Vulcan XL426 - upcoming April events

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VRT Southend Vulcan
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Vulcan XL426 - upcoming April events

Post by VRT Southend Vulcan »

Hi All

Despite our enforced move out of Hangar 6 at London Southend Airport before Christmas, the VRT is running a full programme of events in 2018 as part of our on-going fundraising efforts for XL426. We have our first Visit the Vulcan Day on 22 April followed by our Spring Event on 28 April. Details of both events are below. Please come along and support us if you can.

Visit the Vulcan Day - Sunday 22 April

Our Visit the Vulcan Days are great days out for aircraft enthusiasts and the general public alike. With the RAF celebrating its centenary, our April Visit the Vulcan Day will feature a strong 'RAF 100' theme in which XL426 will take centre stage. We will be giving guided tours of XL426 and for an additional fee you can climb inside the Vulcan’s cockpit. We will also have a rare WE177B nuclear bomb on display as well as two examples of the 1,000 lb HE bombs of the type the Vulcan dropped on Port Stanley during the 1982 Falklands Conflict.

To help us celebrate the RAF centenary, we are delighted that XL426 will be joined by a full-size replica Spitfire complete with WW2 RAF re-enactors as well as a full-size replica DH2, this complete with accompanying WW1 RFC re-enactors. We couldn't fit in any more full-size aircraft to help tell the RAF story but Southend Radio Control Model Flying Club is instead bringing along 10 of its large models of different RAF types to fill-in the gaps.

To keep you refreshed we have a burger and hotdog stall and a doughnut and ice cream kiosk. There will also be a micro brewery stall to help you wash it all down! The local Thundersley Brass Concert Band will be keeping everyone entertained throughout the day.

The Visit the Vulcan Day is being held on the apron outside Hangar 5 at London Southend Airport, which is XL426's place of residence until we confirm a new, permanent site for the Vulcan with the airport's management. There is free car parking available - please follow the direction signs on the day. For those using SatNav, please enter post code SS2 6YF.

Gates open at 10.00 am and last admission is at 4.00 pm. Entry is just £5.00 for adults with under-16s admitted free. There is an additional charge of £4.50 for cockpit visits which applies to all. Cockpit visits take place every 15 minutes with timed tickets available. This means you can buy your ticket but don't need to stand in a queue. You can look at the other exhibits, or sit down and relax, until your cockpit visit time comes round. The small size of the Vulcan's cockpit means we're limited on the numbers we can get into it during the course of a day, so we recommend you arrive before 2.00 pm to be sure of getting in the cockpit and before 11.30 am if you don't want to wait too long.

If you just want to come to come along and see XL426 and take photos, please arrive at any time.

All tickets are available on the day - there are no advance ticket sales for our Visit the Vulcan Days.

If you can't make 22 April, we will be holding three further Visit the Vulcan Days in 2018 on 17 June (Fathers' Day), 19 August and 16 September.


Spring Event featuring 'Flying the SR-71 Blackbird' - Saturday 28 April

Guest speaker at our Spring Event is retired US Air Force Colonel Rich Graham who will be speaking about his experiences flying the SR-71 Blackbird spy plane. Rich flew the SR-71 from bases in the United States and Japan, as well as from RAF Mildenhall.

Rich is an acknowledged expert on the SR-71 and has written five books about the aircraft. He lives in Texas and gives talks about the SR-71 on both sides of the Atlantic and you may have seen him 'in action' beneath the Blackbird at Duxford on air show days. If you haven't heard him speak before, it is well worth coming along. He has some incredible stories about the Blackbird.

The event is on Saturday 28 April at Hawkwell Village Hall, Essex SS5 4EH. Doors open at 12 noon with Rich expected to begin his talk at 2.15 pm. The event will finish by 5.00 pm.

Teas, coffees and light refreshments will be on sale and we will have a licensed bar. Our stand will be selling souvenirs and Rich Graham will have a selection of his books to buy which he will be happy to sign. There is limited parking in the Hawkwell Village Hall car park but plenty of on street parking is available nearby.

Tickets are just £8.00 and are on sale at our new website at http://www.avrovulcan.com. Entry for VRT members is free.

Rich

Richard Clarkson
Trustee
Vulcan Restoration Trust
Preserving Vulcan XL426 at London Southend Airport
Registered Charity No 1058111

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