Historic bomber completes tests

The Vulcan Bomber carried out several test flights

A restored Cold War bomber has returned to its Leicestershire base after completing a series of test flights.

Organisers want to fly the Vulcan during the summer air show season but must wait for a permit to fly from the Civil Aviation Authority.

A final decision is expected in three to four weeks' time.

The Vulcan to the Sky trust needs sponsorship of at least £50,000 a month to continue flying. Nearly £7m has been spent to restore the plane.

It flew back to Bruntingthorpe airfield from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire on Friday after several days of test flights.

The engineers and management ... will have done everything humanly possible to enable XH558 to return to the summer's air show circuit Dr Robert Pleming, Vulcan to the Sky project

Organisers hope the bomber will fly in about 18 air shows over the summer - which will cost about £1m - but say a major sponsor still needs to be found to ensure it has enough money to continue flying.

Spokesman Paul Muckle said a test pilot from the CAA was on board during the two test flights to monitor the collection of the data.

The results of several weeks of tests on the plane's equipment, including its radio and flight controls, will also be sent to the CAA.

Dr Robert Pleming, of the trust, said: "The Vulcan was designed to fly higher, faster and further than any bomber before it.

"It was to carry our nuclear deterrent in response to the threat of Soviet attack and was, I believe, the last complete triumph in the long history of innovative British aerospace engineering.

"The engineers and management of the Vulcan to the Sky project will have done everything humanly possible to enable XH558 to return to the summer's air show circuit."

Some 20,000 people worldwide have helped contribute to the restoration of the bomber - with £2.7m contributed by the Heritage Lottery Fund.