Hi all.
I have just been reading about the VC10 on the VCtenderness web site.
These fantastic but ageing aircraft are very uneconomical and pump out alot of smoke especially on take off, they are also very noisey.
My question is, I am surprised the RAF never considered fitting 2 x RB211 535E4s fitted to 757s (de-rated to around 44,000lbs) to make the aircraft more economical.
I hear you all say ” its the cost ” but surely, taking into account how much fuel could be saved, maybe the cost would be irrelevant.
I think it would be too late to consider an engine change now, but maybe 20 years ago it might have been feasable, having said that, A VC10 would not be a VC10 without those 4 conway pods attached. I am just surprised it was never considered.
Regards
Nordjet415
By: Skymonster - 21st November 2007 at 16:31
I believe it was considered at one time, but as all above meant it was a non starter… Also, IIRC they realised two RB211s weighed somewhat less than four Conways, meaning that there would have been CofG issues
Andy
By: DavidS - 21st November 2007 at 09:44
PC VC10 et al
Whats wrong with a lot of smoke and very noisy at take off (and landing and at any other time)?
Bring back the Convair 990s where you could track the flight for the rest of the day due to the smoke!
Carbon footprint? Whats that?
David
By: Super Nimrod - 20th November 2007 at 21:07
Or a dozen Nimrod MRA4’s where a much larger and expensive rebuild has occurred :diablo: 😮
By: tenthije - 19th November 2007 at 19:51
I think that for such a small fleet of out of production planes, even 20 years ago, the economics simply do not add up. It is not just a matter of bolting on two new engines. The cockpit will also need to be changed frmo 4-engined to 2-engined. This also means changes to the plumbing. This also means changes to the wiring and let’s not even start with the paper mess of certifcation.
Such a procedure is really only worthwhile for large fleets such as the USAF KC-135s as well as the numerous civilian DC-8 cargo/VIP planes. Also, the 707/DC8 conversion was less cumbersome as they stayed with 4 engines.
By: sealordlawrence - 19th November 2007 at 15:05
Apparently the one aircraft that did have an RB.211 suffered severe structural problems as a result (IIRC to the extent that it never flew again) so it may be far more expensive than just buying new engines and bolting them on. Either way the type is now coming to the end of its operational life.
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November 19, 2007 at 2:47 pm