FighterControl

Spectacular cross-country tour planned to say farewell to flight


Final flying rewards for those who help make it happen.

So that as many people as possible can see XH558 on one of her final flights, we are planning a spectacular cross-country tour across a Saturday and Sunday in October. The total cost will be around £75,000, so before we can press the button, we need to know it can be funded. We’ve put together our most impressive rewards package yet for those who help make this amazing weekend happen, giving you an opportunity to receive something special in return for helping XH558 take to the skies for one final, celebratory tour.


We can’t possibly hope to get everywhere, but without additional funding, a possible journey of over six-hours flying time spread over two days - XH558’s wheels would never leave the runway.

final_flights We have released four types of Final Flight Sponsor shares, ranging from £60 all the way through to £558.

Each level comes with exclusive rewards that will give those that support them a lasting memory of the final days of flight and can give you close access to the team that made not only the restoration, but eight-seasons of flight possible – backed by a hugely supportive public.

Thankfully, we are already seeing support of this initiative that was released in our last postal mailing, but now is the time we need to consolidate funding to investigate what might be possible in October.

There are four levels you can support
WISH THEY WOULD SAY WHICH WEEKEND IN OCTOBER

Shame they haven't released a provisional route plan, as I'm sure people would like to know if they are going to see 558 before making a donation!
I also think they'd be better off allowing people to donate by text, just like the system they set up for the V Bomber tour. Asking for a minimum donation of £60 is a bit steep for some people!

Something I'd like to see is a photo shoot on the ground at Brunty with 558 and the three LPG Lightnings .

TankBuster

Another Farewell Tour!! how long can this go on for?, and always they require money upfront,surely with all the donations to date there must be some left in the kitty,it's a pity 'She' can't be retired to Bruntingthorpe or somewhere where she can still be run up and taxied. once she has been grounded I feel Doncaster may not be the tourist destination as hoped.even so sorry to see her go.

So what was the point of the last "farewell tour" ??

This is why VTTS get such a bad press sometimes, Earlier this year - Please donate to the last ever Vulcan Tour of the UK, more begging follows, The tour happens, then a few months later - Please donate for the last ever farewell tour and more begging again.

Don't need a tour - Just let Kev Rumens fly it like he stole it at Donny on the last time in the air.

Just wait until the fund raising starts again when they require the money to build the proposed Aviation Academy... And this will come after 558 has stopped flying!!!

I'd rather see such a thing built at Bruntingthorpe, then all of the other airframes could go under cover too! I agree that RHA probably isn't the best location for 558's retirement, it seems like its been chosen out of convenience because all of 558's operational infrastructure is already there?

TB

I Suspect that Donny has been chosen as the location due to it being a govt sponsored economic development area (Don't quote me though)
Yes it would make more sense to house it where other airframes in a fast taxi condition could all housed & maintained together but I'm guessing Brunty doesn't have as much scope or possibility of funding.

I also agree that setting the funding at £60 is a tad steep for many people, a just giving page with a £5 donation would be a far better better. The publication of a proposed route & timings would no doubt get people donating.

Does anybody know when she makes her last flight ?

I would of thought that they would get more money if they set the amounts at a more reasonable level for the general public and people are more likely to give money if they knew the date and would see her fly.

If they were to sell all the four levels of final flight shares at 558 x the four amounts this would be £595,944

I'll give £558 if the damn thing flies low over my house, but as I live in Northern Scotland that will never happen as they don't like coming any further North than Leuchars.

The whole thing was a mis-managed farce from start to finish.

Not getting into any politics, i couldn't care less and won't let it cloud my enthusiasm for this iconic legend. I want to be there for that final touch down. Thats it. Don't have much to add on the details of that final flight, which i presume will be made public soon, except to share, that when enquiring a few months ago, was told that "she has shows up until 4th October". So, maybe we are looking at the weekend of 10-11th October for the 'farewell to flight'. We'll see, and good luck to all concerned.

With a cynical hat on you might want to think there's some very clever LLB and MBA led marketing going on here!

Farewell tour doesn't suggest the last - so you can't complain if there's ten farewell tours as long as they're all different in someway.
Sponsor shares suggests you're making a contribution towards their costs so you can't complain if you don't get any direct value from your contribution (why they don't just use the word donation I don't know).
There's no date mentioned (that I can see) so you don't actually know which farewell tour you're contributing towards if there's more than one.

I'm sure there's good intentions at heart to allow all the lovers of the Vulcan (did you know Vulcan is a trademark of BAE - I wonder if they're taking any royalties - they'd probably want at least a peppercorn) to contribute towards something. But, £60 minimum donation? That's not just a few coins in a collection tin - that's a considered contribution. Wow - they must have some loyal followers?!

Minimum donation of £60:00!!!, they are having a fekin Giraffe.....

So everybody decides to pay up to get the tour going, then it rains and gets cancelled.... Refund ???

From a cynical & longstanding whinger, Charlie

Better to spend £60 on a fling on the Lotto! At least that organisation gave a contribution towards the upkeep of the Memorial Garden a RAF Snaith.

To echo some of the comments above, it might be a pig in a poke. Good luck if some people wish to support it.

Would it not have been better to retire it to somewhere like Manchester alongside Concorde? A stones throw from Woodford !

This would have provided access to a much larger portion of the UK population in an established environment already popular with enthusiasts!

I'm afraid once she lands Doncaster may be off most people everybody's radar forever!

Headancer wrote:Would it not have been better to retire it to somewhere like Manchester alongside Concorde? A stones throw from Woodford !

AVRO Heritage have a tin triangle outside at Woodford and the aviation viewing place at Ringway is already becoming stupidly expensive as car parks go.

Part of the plan for this one is that it should remain taxiable and that couldn't really happen at Ringway?

To paraphrase the BBC "other Vulcans are available" - for the uninitiated and those who may have forgotten, there are anther dozen+ frames sitting at various locations around the UK. So if you are desperate to see one, you have a choice other than XH558.

Watching XH558 at the Scottish Air Show, didn't look like the nose gear was fully down on gear down pass.

Reports say 558 has landed safely.

So it may have been XH558s final display and landing in Scotland but is there a chance she may be back over Scotland as part of this Tour IF it actually does happen?