Avro Vulcan XM655 Information & Avro Vulcan XM655 Links at HealthHaven.com

Avro Vulcan XM655
	Avro Vulcan XM655 preserved at Wellesbourne Mountford Airfield
Type	B2 Avro Vulcan
Manufacturer	Avro
Registration	G-VULC; N655AV
Serial	XM655
First flight	1964
Last flight	1984-02-11
Total hours	5744
Fate	Taxiable condition
Preserved at	Wellesbourne Mountford Airfield, England

Avro Vulcan XM655 is one of two remaining taxiable Avro Vulcans. XM655 is currently owned and maintained by the 655 Maintenance & Preservation Society who keep the plane in a taxiable condition.

[edit] History

XM655 was the last Vulcan bar two to be built, and the is youngest surviving example. XM655 initially flew with No.9 Squadron of the RAF, and then alternated between Nos. 44 and 50 Squadrons. In 1984, XM655 was sold off to Roy Jacobsen who intended to keep her airworthy, but the costs proved prohibitive, and XM655 was left to deteriorate. Title of XM655 then passed onto John Littler, owner of Wellesbourne Mountford Airfield, who intended to get her to a taxiable condition, but not airworthy.

[edit] Taxi runs

After restoration work, XM655 made her first public taxi run at Wellesbourne Mountford Airfield on 16 February 1997, with another two runs later that year. Since then, XM655 has made a more or less annual public taxi run as part of the Wellesbourne Wings and Wheels show. There were two runs in 1999, and the 2007 show was cancelled. The 2009 event took place on 21 June, accompanied by both a Red Arrows and Avro Vulcan XH558 flypast as it returned from the Netherlands.