The thunderous roar of the Vulcan XH558

The Avro Vulcan is an iconic example of British aerospace engineering and was one of the RAF V bombers trio (the other two being the Vickers Valiant and the Handley Page Victor) that made up the UK’s strategic nuclear strike force (known as Bomber Command Main Force, or V Force) in the 1950s and 60s.

Jackie Bennett

The Vulcan, built in Woodford and named by its manufacturer A. V. Roe & Co after the Roman god of fire, was the first successful large delta-wing aircraft and had a unique combination of good load carrying capabilities, high subsonic speed at high altitudes and long range. As a bonus, it led directly to the development of Concorde and the space shuttle; post war innovation made British aviation technology the envy of the world. The Vulcan was described as ‘a flying work of art’. It has a massive wingspan and was powered by four Rolls-Royce engines.

XH558 made its maiden flight from Woodford on May 25th 1960. Now named Spirit of Great Britain, it was one of 136 Vulcans produced at Woodford between 1956 and 1965. XH558 was mainly based at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire, but also spent time at RAF Finningley, South Yorkshire.

Vulcans carried the UK's first nuclear weapon, the Blue Danube gravity bomb; designed as a deterrent, the Vulcan was equipped to deliver its bombs as far as Moscow. However, improved Soviet air defences reduced the Vulcan’s effectiveness so the Royal Navy took over the nuclear deterrent role in the late 1960s, though the Vulcans continued to carry nuclear weapons in a tactical role until the end of the 1970s. However, this did not see the end of the Vulcan’s usefulness. Woodford Aerodrome staff to the rescue – after some modification and restoration (including using parts rescued from museums and scrapyards!) and training of air crew, the Vulcan became capable of conventional bombing missions and played a vital role in Operation Black Buck during the Falklands War in 1982. The Black Buck combat missions saw the planes fly 3,889 miles from Ascension Island to Stanley on the Falkland Islands. On May 1st 1982, a single Vulcan (not our XH558) flew over Port Stanley and bombed the airfield there, achieving a direct hit and rendering it unusable by Argentinian fighter aircraft.

XH558 was the RAF’s longest serving Vulcan, and the last to retire from RAF service in 1993, a career spanning 33 years. One of the reasons for her longevity was that XH558 had spent a considerable time grounded due to a contretemps with a seagull when taking off for a maritime sortie from RAF Scampton in November 1975. Although the seagull came off considerably worse, a very large hole was blown right through XH558’s starboard wing and the subsequent major repairs grounded her for many years, so although XH558 was the earliest Mk.2 Vulcan to enter RAF service, she had actually flown considerably fewer hours than most of her contemporaries. From 1985 XH558 performed at air shows as part of RAF’s display flight, the last being at RAF Cranfield on September 20th 1992. Due to costs, the Ministry of Defence could not justify maintaining the aircraft for display purposes and the Vulcan display flight was discontinued.

In 1993 the XH558 was bought by the Walton family. A study looking at the feasibility of restoring XH558’s airworthiness concluded that it was and the Vulcan to the Sky Trust was formed to raise the necessary funds. XH558 returned to flight in 2008 and performed at air shows until funding issues and the mechanical challenges posed by the aircraft’s age forced her into retirement in 2015, when she flew a final national tour in October.

My husband Norman was a great enthusiast for air shows, especially at Woodford, and always enjoyed hearing the roar of the Vulcan. As a wonderful tribute to Norman, my family arranged for his name to be engraved on a plaque fitted, with others, beneath Vulcan XH558’s huge delta-wing. Whilst the Vulcan is no longer allowed to fly, its legacy lives on, and the Vulcan to the Sky Trust continues to maintain Avro Vulcan XH558, to tell the story of the RAF, its people and the Cold War based around the V-Force and to inspire future generations to help maintain the United Kingdom’s historic role at the forefront of innovation in aviation.

Avro Vulcan XH558 is located at DoncasterSheffield Airport, visitor tours are available. https://vulcantothesky.org/