Our 2021 Christmas Event & Buffet will take place on Saturday 4 December at Hawkwell Village Hall, Essex SS5 4EH.

We are very pleased to welcome as our guest speaker Kev Rumens. Kev became familiar to air show goers in the 2010s as a display pilot on Vulcan XH558, where his dramatic and memorable displays enthralled thousands all across the UK.

More recently, he has joined the Vulcan Restoration Trust team at London Southend Airport and has been a pilot on XL426 during its taxi-runs in 2021.

Kev will be presenting his talk, informally titled From Dropping Bombs to Dropping Passengers (on Holiday), where he will look back at his career in the RAF and as an airline pilot. His time spent flying the Vulcan will get a mention too!

Kev joined the RAF in 1984 and. after completing his flying training, was posted to fly the Victor K2 on 55 Squadron at RAF Marham, Norfolk. During his tour on the Victor, Kev also joined the RAF’s Vulcan Display Team and flew XH558 on the display circuit for two years. After leaving 55 Squadron, Kev was posted to RAF Scampton to begin Flying Instructor Training and subsequently moved to RAF Cranwell to instruct on the Jet Provost T5 and later the Tucano T1.

In 1993, he converted to fast jets and joined the Tornado GR1 force. He was posted to 14 Squadron at RAF Brüggen in West Germany before, in 1998, moving to RAF Lossiemouth. Moray. He then spent three years at ‘Lossie’ as an instructor on the Tornado GR1 Operational Conversion Unit.

Kev was promoted to Squadron Leader before completing two further tours at Lossiemouth during which time he converted from the Tornado GR1 to the GR4. Throughout his time flying the Tornado, Kev flew combat missions over Iraq policing the no-fly zones set up over the country in the aftermath of Gulf War 1. Kev now flies the Airbus A340 for Virgin Atlantic, flying all around the Globe on Long Haul Airline duties.

The timetable for the day is as follows:

11.30: Doors open

12.30: Christmas Buffet Lunch

13:30: Kev Rumens (part 1)

14:15: Break for Coffee and Mince Pies

14:45: Kev Rumens (part 2)

15:15: Legends of the Skies Prize Draw 2021 and Auction

16:00: VRT Annual General Meeting and A Look Back at 2020 and 2021

17:00: Close

As well as its formal business, the Annual General Meeting will include an illustrated look back at the Trust’s work over the past 24 months together with some exciting film of XL426’s recent taxi-runs.

The ticket price includes our famous Christmas Buffet which includes dessert and tea or coffee. There will also be a licensed pay bar. Our Vulcan souvenir stall will be in attendance and we will also be offering a number of interesting items for sale by auction, so please bring your wallets, purses and credit cards with you!