The roar of the Vulcan bomber taking off from Farnborough Airport, possibly for the last time, brought people across the area to their windows on Wednesday afternoon.

The Cold War relic finally took to the sky at 1pm after several delays to its scheduled take-off.

The delta-winged former nuclear bomber had been stranded at Farnborough for almost a month after landing there following a flypast to celebrate Samuel Cody's centenary on October 16.

XH558, the only Vulcan left flying in the world, had been due to take part in the Armistice Day celebrations in Southampton before the departure of the QEII cruise liner on her final voyage to Dubai.

But another electrical problem grounded the plane for a further 24 hours, frustrating a large crowd of plane spotters who had gathered to watch the expected take-off on Tuesday afternoon.

It is thought Wednesday's flight to RAF Bruntingthorpe in Leicestershire could be the Vulcan's last unless major sponsorship can be found to secure its future.

The aircraft costs an average of £135,000 a month to keep flying.

Depsite a triumphant return to the skies this summer after a £7m refit, including wowing a bumper Farnborough Airshow crowd in July, donations and sponsorship money have dried up during the global fincial crisis.

For more details on how to help the Vulcan, visit www.vulcantothesky.com

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