Miss Yorkshire Enters ‘The Spirit of Great Britain’

Photo’s by Chris Cannon/Simply Planes

What an experience it was! I, Chloe Mcewen (reigning Miss Yorkshire), had the once in a life time opportunity of viewing inside the ‘Spirit of Great Britain’ (AKA Avro Vulcan XH558) located at her home of Doncaster Airport, alongside Pilot Kev Rumens.

Meeting Kev Rumens (King of the Wingover) and one of the very few and last pilots to ever fly Vulcan XH558, was an absolute pleasure.

I felt so honoured to hear Kev share his experiences as a pilot on the last flying Vulcan, as well as him personally showing me (inside and outside) the aircraft.

Kev Rumens joined the RAF in 1984, joining 55sqn, at RAF Marham shortly before joining the Vulcan Display Team. He flew XH558 on the display circuit for 2 seasons at the age of 22!

After hearing Kev’s personal stories, on route to the Vulcan, I was intrigued and excited to see what Vulcan XH558 looked like.

Upon entering the Vulcan, it instantly took me back to what I can only imagine it would have been like in the era of the Cold War, when this incredible feat of engineering took to the skies.

From the strong smell of oil and old leather, to the cramped, tight area space when entering the cockpit (which housed 5 men in action), it really was an eyeopener into what the Cold War looked like from a Vulcan pilot’s point of view. What a mind-blowing experience!

Overall, my experience of ‘Avro Vulcan XH558’, and personally being toured by Kev Rumens was extraordinary!

I’ve learnt a lot about the history of the Vulcans and given a good glimpse of what it was really like to be alive and involved in these life-threatening times.

I feel blessed to have been in and around the last flying Vulcan and would love to be able to share this with my generation, so that they too can have this experience and we can keep the legacy of the Vulcans and history of the Cold War alive.

Since being crowned ‘Miss Yorkshire’ in October 2023, I decided to get involved in supporting charities like ‘MIND in Harrogate’ (my local charity that supports mental health), by joining their weekly activity groups, raising awareness around mental health & raising funds for them.

Which leads me on to supporting ‘Vulcan to the Sky’. Their goal is to preserve and protect Avro Vulcan XH558 and to demonstrate and display her to the public.

‘Vulcan to the Sky’ want to advance the education of the general public in Avro Vulcan XH558, in aviation and engineering heritage, in its associated provenance, historical and social context and in the strategy of deterrence, for the benefit of British heritage and historical knowledge.

Avro Vulcan XH558’s home is located in my county of Yorkshire, which inspires me even more so, to show support by raising awareness and encouraging the younger generations, like myself, to stay educated on the history of Vulcans and to support ‘Vulcan to the Sky’ with any donations possible.

With the help of the public ‘Vulcan to the Sky’ can continue to educate, raise awareness, protect and preserve Avro Vulcan XH558. None of this can be possible without the support and donations from the public!

I am so grateful to have had this incredible, amazing opportunity and especially having the courageous Kev Rumens sharing his own personal experiences with ‘Avro Vulcan XH588’.