Restored bomber to miss fly-past

The restored aircraft should be ready to fly again this summer

A restored Cold War bomber will not be ready for a fly-past to mark the 25th anniversary of the Falklands War.

The Vulcan bomber, one of a fleet of planes that played a vital role in defeating the Argentinians, has been under restoration for eight years.

The Vulcan to the Sky project has encountered both funding and technical setbacks. The plane last flew a decade ago from a Lincolnshire airfield.

Engineers are hoping to install the last of its four engines on Wednesday.

The plane, which is based at Bruntingthorpe airfield in Leicestershire, still has to undergo extensive checks before it can be cleared by the Civil Aviation Authority.

A commemorative fly-past marking the end of the Falklands War will take place in London on Sunday afternoon.

Thatcher visit

A statement on the Vulcan to the Sky website said: " We have an almost complete Vulcan sitting in the hangar.

"It is ready to sniff the outside air for the first time since she was rolled out for display last August.

"Everyone is working flat out to raise the cash to ensure that XH558 can meet as many as possible of the flood of requests we have already received for her to appear at air displays around the country."

Former Prime Minister Lady Thatcher visited the restoration project in March.

Argentina's invasion, on 2 April 1982, followed friction between the two countries dating back to 1833, when Britain claimed the islands in the south Atlantic.

The war claimed the lives of 255 Britons and 655 Argentines.