The Vulcan

It was good to see the Queen fronting the VJ Day 70th commemorations today, and well done to all those involved in ensuring that it all happened peacefully and without interruption.

Today was also significant for another reason, with one of the last outings of the last remaining Avro Vulcan that is still permitted to fly. This was its flight path today, and the key fob is a memento from when I was lucky enough to go on board during a visit to KH558's hangar in Doncaster.

Originally there were more than 130 Avro Vulcans, built in the 1950s and '60s. They constituted the bulk of Britain’s nuclear deterrent until the introduction of Polaris submarines in 1969. The delta-wing Vulcan is a Cold War icon that is hailed as one of the greatest achievements of British aerospace engineering.

There remain some 19 Vulcans in existence, on display in museums around the world. This fabulous plane is 106 feet long, with a 111 feet wingspan and it is powered by four Rolls-Royce Olypmus turbojet engines. It weighs 204,000 lbs and has a top speed of 645 mph.

XH558 is the only one still deemed airworthy, but not for much longer, as it has only a few authorised air hours left, after which it will no longer be deemed safe to fly, and so it will be grounded forever from this autumn. Such a shame.