One of three Vulcans based in the US, XM573 is now receiving some restorative work
In the US, Vulcan B.2 XM573 has been rolled into the hangar at the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum in Ashland, Nebraska where it is to be refurbished. Following withdrawal from service it was presented to the museum as a token of cooperation between the RAF and Strategic Air Command – it’s one of three Vulcans on show in the US.
The others are XM605 which is resident at the Castle Air Museum in Atwood, California, and XM606 which can be seen at Barksdale Global Power Museum (formerly known as the 8th Air Force Museum) in Bossier City, Louisiana. A fourth North America-based Vulcan is to be found in Canada – former 617 and 9 Squadron XL361 is at CFB Goose Bay. Look out for a Vulcan survivor’s guide in the next issue of FlyPast.
The Vulcan To The Sky Trust (VTST), meanwhile, is continuing to seek a new home for its charge, which was of course the last airworthy Vulcan to grace the skies. There had been some hope that VTST might be able to fly XH558 one last time, to a yet to be confirmed new base. While this was never regarded as a probability, VTST has now confirmed that it won’t be possible.
In a statement it added that it was “working on potential sites where we know we can protect XH558 for decades to come and deliver on Robert Pleming’s vision of telling the Cold War story, the role of the V-Force, and inspiring youngsters to pursue careers in engineering.” WITH THANKS TO TONY SACKETOS
