MAJESTY and beauty are not words you would usually associate with the Cold War, but if you mention the Avro Vulcan, just about anyone interested in aviation will go glassy-eyed and sigh about one of the most magnificent aeroplanes ever to grace the skies, writes Victoria Minett.

Wellesbourne Aerodrome has been home to AM655 - a B Mark II Vulcan - for more than 16 years after local entrepreneur Roy Jacobson bought the plane from the Ministry of Defence to save her from the scrap heap or, perhaps worse, use as cannon fodder during target practice.

Numerous attempts at getting the aeroplane, a triumph of post-war engineering, off the ground failed and she was left sadly parked in a corner with her wings clipped, of interest only to vandals.

However, a group of enthusiasts banded together and now, even though complicated regulations mean she will almost never fly again, the plane is able to sweep majestically along a runway at more than 100 miles per hour.

The Vulcan, the first of the V bombers, was commissioned in 1947 as a nuclear warhead carrier when military chiefs decided that, after Hiroshima, weapons of mass destruction were the only way to prevent (and perhaps win more quickly) another world war. The 60 tonne craft, built by Avro of Manchester, came into service some years later and served the Royal Air Force through until the early 80s, seeing action in the Falklands war.

However, when the threat of nuclear war began to ease and technology advanced in leaps and bounds, what was essentially a complicated and expensive aircraft was retired and they were sold for scrap, fetching just £5,000 apiece.

When Mr Jacobson bought 665 in 1983 there were still 11 preserved examples in the UK, not including those in museums. Today, there are none flying in the world and only three able to "fast-taxi" (simulate a take-off) in the world - and one of those is 665.

The 665 Vulcan made her last flight in February 1984, when she roared into her final resting place at Wellesbourne, watched by thousands who braved the bad weather to watch pilot, Squadron Leader Joe L'Estrange, ease her on to the short runway - a dangerous task completed without a glitch.

After ill-fated attempts at getting 665 registered failed and with parking fees mounting, the ownership of the plane switched to the airfield. It sat there for 10 years, a magnet to thieves and vandals and by the time the volunteers arrived, the poor old plane was in a bad way.

However, a group of engineers, pilots, enthusiasts and business people launched a bid to restore the war bird to her former glory.

The XM665 Maintenance and Preservation Society was born in 1998 and since then it has transformed a pile of scrap to a fully live aircraft, capable of achieving her old feat of reaching 0-100 in just five seconds.

However, along the way there have been problems and they have mainly been down to a lack of cash and that is where Brian Waters, managing director of Stratford-based Autela Edmunds Walker, came in. He has helped the group raise sponsorship, which has included the donation of specialist parts and help - including a fresh coat of special paint.

"The group members are very skilled at what they do, excellent engineers and pilots, but they lack the ability to spot a money-raising opportunity and that is where we step in," said Mr Waters.

The cost is phenomenal. Sending the giant plane on a fast-taxi costs more than £1,000, which is why the society is hoping more people will join its friends scheme. It costs just £12 a year, or £25 for families and helps secure the future of the giant bomber.

"There should be more support from the people in the area really," said Mr Waters. "This magnificent plane is a huge feat of engineering and is a little piece of history. She should be preserved." If you would like to help sponsor the Vulcan, visit the website at www.jetman.dircon.co.uk/xm665.