B.2 XM605 at the Castle Air Museum, 28th July 2002; Steve Steele	B.2 XM606 at the 8th Air Force Museum, Autumn 2000; Paul Hartley

Vulcans, as part of the NATO nuclear deterrent, regularly visited the USA - lone ranger missions, bombing competitions and squadron deployments. Lucky old Americans! Lucky indeed because a number of Vulcans are now preserved in the US - first of all here's XM605 preserved at the Castle Air Museum. Delivered there in 1981, the RAF were back the next year to remove the refuelling probe (desperately needed during the Falklands war) but brought it back again afterwards. XM605 is in generally good condition and lacks only a brake chute, but there is some corrosion as you'd expect from an aircraft stored outside - and the cockpit has suffered a fair amount of water damage. An ex-Vulcan ground crew member was helping out with XM605 and had got as far as correcting the aircraft's incorrect nose-low stance and powering up some of the electrical system but unfortunately the museum won't let him work on it any more! See his XM605 home page for full details and lots of pictures. The current crew chief on the aircraft now has a XM605 website too. Information current as of 28/07/2002.

Another US-resident Vulcan is is XM606 at the 8th Air Force Museum. XM606 stood baking for many a year in bright sunshine and ended up looking very faded. She was repainted in high gloss camouflage but already the harsh sunshine has bleached the roundels and is working on the rest of the paint. In common with other Vulcans stranded in the US she hasn't been looked after too well. The cockpit hatch is creased and cannot be opened, the nose oleo has collapsed leaving the aircraft with an odd nose-low incidence, all her tyres are flat and she generally needs a damn good cleaning. Information current as of 10/2000.

B.2 XM607 at RAF Waddington, 9th July 2007; author	B.2 XM612 at Horsham St. Faith, 21st April 2007; author

Another Vulcan currently in good exterior condition is XM607, the gate guardian at RAF Waddington. A Black Buck veteran, XM607 has been well looked-after by the RAF and over the years has acted as a spares ship for more lively Vulcans. The undercarriage bays are sealed with wooden planks and the cockpit entrance hatch was seized shut for many years so the cockpit was very complete until fairly recently, when the hatch was finally freed. Since then and with the requirement for a new building at her old spot near the entrance to the station, she has been moved around a fair bit (handy for the annual airshow, where she could usually be found on display by one of the hangars), and now has a 'final' resting place on a purpose built hardstanding opposite the WAVE viewing area on the A15 side of the station. XM607, in common with several other Vulcans, donated many parts towards the restoration of XH558. She has been immortalised in an excellent book titled 'Vulcan 607' - well worth a read! Information current as of 09/07/2007.

XM612 at the City of Norwich Aviation Museum was beginning to look rather tatty in the late 1980s but then underwent a lengthy repaint during which a number of corroded areas were repaired and sealed against future damage. The cockpit also underwent a full restoration; the captain's instrument panel looked factory-fresh when I visited in August 1998, thanks to the efforts of a museum volunteer. XM612 used to be able to have some of her electrical system powered up and three of the four engines were suspected to be in good enough condition to be run - if only they had the chance! Sadly the last decade hasn't been kind to her and corrosion is once again evident in many areas, with the paintwork back to looking very faded. Externally at least she doesn't appear to have had a great deal of TLC over the last five years and if this continues she may soon pass the point of no return. Information current as of 21/04/2007.

B.2 XM655 at Wellesbourne Mountford, 6th May 2004; author	B.2A XJ824 at Duxford, 31st May 2006; author

This Vulcan underwent a period of bad luck after leaving RAF service in 1983. Left to rot at Wellesbourne for many years, eventually she was transferred to the ownership of the airfield and was brought back into running condition with help from Delta Engineering and by the end of 1996 moved under her own power for the first time in years. She has come along very well since then and is now regularly fast-taxiied. The aircraft is extremely unlikely to ever fly, but the owner and the engineering team intend to keep her in ground running condition and continue with the taxi runs. See the 655 Maintenance and Preservation Society site for more details. Several engine runs and a taxi run are carried out each year. Information current as of 21/05/2005.

Duxford's B.2 was at one time nicely positioned nose-to-nose with an Avro bomber of earlier years - a Lancaster, inside Duxford's Superhangar. XJ824 spent several years out in the weather and was looking rather scruffy but after moving indoors she was spruced up considerably, ending up looking pretty good. She went back outside during much of 2005, then spent the winter back inside before one final period outside while final work was underway on the newly expanded superhangar (now known as Airspace). Now she's permanently indoors and out of the weather. Information current as of 20/10/2007.

B.2A XL360 at Baginton, 2nd December 2004; author	B.2A XM575 at the East Midlands Aeropark, 19th August 2001; author

The Midland Air Museum's XL360, the only preserved Vulcan with a name - City of Coventry. Even so, it was only given the name after it had left RAF service! Even when in service very few Vulcans were ever given names. She entered service with 617 squadron on the 1st of March 1962, then served with 35 squadron, 230 OCU and 44 squadron before being flown into retirement at Coventry airport on the 26th of January 1982. The museum is one of the few to regularly open up their Vulcan to visitors; basically almost every day, depending on staff availability. The result is a Vulcan that birds won't nest in (too noisy with all those humans banging about!) and a cockpit that is well aired - even so moisture is a problem as with many static Vulcans. In late 2000 and early 2001 XL360 has underwent a good cleaning and was repainted during 2003/2004. Three years further on and it looks she will be getting another coat of paint next year. Information current as of 20/10/2007.

Above is B.2A XM575 at the East Midlands Aeropark. The Aeropark had been closed for many years because of expansion at the Airport, but a new home on the other side of the airport was arranged and the Aeropark reopened in August 2001. Reports that the exhibits had been deteriorating since the park's closure have turned out to be exaggerated and XM575 is looking pretty healthy. She's due another cleaning, the airbrakes work, the APU is run often and three out of the four engines are apparently in working order - unfortunately, they are unlikely to be run again as she's now pointed towards some houses, and jet engines (at an airport mind you) are a noise nuisance... Information current as of 02/2005.

B.2A(MRR) XJ823 at Carlisle, May 2001; Bob Lawson

This is XJ823, looking well looked after at the Solway Aviation Society at Carlisle Airport. There had been dark rumours about the fate of this Vulcan but as far as I'm aware it's doing well and the Society are actively expanding their premises and going strong. XJ823 looks in decent nick, and a fund has been launched to get the aircraft repainted. Information current as of 05/2001.