XM655/G-VLCN

Possibly the most complete Vulcan in existence is XM655, it is maintained in full working order and is able to perform impressive taxi runs. In the 1980s there were thoughts of returning her to flight and she was registered as N655AV in the US, however the runway had been shortened and the costs were prohibitive so XM655 was abandoned and efforts turned to XL426 instead. It was later purchased by John Littler who brought it up to taxiable condition. 

XM655 came under threat in 2016 as the airfield owners wished to sell the airfield for redevelopment, but this was stopped by the local council who proposed a compulsory purchase order if the owners could not come to an agreement to allow aviation activities to continue on the site.

During this uncertainty, XM655 stopped performing fast taxis and some much needed maintenance was carried out in 2020. The Vulcan is back to performing taxi runs at high speed again as of September 2021 and has a secure future ahead of it now with the threats to the airfield dealt with.

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Image credit - wikimedia commons