The aircraft left its RAF Waddington base in 1993 after being bought by David Walton, the owner of Bruntingthorpe airfield, and was hangared until the late 90s when Dr Robert Pleming got involved and began building a team of advisers to guide the project to restore it to flight.

Soon after the Vulcan to the Sky Club – which now boasts more than 3,500 members – was formed to help fundraise for the project and restoration work began.

Progress was slow until August 2005 when a £2.7 million Heritage Lottery Fund grant, which had to be matched by the trust, allowed work to begin in earnest.

Further support was received from aerospace companies including BAE systems but problems securing parts for the aircraft – designed in 1948 – meant the project was beset by delays.

The restoration almost had to be abandoned in 2006 after the project ran out of cash but it was saved at the last minute by a £500,000 donation from Sir Jack Haywood. Restoration work included complete re-wiring of 12 miles of cable.

In all the project has cost £6m.