VIDEO: Vulcan soars to new heights as star of Masquerade Ball at Robin Hood Airport

A lucky few are paying up to £75 for a premium ticket to sit under the bomb bay itself.

Hundreds of other fans have also bought in to the black tie Finningley Vulcan Masquerade Ball, sponsored by Portland Autos, on Saturday, May 7.

The venue - Hanger Three at Doncaster Robin Hood Airport - is the now grounded Vulcan’s permanent home and attracting lots of bookings as a unique new events venue, with space to seat up to 1,600 people for dinner.

Proceeds from the Masquerade Ball will go towards the many thousands of pounds it will cost charity Vulcan To The Sky to house and maintain whats was the last flying Vulcan. It touched down for the last time in October.

As part of funding initiatives Vulcan XH558 must remain in flying condition for 80 years. To make a donation, or for more information and videos see the links below.

This year’s Masquerade Ball beneficiaries also included The Baby Memorial Project at Doncaster Royal Infirmary and Community Projects for Finningley Village.

Organisers Julie Kong and Dot Speight raised £11,000 from a similar dinner in the hanger last year but the plane was still being flown so guests were not allowed to get too close.

“We’ve now been given special permission to not only seat tables around the plane but also underneath,” said Julie.

“The bomber doors will be open and we have one special VIP table under there.

"We are raising money to keep the aircraft in tip top condition. We want to keep the spirit of it alive even though it's not flying any more. We had over 360 people attending, but we're hoping to blow that out of the water this year..Tickets are selling fast."

Ian Straw, the Vulcan charity's Director of Operations, explained how they hope the plane as an exhibit will continue to inspire engineering, technology and aviation pioneers.

The Vulcan backdrop is also expected to encourage more bookings of the hanger - which can seat up to 1,600 people for dinner - as an exciting new venue for corporate events, awards ceremonies, launches, even weddings.

Ian said: "The aircraft will be a working centrepiece, with regular taxying demonstrations, providing opportunities for the public to get close to an iconic part of UK history that has gained a massive following - 120,000 followers receive regular internet newsletters.

"The focus will be to inspire people in the engineering and aviation community locally, nationally and globally."

Tickets are now limited for The Finningley Vulcan Masquerade Ball, sponsored by Portland AutosPrices are £75 for VIP, seated under the bomb bay of the plane, with waiter service, champagne, prosecco and wine; £65 to be seated under the wing, or £45 general seating, include.a two course meal, live entertainment and disco.

For tickets and more call Julie on 07854 694258 or Dot on 07545 251877.

DONATE: Make a donation now go to www.vulcantothesky.org/donate.htmlVIDEO: Watch our Vulcan ball preview chat with Julie above and also check out our embedded YouTube video of the Vulcan XH558's final flight on October 28, 2015 - join the crew, including amazing cockpit views.

YOUTUBE: Watch more official Vulcan To The Sky videos on its YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/user/VulcanXH558VideoREAD MORE: For latest news, the history of the Vulcan XH558, merchandise and how to help Vulcan To The Sky visit the official web site www.vulcantothesky.orgNEWSLETTER: Sign up for the regular Vulcan To The Sky newsletter by email - CLICK HERE.

FACEBOOK: Like the official Vulcan XH558 Facebok page and follow for more updates at www.facebook.com/VulcanXH558TWITTER: Follow the Vulcan XH558 for breaking news about the aircraft, the hanger, the aviation industry, with historical dates and photos, @XH558