Vulcan 1

Bournemouth Air Festival 2009

The Vulcan Bomber
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The story of Vulcan XH558 is one of determination and dedication, setback and ultimate triumph.

This Warrior Queen of the Cold War and decisive weapon in the Falklands campaign took to the skies again for the first time in 14 years in 2007. It was a historic day for British aviation. The aircraft was the last of its kind to fly in 1993 when it was hangared at Bruntingthorpe airfiel in Leicestershire. After a massive fundraising campaign by Vulcan to the Sky Trust and an eight million pound restoration, she was returned to flight and is now a huge draw on the display circuit.

The Vulcan saw three decades of active service with the RAF before being retired in 1992. She was the only one of Britain's V-bombers (Victor, Valiant and Vulcan) to play a critical role in the Cold War, when she was a key part of the country's nuclear deterrent.

After a 'second life' of up to 15 years as an air show star, the plane will be retired to a national aerospace museum.