Preparation works begin for £4m airport attraction

Contractors have started pre-commencement works for a new hangar at Doncaster Sheffield Airport that will become “The Vulcan Experience” – housing one of Britain’s most iconic military aircraft.

A team from principal contractors, Wordsworth Construction Management, will be on site for two days along with the ground worker and civils contractor, Alto Construct, to lay the foundations for the main visitor centre.

They will take the legacy of former CEO, Dr Robert Pleming, who died in February this year, a step closer to reality.

John Sharman, chair of trustees at The Vulcan to the Sky Trust (VTST) said: “We are extremely pleased to have made the first holes in the ground for the new hangar and while it is a great step forward, we are still quite a way off our fundraising total to make this project a reality.

“This is a £4m rescue mission to secure the future of one of the last icons of British military history and we are continuing our negotiation for a mortgage of up to £2.4m to enable us to build this hangar.

“Support from the public via a fundraising appeal is needed to meet the total costs of the build.

“The new hangar will result in Avro Vulcan XH558 being brought under cover, protected from the elements and once again available to the public.

“We’ve always had two guiding principles, to honour those who served us in the past and to inspire future generations to make meaningful change in the world.

“The Vulcan Experience will embody those guiding principles in a memorable and unique centre, making the airport a destination in its own right.”

Once the centre is complete, visitors will be able to hear and see the story of the aircraft’s history, her restoration to flight in 2007 and the part played by the RAF’s V-Force aircraft in preserving the peace during the Cold War.

Sharman added: “Part of the drive behind the new hangar is to inspire youngsters to pursue careers in aerospace and engineering.

“The innovative 1950s technology of the Vulcan is relatively easy to understand and her awesome power and beauty generates a huge following.

“We need to inspire youngsters to become the engineers who will devise the required technical solutions to the global climate challenge.

“As we develop The Vulcan Experience, they will be able to start their journey in the exciting Green Technology Hub – a major new initiative central to the Vulcan Experience.

“Aircraft and air travel using today’s technologies will become unsustainable and if the world is to retain global connectivity, new technical ideas are needed; indeed, some are already on the drawing board.

“Innovation as exemplified by XH558 is a bridge to these future technologies.”