Bruntingthorpe - 9th June 2008

A late tip-off saw me make a mad dash to Bruntingthorpe to catch the final test flight of XH558 prior to the paperwork being submitted to the CAA for her Permit to Fly.

With the old girl airborne and away for an hour or so to get what she needed done, and to do a bit of an air-to-air sortie for Pilot magazine, it seemed rude to not take advantage of the stunningly good conditions and shoot some of the other Cold War Jets Museum inmates.

Tasks complete, 558 returned to the overhead, made a slow speed flythrough, before coming back the other way in a sweeping turn with bomb bay doors open, prior to being set back down on the Bruntingthorpe runway.

Fingers crossed the Permit is issued swiftly, that there are no problems with the acquisition of the Display Authorisation, and that she's back on the display circuit ASAP.