So, there I am working away in my office at home when I hear a distant whining coming from the skies to the North.

I’ve been casually watching the stream of tweets from the XH558 crew as the worlds only remaining flying Avro Vulcan delta wing bomber departs from Waddington heading down to Yeovilton for this weekend’s airshows. Could the noise I’m hearing be XH558?

I run outside and stand there with the neighbours looking up at the sky as the mighty Vulcan roars into view – at what must be only 800ft or so height! OMFG!

It’s almost as if I’d phoned the Vulcan operations team and had this conversation:

“Ah hello, is that Avro Vulcan XH558? It is, oh smashing. Is there any chance you could do a low-level fly-past directly over my house please, while you’re en-route to Yeovilton? You can! Really? Oh that is splendid. Thank you very much. Have a safe trip.”

Once she passes overhead I stand there watching her slowly disappear into the distance to the South, black smoke trailing behind her. What a majestic sight.

Long may she fly, Avro Vulcan XH558.