VC-10 Retirement Thread (merged)

The original announcement was on my forum here: http://www.vc10.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=845

I should have copied the full list of course: “3 VC10s, Nimrod, Victor, Comet, Canberra, 2 Lightnings, 5 Jet Provosts, 3 Hunters, 3 Buccaneers, Sea Harrier, Star Fighter, Sea Vixen, Jaguar, Mystere, Meteor, L29 Delphin, Jetstream.” 😀

Edit: I’ve been told that the participation of the two Lightnings from the Lightning Preservation Group is not yet certain and dependent on, amongst other considerations, the weather on the day.

29 Cold War jets

😮 I need to visit the UK again!

On a related note, next Sunday 17th November Bruntingthorpe will be open for visitors and they will line up 29 Cold War jets on the runway, including the three complete VC10s left: XR808, ZA147 and ZD241. Normal admission prices apply.

David, Benyboy, I get it. Many thanks. Seadog

808 -BOB I guess.

Seadog – ‘808’ or ‘BOB’ do you see the slight similarity?

Hello, Asking for a friend, does anyone know why XR808 have the nickname, “Bob”? Many thanks.

Was this airframe too far gone for reuse?
Were they robbed for the in service a/c at Brize?

The aircraft were used for spares for the active VC-10 Fleet.

Only 5 aircraft were part of ASR415 to be rebuilt as tanker aircraft, so the remainder were scrapped as they were no longer required

Yes we used to rob them, but rarely, I mean we had the fuel pumps etc out of them so some had the wings open, the ones that were broken up the spars were far too corroded due to the water thet had sat in for years in the cabin.

They nailed the gear down for the flights and had a set of engines that did them all.

there was a big fire when i was still in at some storage depot and a lot of the spares went up in smoke, so they were pushed for bits, thats why we were amazed they were brought into service, alomg with the condition.

this has just been posted on PPrune, a truly sad day 🙁

A sad day this coming Friday

Quote:
The last two VC10s are being withdrawn from RAF service at the end of this month after more than 50 years of crucial work around the world.

One returned from the Falklands earlier this month. Both are currently based at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire from where they will make a final sortie around the UK this Friday.

VC10s were used wherever British forces were in action, including in Yemen, the Falklands and the first Gulf War. They were also used to carry members of the Royal family and politicians overseas.

The aircraft is being replaced by Voyager, an aircraft based on a modified A330 holiday jet that is replacing the VC10 and Tristar.

The prototype of the VC10 plane, G-ARTA, made its maiden flight on June 29, 1962, and the VC10 went on to be used heavily by commercial airlines and the military.

At the time the RAF added it to its fleet, it was the heaviest and most powerful aircraft it had used and provided a new global transport capability.

The last of the planes were in service with 101 Squadron, based at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, pending their retirement.

Over the last half century the VC10 has been involved in many major international crises.

It was used to bring British troops back from Aden, Yemen, in 1967 – the biggest operation of its type since the Berlin airlift.

In February 1979, RAF VC10s and C-130s flew 650 men, women and children out of Iran in four days – moving the Daily Express to comment: “RAF … the airline you can trust.”

In the Falklands War in 1982, the first task of the VC10 was to fly the islands’ governor, Rex Hunt, and the 61 Marines of the Naval Party 8901 from the airport of Montevideo in neutral Uruguay.

The VC10 was soon involved in the evacuation of the seriously wounded from Montevideo. Two VC10s were painted with the international markings of the Red Cross and permitted to carry 65 wounded. The aircraft carried more than 400 casualties by this route, which involved a 24-hour flight with a refuelling stop at Ascension Island.

During the first Gulf War, VC10s flew air-to-air refuelling missions and more than 5,000 hours of supply and medical duties.

The VC10 has also been involved in operations in Afghanistan, refuelling British and US aircraft.

The first royal flight by an RAF VC10 was the journey to Australia and back by the Prince of Wales, Harold Wilson and Ted Heath in 1967 for the memorial service for the Australian premier Harold Holt, who drowned while swimming.

The flight from London to Melbourne took 21 hours, 46 minutes including two stops at Muharraq in Bahrain and Gan in the Indian Ocean. Civil aircraft took 36 hours at that time to complete the journey.

The VC10 was used for the Queen’s bicentennial tour of America. On July 3, 1976, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh embarked on a tour of the USA with the first stop in Bermuda.

