EXCITED families can climb the ladder of an Avro Vulcan bomber and experience the cramped conditions in the cockpit where its five-man crew had to work.
The Vulcan Restoration Trust will welcome visitors tomorrow (Sunday) at Southend Airport from 10am.
There will be classic jets from the Sixties, Seventies and Eighties, including the renowned Avro Vulcan B2 – XL426.
The jet-powered, tailless, deltawing, high-altitude, strategic bomber entered service with the RAF in 1962 and could be armed with twenty-one 1,000 pound bombs.
It was withdrawn from service in 1984 and became a display aircraft with the Vulcan Display Flight before being flown to Southend Airport in 1986 for preservation.
The Vulcan Restoration Trust took over XL426 in 1993 and has since restored and maintained the aircraftin full ground running condition.
Jamie Keene, events manager for the Vulcan Restoration Trust, said: “We are pleased to welcome a number of stunning classic cockpits to display alongside our very own XL426.
“But I think as usual the highlight for many, will be the water cannon demonstration by the airport’s fire service. If the weather stays like it has been, it will be a welcomed cool down!”.
There will be entertainment from The Thundersley Brass Band and reenactors from the UK Garrison Star Wars will be dressed as Star Wars characters.
Rochford Fire Service and the Riverside Fire and Rescue Service will display their historic fire engines along with Southend Airport’s fire service who put on a water cannon demonstration.
There will behot and cold food and drink stands and a Vulcan Restoration Trust souvenir stand.
The Vulcan at London Southend Airport is owned by the Vulcan Restoration Trust. The Trust is a registered charity and it maintains the aircraft in full working order, although itis no longer airworthy.
Allthe proceeds from the Vulcan Classic Jets Day will go towards the aircraft’s upkeep. Admission to the event is £7 with under-16s admitted free. There is an additional charge to go inside the Vulcan’s cockpit.
The gates open at 10am and last admission is at 4pm. Tickets are on sale via the Trust’s website www.avrovulcan.com and on the gate on the day.
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