Vulcan XH558 and Red Arrows, Dawlish, Devon, England, August 20th 2009
A few weeks ago, a Post featured the Avro Vulcan, a Cold War nuclear bomber returned to flying condition. Well here it is again, with friends.
Dawlish is a lovely, typical sea-side town in the county of Devon in the SW of England. It is less than 15 miles away from Totnes in Devon which, for many years, was my local town.
The weather in Dawlish can be delightful – sometimes!
But the setting is perfect for an air show.
BBC News UK reported it as such:
A Vulcan bomber and the Red Arrows display team have flown together at an air show in south Devon.
The aircraft were taking part in the Dawlish Air Show, flying in displays above the seafront as part of the town’s Carnival Week.
Organisers said an estimated 100,000 people had visited the show.
The delta-winged Vulcan XH558 was restored after a multi-million pound fund-raising campaign and is the only flying Avro Vulcan in existence.
‘People’s aeroplane’
The XH558 was built in 1960 and was the last to leave RAF service in 1993.
It was restored by the Vulcan to the Sky Trust, which spent more than £7m and 15 years repairing the jet.
Sean Maffett from the Trust, said: “The Vulcan is an extremely historic and important aeroplane.
“She’s also the most important aeroplane in the country. She’s the people’s aeroplane.
“People have contributed almost £8m to get the her flying again. That’s how much she is loved.”
Squadron Leader Andy Pawsey of the RAF Events Team said pilots enjoyed taking part in the Dawlish show because it differed from a traditional airfield setting.
He said: “It’s so much friendlier. You can’t beat being around and amongst the people.
“It’s just got that lovely close feeling.”
Someone has recently posted a lovely piece of filming on YouTube.
Dawlish Air Show, Aug 20 2009. Red Arrows and Vulcan display,
plus snippets of Hawker Hunter, KC135 and Sea King.
Almost made me homesick!
By Paul Handover
Learning from Dogs 