The appeal for funds for the restoration of the WORLDS LAST VULCAN BOMBER CAPABLE OF FLIGHT, XH558, has just hit a brick wall !!It is Alleged that the UK's "HERITAGE LOTTERY FUND" have now formally refused to assist in the project for what I believe to be very unsatisfactory reasons.The Vulcan To The Sky company have asked for a Miserable

Where's it based?

Where's what Based ?

Er.... the Vulcan?Am I missing something?

ha ha No Sorry :) I wasnt sure if you meant the Heritage Lottery Fund :)The Vulcan XH558 is Based at Bruntingthorpe (Leicester) and is stripped in the hangar ready for the rebuild. She's the Last remaining Airframe capable of returning to flight and All the ground work has been done already . She last flew in 1993 but has seen Many high speed taxi Runs up until a couple of years ago when she was wheeled into the Hangar ready for her Major.Go HERE for the full story and a lot of backgroundhttp://www.tvoc.co.uk/Problem is.... Without these Lottery Funds.. she will Either ROT or be sold for scrap As a last resort She May even be shipped out to the USA, Now, No Disrespect meant to our Cousin's across the Pond there but HEY .. SHE'S BRITISH HISTORY FOLKS !! :)

bump.Come on guys..... no support for this ??

I am very disappointed to hear they elected to NOT fund the project and scrap it. The very least they can do is sink into the English Channel and use as an artificial reef!I am just joking! Jason

Those who have seen the Vulcan display know only too well what an awesome sight and sound she is and many thousands complained when she was withdrawn from the display circuit.I still do not understand why the UK can support the Battle of Britain flight yet not the Vulcan.OK the BoB flight represents 'our finest hour' and helps us remember those who lost their lives fighting in WWII whereas the Vulcan does not represent those things.However the Vulcan is a unique aircraft, and has seen active service and should be returned to flying condition to celebrate the engineering achievement it prepresents. I am sure if this aircraft had been made in the USA it would still be flying to show the world how good the aircraft industry is/was.I feel the HLF decision is a political one and not one based on 'heritage' merit, and where does 'value for money' come into it considering other grants made by HLF; I am sure the Dome represented value for money..NOT. Successive UK Governments have refused to restore the aircarft or help in its restoration, looks like the British desease of no pride is here again.An email has been sent Graham but I fear it will make no difference to the decision.

Hello Mr Phoenix,Here is a copy of the e-mail i sent to Anthea. I know i called her Andrea!!.Hello Andrea, I really am dismayed at your decision to refuse a grant for the restoration of a fine Flying Machine such as the Vulcan. I saw these aircraft as a young lad many a time when i lived in Malta, and to see them flying always used to send a tingle down my spine. This Aircraft is a legend in itself as i do believe it was the first Delta Wing Bomber ever. As to the reason behind your refusal, i can now understand why sales keep falling. Having either given it to causes that should be supported by the government, or causes that infact the majority have no use for. If i understand right you gave how much to Asylum Seekers!! How do they fit into the scheme of things, and hows does that benefit me. I cant go and watch an Air Display of flying Asylum Seekers. But I can go and watch the fabulous Vulcan flying. You say it does,nt justify itself as it will only have a flying career of 6-8 years. Oh i dont see any DC-3s flying around now or Spitfires come to that, why because they are older than the Vulcan, they are all long go to the scrapheap!! or am I mistaken. Yes, so who put the Flying life span on the Vulcan. Or is this just an assumption on your part as to try to justify a refusal. I really think you ought to rethink this one. As I like many others are losing our faith in your ability to put this money to the uses it was meant for, and not others that are of no concern to the common man. Yours Sincerely Mr S. Fletcher.Bests Shaun :)P.S. Just been announced too on National T.V. that Lottery sales have fallen another 10%. I wonder why!!

>bump. >>Come on guys..... no support for this ?? Absolutely no support from me whatsoever. An excellent decision not to fund the project. How ridiculous.

Thanks SHWAUN :) Saw the CC .. appreciate the help !!

:( the Falklands conflictc) The Nuclear Deterent throughout the cold war !!Perhaps an even FINER Hour ????THANKS (on behalf of VTTS) For your email ... Irrespective of your fears, EVERY SINGLE ONE WILL HELP !!

Hello everyone,I am not an englishman though I have spent some time in Bristol and London. All I can say really is that the UK Government (or is that the English Government...Never mind, you know what I mean) have been known to invest in numerous causes much less worthy than this, not to mention the ease with which anyone can claim (and receive) benfits, pensions even housing, using a tiny bit of fraud and manipulation of the social security regulation (no I will not provide details.... :-lol ).Anyway I find it inconceivable that a way will not be found for the Vulcan to get back in the air when I know that lesser causes receive financial support. No, 2.5m is not big money really, though a question could be raised on whether other fine aircraft, especially some originating from exUSSR are less worthy of similar investment... Perhaps a good idea could be the signing of petitions by English voters (if this has already happened I stand corrected). By the way congratulations to PSS for providing support for this (and also for providing support for me as a customer!).Finally, (and rather irrelevantly) is Cpt_Seagull really a Bristolian? Had I known earlier, I'd have loved a visit to the Hope&Anchor with him :-beerchug .Thank you all and sorry if this was too long or incomprehensible,

HiIve sent an Email in support of this funding.Doesnt it make your blood boil, so much money is dished out to projects and people that are a complete waste of time, and themn when something worthwhile turns up - b***** off!Typical of our ruined country, just my 2 pence worthSun -Vulcan watcher RAF Waddington 1970,s

I have to say that this has to be a bad decision for the aviation world. I live in England and used to live in a tiny Bedfordshire village called Cranfield. In this village is an airfield, small but well used in the past.The point of this small bit of my life is that in 1993, at the anual airshow was the "last" public flying of the Vulcan bomber. It was billed as the last public flying, don't know if it was though. I have to say that the WWII planes and the Red Arrows paled into insignificance when this plane arrived to do some flybys. I had the dubious privelidge of staring stright up the back of the plane whilst it was climbing at full throttle. House and car alarms were going off everywhere, the noise was unbelievable, the ground was shaking, it was a truly memorable sight.I don't think that I will forget that for some time to come, and its a shame that we will probably never see it flying again. The lottery people need a kick up the jacksy, they give money to all sorts of weird organisations, but don't seem to be too bothered with the heritage of their own country.Sorry for the ramblingsGary