It saddened me to read today that Vulcan XH558 might not, now ever take to the skies again.After 20,000 people donated and a Heritage Lottery Grant, it seems that she is doomed to remaining a static memory?I recall watching grown men and women in tears watching the last airshow display of this wonderful aircraft. I myself had a big lump in my throat as the bomb doors opened and the word 'Farewell' was displayed using black tape on the inside of the doors.Priorities of financial support these days by the environmental controllers, seem to go in the wrong direction IMO.Dave T. .........On the Devon Riviera and active 'FlightSim User's Group' member at http://www.flightsimgrpuk.free-online.co.uk/http://www.captainsim.com/user/dl/c130/c130_captain.gifhttp://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/supporter.jpg

Bummer. After all that, same with the EE Lightning that was being restored, they kept moving the goalposts until in the end they had to give up on ever flying her again. This means another British product that for various reasons will never be seen at a British Airshow again.I wonder if Air Atlantique will ever manage to bring their Shackleton back.

>I wonder if Air Atlantique will ever manage to bring their>Shackleton back.I don't know but remember being parked up at Coventry when they flew in there..............Must be 20 years ago now. Maybe they was just an investment in antiques?Vulcan is without a major sponsor, can you believe it?Dave T. .........On the Devon Riviera and active 'FlightSim User's Group' member at http://www.flightsimgrpuk.free-online.co.uk/http://www.captainsim.com/user/dl/c130/c130_captain.gifhttp://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/supporter.jpg

All Air Atlantique planes are antiques, it's what they specialise in.

I am totally disgusted to read this.I have been to the Vulcan to the sky hanger, and had a great time looking around and talking to the guy's there.but this is just not good enough, and again this is typical British bureaucracy gone barking mad.we give money hand over fist to the library or museum, or even a certain gender related society, but when it comes to National Heritage the rules change dramatically.the wonders of the British governmental proceedings and the national lottery funding purse holders should be reprimanded for letting this happen,so in other words, ALL the money received by this organisation from members of the general public etc now just disappear into thin air, with the explanation that "this funding has been used to get to this stage" with no final result to show for it.the money might as well have been dropped into the atlantic ocean then!oh well, I suppose it would make a good sim cockpit !what a sad day indeed.

Imagine how sick the workers, doing it all for nothing, feel then?Perhaps we should all consider taking up playing Croquet instead eh?Dave T. .........On the Devon Riviera and active 'FlightSim User's Group' member at http://www.flightsimgrpuk.free-online.co.uk/http://www.captainsim.com/user/dl/c130/c130_captain.gifhttp://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/supporter.jpg

But gents, you know that this country has nothing to be proud of in our history. Tony said so, in fact he pretty much never misses an opportunity to remind us of this.

Anyone got any news updates?

Very sad to hear this, I have never seen a Vulcan fly but i remember being at Duxford sheltering from the fierce sun under the wing of their Vulcan a few years ago!Surprised that they got a heritage lottery fund, I thought all the lottery money was being siphoned of for the olympics!Dave

>Surprised that they got a heritage lottery fund, I thought all>the lottery money was being siphoned of for the olympics!Nah, the Lottery money goes to Thespians in some obscure town to make their plays about equally obscure subjects that nobody else cares about ... its a bummer :(Tis sad to hear this news though, last I heard it was looking good to see the Vulcan fly again, maybe something else can be done if this news has the same impact on us, with those that have the means to get her flying again?At the very least we should have a pristine static Vulcan to view ... and hey, we can always fly them simulated in FS9 or FSX.I did see a Vulcan fly once, many-many years ago, wonderful sight and sound.

The project homepage is at http://www.tvoc.co.uk/As you can see if you visit the page, they're still hopeful that XH558 will be in the skies by June. I, for one hope they're right, as the Vulcan and Victor are amongst my most vivid memories of airshows from when I was young.

Agree with the above, Ian ... But I'd like to add the Lightning to the list as well.Hope XH558 still gets to fly, she has come so near ... it seems.

The National Heritage Memorial Fund awarded the Vulcan To The Sky Trust

What a load of w--k--s. Sounds like a fiddle somewhere, to me? Their claim of 'Onwards and Upwards' literally means the cost of mis-managment

"As you can see if you visit the page, they're still hopeful that XH558 will be in the skies by June. I, for one hope they're right, as the Vulcan and Victor are amongst my most vivid memories of airshows from when I was young."Here, here! Mark my words, my gut feeling is she will fly again and will, most assuredly, prove to be a magnificent investment in time, effort and achievement. This project has come too far and will not be allowed to die now. I am certain there are now sufficient forces of determination which will join (if they have not already done so) to ensure her thunderous return to our skys. It's time we joined forces to trample all those whose mission in life appears to be to rob the rest of us (the huge majority) of any sense of national pride.Once XH558 resumes her rightful place as the central and pivotal attraction at our airshows we should be turning our attentions to Concorde. I have been a regular attender at the Leuchars Airshow for many years and remember XH558's last demonstration as if it were yesterday. I think most of us would agree there are very few aircraft capable of creating such vivid and long-lasting memories. Concorde is another such engineering marvel. Lately I've been finding the airshow experience is threatening to become just a little lack lustre and I have been missing the odd year. Yes the F16s, Tornados and, lately, the Eurofighter Typhoon put on a great show, but what we need is the return of some serious grunt and the Vulcan provides us with that in spades. Roll on June, I say, and XH558's full-time return to our airshows in Britain in 2008. I see she is pencilled in to appear at Waddington later this year:http://www.airshows.org.uk/2007/airshows/w...on/preview.htmlMike