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Farewell
VULCAN
The Final Flights of XH558
REPORT and PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAN ADAMS
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While conflicts continue to rage across the
globe, one major conflict of the twentieth century continues to fade from memory. Marked by decades of saber rattling and proxy wars, but no major face-to-face confrontation between the main protagonists, the Cold War seems like a distant and increasingly abstract memory to most. As Cold War receeds further into history, so too does one of its iconic aircraft - the Avro Vulcan.
The Vulcan made up one third of the Royal Air Force's Bomber Command Main Force, better known as V-Force. The three V-bombers were the Vulcan, the Handley Page Victor and the Vickers
Valiant. The Vulcan began life as a strategic nuclear bomber and later saw service in the reconnaissance and air-to-air refueling roles.
Although they were withdrawn from service in 1984, one Vulcan, XH558 was maintained in flyable condition to perform at air shows and other events. The RAF ceased flying XH558 in 1992. Luckily, the aircraft was restored to flying condition by the Vulcan to the Sky Trust who would finally have XH558 back in the air in 2007. Unfortunately, it was announced that 2015 would be the Vulcan's
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