'We must keep Vulcan story alive,' says last pilot

The Vulcan to the Sky Trust has launched a fundraising appeal amid hopes for a visitor experience at Doncaster Sheffield Airport

The last pilot to fly the Vulcan bomber is backing proposals for a visitor centre to celebrate the iconic aircraft.

The Avro XH558 was the longest-serving Vulcan in RAF service and carried Britain's nuclear deterrent during part of the Cold War.

A fundraising appeal has been launched to help preserve the aircraft, with hopes to open The Vulcan Experience at Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA) in the future.

Wing Cdr Phil Davies, 73, from Lincolnshire, flew the plane for its final flight 10 years ago and said it was important to keep alive the story of an "iconic plane the public love and still love".

Wing Cdr Phil Davies flew the Avro XH558 for its final flight in October 2015

The plane was the very last to retire from service in 1993 but performed for enthusiasts until 2015.

Wing Cdr Davies added: "I think we kind of wowed the crowds with lots of displays all over the country.

"We flew the plane from 2008 through to 2015. It was only going to be for two years but we managed to do it for eight. A fantastic achievement and a fantastic aeroplane.

"What sticks in my mind is the number of people standing alongside the banks of the Thames and the like as we flew alongside. It was just amazing.

"With the sound and the howl of the engines and the display it could put on, being able to fly quite close to the crowd, it's an aircraft the public love and still love, I believe."

The Vulcan to the Sky Trust, which looks after the plane, said its finances were under "enormous strain".

The closure of DSA, where the plane is stored, in 2022 also added to the uncertainty.

However, FlyDoncaster Ltd, the company set up to manage the planned reopening and operation of the airport, had identified a potential plot of land for The Vulcan Experience, a proposed visitor centre with XH558 as its centrepiece.

The trust said the centre would tell the story of the Royal Air Force, the Cold War, and the V-Force bombers, and explore aviation's role in climate change.

Avro Vulcan XH558 taking off in 2008, seven years before its final flight

Wing Cdr Davies said the Covid-19 pandemic was among the challenges that impacted on the trust's funding and that they wanted to "keep the iconic aircraft for people to enjoy".

He believes the centre would allow visitors to remember the war, as well as become an "educational hub for youngsters to show them aviation in the future".

He described talk of the airport reopening as a "glimmer of hope" for the visitor centre.