Prime minister Tony Blair was on board the last VC10 to complete an approach to Kai Tak airport in Hong Kong on June 29, 1997. He was attending the handover ceremonies of the British colony to China.

Politicians have had varying opinions of the VC10 – Margaret Thatcher always insisted on using the aircraft, but John Major hated its outdated air-conditioning system, preferring Concorde or a Boeing 747.

In 1998 a set of divan sofa-beds were added to a VC10 used by Mr Blair at a cost of £50,000 so the premier, his wife and aides could sleep during flights.

The VC10 was a great favourite of Mrs Thatcher. Her office on board was curtained off for extra privacy and she had her own steward to pour drinks, whiskey or mineral water, with a glass of red wine with meals.

Denis Thatcher was also often on board. He enjoyed a quiet gin and tonic and sometimes went to the back of the plane to talk to the “reptiles” – his nickname for journalists.

On August 1, 1990, Mrs Thatcher was presented with a log book to commemorate her 1,000 hours of flying on a VC10.

Freed hostages John McCarthy and Terry Waite flew home by VC10 in 1991 after years of being held in Beirut.

From BFBS News

No I was an Engineer in the RAF on them, and did a lot of flying in them because of that.

Muscle-Manta

Glad you were not directly under the flight path, some seriously brave people to fly those out, we used to rob them blind and coudn’t believe when the RAF decided to reactivate them, we had seen the state they were in. I believe they were paid a not inconsiderable sum to ferry them on the short hop.

A lot of the problems came form the way they were stored, initially they were bagged up, but even though the Engineering Officer at the time I believe said they needed dehumidifiers in them, they were never fitted, hence they became like the Amazon rain forest inside in the summer, some had feet of water sitting around the spars, and the bags soon got torn to shreds in the UK weather compounding the issues.

Tony, I moved to Shippon on the southeast side of Abingdon airfield in ’91. As an ex FAA aircraft mechanic I took an interest in the aircraft being broken up on the airfield which included a number of AEW Nimrods, Vulcan, Phantom, Buccaneer and Canberra. I was amazed to see this VC10 in the air and ran in doors for my camera. I believe the photo below is the same aircraft (ex G-ASGG) landing at Filton.[ATTACH=CONFIG]220925[/ATTACH]Image below the last of them on the airfield which was broken up. Was this airframe too far gone for reuse?[ATTACH=CONFIG]220926[/ATTACH]

Were they robbed for the in service a/c at Brize?

Is it too much like common sense that if they cannot get a VC10, Cosford would aquire the simulater?

TonyT

A personal question.
For your last paragraph, I presume that you was a pilot of VC10. In civil or military service?
Thanks again

No I was an Engineer in the RAF on them, and did a lot of flying in them because of that.

Muscle-Manta

Glad you were not directly under the flight path, some seriously brave people to fly those out, we used to rob them blind and coudn’t believe when the RAF decided to reactivate them, we had seen the state they were in. I believe they were paid a not inconsiderable sum to ferry them on the short hop.

A lot of the problems came form the way they were stored, initially they were bagged up, but even though the Engineering Officer at the time I believe said they needed dehumidifiers in them, they were never fitted, hence they became like the Amazon rain forest inside in the summer, some had feet of water sitting around the spars, and the bags soon got torn to shreds in the UK weather compounding the issues.

Last VC10 to leave Abingdon for conversion back in July 1991

[ATTACH=CONFIG]220897[/ATTACH]

No, one has retired to a museum in southern England and one to a museum where it will be maintained to run and fast taxy in central England, the others may be scrapped as were the rest of the fleet. One was going to another museum but could not get into Cosford because of the short runway, it went to the other central museum and the one they were originally getting that is there may be scrapped, that was the third one.
There are two still flying and they will retire in about two weeks, they too will probably be scrapped, one was in the Falklands if you want to buy it, as it was supposed to fly home for scrapping. The simulators powered down for the last time this week.

They are and were the most beautiful aircraft ever built and I loved every minute on them.

You may enjoy this thread

http://www.pprune.org/military-aircrew/517746-raf-vc10-great-memories.html

TonyT

A personal question.
For your last paragraph, I presume that you was a pilot of VC10. In civil or military service?
Thanks again

No, one has retired to a museum in southern England and one to a museum where it will be maintained to run and fast taxy in central England, the others may be scrapped as were the rest of the fleet. One was going to another museum but could not get into Cosford because of the short runway, it went to the other central museum and the one they were originally getting that is there may be scrapped, that was the third one.
There are two still flying and they will retire in about two weeks, they too will probably be scrapped, one was in the Falklands if you want to buy it, as it was supposed to fly home for scrapping. The simulators powered down for the last time this week.

