From the website:
Vulcan Permit renewal Update
Monday, July 06, 2009 –
Following the announcement on Saturday that Vulcan XH558 would be unable to display at the RAF Waddington Airshow last weekend due to issues with the renewal of the aircraft’s annual Permit to Fly, the Vulcan to the Sky Trust (VTST) is doing all it can to ensure that XH558 returns to flight as soon as possible.
Robert Pleming, VTST Chief Executive: “On behalf of the Vulcan to the Sky Trust, I would like to apologise unreservedly for the huge disappointment felt by very many people, some of whom had traveled great distances, at the absence of the Vulcan from the flying display. The events leading to the cancellation of the Vulcan’s displays are deeply regrettable, and we will do everything we can to prevent this happening again at Waddington.”
Vulcan XH558 flies as a civilian aircraft, registration G-VLCN, under Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) regulations governing the operation of ex-military aircraft. The approved Engineering Authority for XH558 is Marshall of Cambridge Aerospace, which is responsible for all aspects of its airworthiness, including the application for the renewal of the Permit to Fly, due on 3rd July.
Following the success of the Pledge campaign in March, VTST contracted with Marshall Aerospace (MA) for the work needed to renew the aircraft’s Permit, including the annual service, and the test flight. However, during the original Major Service, a number of structural inspections were deferred and it was agreed to carry these out on BAE Systems-owned Vulcan XM603 at Woodford. The CAA required these inspections to be completed by the time of renewal of the Permit.
It has not proved possible to carry out these inspections and following a meeting with CAA, MA agreed to prepare a justification for a further extension to the inspections. In the week prior to the expiry of the existing permit, MA remained confident that the Permit revalidation would be obtained in time, to the extent that a joint decision was made to launch XH558 from RAF Brize Norton on Thursday 2nd July to fly to RAF Waddington for the Airshow Press Preview.
Unfortunately, on Friday 3rd July, MA were informed by the CAA that the justification for deferring the inspections was inadequate and that the CAA would require a much more detailed explanation before the Permit would be renewed. This report would also need to be underwritten by BAE Systems. (This report does not need to contain the results of the inspections, only the reasons for them, how they would be carried out or alternatively mitigated. There is no question that XH558 is in any way structurally unsafe.)
The level of detail required by CAA and the need for endorsement by BAE Systems meant that this could not be provided without significant additional work. Despite discussions between MA, the CAA and BAE Systems that ran on late into Friday evening and the following morning, there was no mechanism found that could have allowed the Vulcan to display legally over the weekend. Since then, MA have had a team working to generate and gain approval of the required report, ready for review by BAE Systems and submission to the CAA.
VTST does not yet have a firm date from CAA on when the Vulcan will be allowed to fly again, but it has been led to believe that the delay will be days rather than any longer.
XH558 remains fully serviceable at RAF Waddington.
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