military aircraft roared literally overhead at low altitude. Quite a few people including myself were left wondering what on earth was happening.

It transpires that it was on its way to the Southport Air Show. The XH558 is the only airworthy example of the 134 Avro Vulcan V-bombers that were the mainstay of Britain’s airborne nuclear deterrent and operated as conventional bombers in the 1982 Falklands Conflict. The XH558 was the twelfth Vulcan built and first flew in 1960 and served with the Royal Air Force until 1992.

It is presently operated by the Vulcan to the Sky Trust as a display aircraft, funded entirely by charitable donations and the UK Lottery's Heritage Fund. The aircraft is powered by four Bristol Olympus turbojet engines and is therefore much noisier than modern aircraft.

For more information on the XH558 visit Wikipedia.

Comments

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.

Marc Asquith

Monday 28^th September 2009 at 4:22 pm

I heard that go over, rushed out into the garden but missed it. I very nearly telephoned Manchester Airport to complain about an airliner deviating from the agreed flight path. Very sad I didn't see it - a truely spectacular aircraft.

Kriss Coombes

Tuesday 29^th September 2009 at 10:52 am

Thanks for the information and picture of the Vulcan. I was so lucky to be in my garden and had a good view as it flew over Marc's house. Sorry you missed it.

It was interesting that my sister, who lives in Southport, saw it later from her sitting room window.

I understand that that was it's final flight. Please tell me I am wrong.

Thomas Sumner

Wednesday 30^th September 2009 at 10:37 am

This famous aircraft was designed and built by A.V.Roe and Co. "AVRO" at Chadderton and assembled at Woodford Aerodrome. Many local residents worked on the highly skilled project in the 1950/60s.
XH558 is a Mk 2 Vulcan and has the large air intakes. The original prototype first flew in August 1952 from Woodford, later caused a sensation at the Farnbourgh Airshow when it did a full roll.

Marc Asquith

Thursday 15^th October 2009 at 10:17 pm

Kriss, you miss the point - she was dead and a crowd of volunteers put her back in the sky. Here is an extract from the Vulcan to the sky website:-

XH558 was the last Vulcan to leave RAF service, flying on from 1986 to 1993 as the single RAF Display Vulcan, a career of 33 years. Her final flight was on 23rd March 1993 to Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome in Leicestershire, having been sold off by the Ministry of Defence to C Walton Ltd, a family firm who purchased and maintained her, with the thought that one day, she might be returned to fight. In 1997, a small team headed by Dr Robert Pleming started to put together an audacious plan to return her to flight, but it was clear from the start that the project would be technically challenging & enormously expensive. Never deterred, the team set off down the path that led to XH558's return to the air.

Continue reading the story at http://www.site.vulcantothesky.org/default.asp

Other fun sites are:-
http://www.raf.mod.uk/bbmf/
http://www.raf.mod.uk/reds/

Now don't get me started on flying stuff.