They are and were the most beautiful aircraft ever built and I loved every minute on them.

You may enjoy this thread

http://www.pprune.org/military-aircrew/517746-raf-vc10-great-memories.html

TonyT

Thanks for your ansewer

No, one has retired to a museum in southern England and one to a museum where it will be maintained to run and fast taxy in central England, the others may be scrapped as were the rest of the fleet. One was going to another museum but could not get into Cosford because of the short runway, it went to the other central museum and the one they were originally getting that is there may be scrapped, that was the third one.
There are two still flying and they will retire in about two weeks, they too will probably be scrapped, one was in the Falklands if you want to buy it, as it was supposed to fly home for scrapping. The simulators powered down for the last time this week.

They are and were the most beautiful aircraft ever built and I loved every minute on them.

You may enjoy this thread

http://www.pprune.org/military-aircrew/517746-raf-vc10-great-memories.html

Hi
I must say that the VC10 is most beautifull plane that I ever saw.
I read in the VC10 net, that at 8/28/13, the RAF have 2 active VC10.
On the same page, they say that three were withdrawn from service this year, but were no scrap.
My question is, when they finally are removed from service, could be in service in another air force, as well wishing
Thanks

In case you do not know what a search is or was, it is similar to this

[ATTACH=CONFIG]220451[/ATTACH]

I have been up to on a scissor lift outside and it ain’t for the faint hearted!

LOL I took a young lad up in a seacrh to max extension so he could take some pics looking back down on a Ten from above the fin, as I was swivelling it round I heard this awful graunching grating noise, looking over the edge he laughed and said one of the hoses had caught and was stretching……. I gently rotated about face, lowered it, put it U/S and then told him that the hose was keeping it up and us alive”

They snagged a beacon and the wind was out of limits, one of the Leckies using the fin as a shield crept the search up and then swinging in the breeze scrambled over and changed the bulb!!!

Two incidents of note from my time, A radio bod had gone out to do some work on the fin at night, it was mid winter and well below freezing… he was only wearing a shirt but was only going up for a minute, had got the search up to the top of the fin and was doing the job when the Search ran out of fuel, he couldn’t swivel it to drop it so was stuck, a hour or so of shouting to no effect he eventually turned up inside the offices covered in oil and grease. Worried about freezing to death with hypothermia he had actually climbed down the boom!!! I know of another guy who slid down the fin leading edge when stuck, walked along the spine and slid onto the airstair!
If you want frightening, work on the engines at night in freezing conditions when the thing had been deiced and was still painted in the high gloss scheme, 13 foot to the base of the engine plus the engine itself makes interesting work as you are jumping from engine to fuselage then down to the other side on the wettest slippiest surface known to mankind without any form or safety harness or helmet and the knowledge that if you go your gone… we did that day in day out. I know of one guy about to slide over the side punched a screwdriver he was holding through the cowl to arrest his fall.
Giraffe’s up to the rear of the stub wing was the normal access but occasionally they would be up to the side of the outboard engine, you would have a leap of blind faith as you slide off the engine cowl onto the giraffe slightly below… and I was sh*t scared of heights, but you got used to it.
We had a Sooty Corporal (DG) who was a bit of a climber, who would open the rear galley door, grab hold of the rain channel above it with his fingers and swing his legs out onto the stub wing then pull himself up, he would come back in the same way without any safety equipment below the door or on him, those at Brunty go open the door look out and figure out how he did it, i used to watch him and plead for him not to be so stupid, but he still used to do it.

ZA148 indeed went to Newquay on 28th August. I’ve heard talk that they would like to park her outside and create a diner in her though :apologetic:

At least she’s been saved. The RAFM’s latest is still along the line that they’re ‘trying to secure a VC10 airframe for the RAFM’. Apparently the landing distance info for a K3 is more comprehensive than for a C1K so, however strange, the option of landing one at Cosford is still there and is looking better. As for seeing one flying, there won’t be much happening in these last few weeks of their active life, however one will be at the Leuchars Air Show next weekend.