RAF Voyager "Cam Force One" - Inaugural Flight this Friday

[Warmtoast]

VIP transport for Government ministers and the Royal Family to make inaugural flight with David Cameron and cabinet ministers to Warsaw this Friday .

Details with photos from DT web site here: Inside RAF's new 'Cam Force One' VIP jet for ministers and Royals (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/05/inside-rafs-new-cam-force-one-vip-jet-for-ministers-and-royals/)

[Krystal n chips]

Given recent events, and sentiments in some quarters, there's a distinct sense of irony there regarding the pax ...and the destination.

[dctyke]

Maybe we can recoup some of the cost by offering luxury air to air refuelling site seeing flights. That's if Andy isn't using it for his golfing trips 😉

[ICM]

That looks so different from the Royal Fit used in the VC10 era that I do wonder if HM would ever choose to use it. No separate VVIP compartment? No private sleeping accommodation? I wonder who was consulted on the layout?

[Basil]

I guess range will never be a problem.

[NutLoose]

That looks so different from the Royal Fit used in the VC10 era that I do wonder if HM would ever choose to use it. No separate VVIP compartment? No private sleeping accommodation? I wonder who was consulted on the layout? I would imagine any curtain dividers etc, if there are any, are removed simply for the photograph, as they used to carry press and all the other hangers-on etc, one would imagine they would have some kind of separation.
The seats look like sleepers hence why they are staggered, possibly with a TV in the back of each service unit, though I can only remember having a bed fitted once on board and that was if memory serves me correctly locally purchased in the USA for Charles and Diana, as it wasn't fitted by use prior to it departing to go on some favourite charity fund raiser, we thought it rather incredulous that the announced funds raised were less than we figured the Ten cost to put on.

[clareprop]

Given the defence role of the aircraft, one trusts our monarch will not arrive on formal visits having a faint whiff of aviation fuel about her.

[CoffmanStarter]

Do you think there is a 'little green map display' so VIP's know where they are going :E

[ICM]

And presumably the crew will be in uniform, rather than flight suits?

[melmothtw]

...and all the other hangers-on

That's no way to talk about the royal family, Nutloose!!

[Martin the Martian]

With the way the Conservative party leader election is going, perhaps it will end up with the callsign 'Mayfly 1'.

[Davef68]

Looks like a divider at the back - the A330 is longer than that!

IMO it's quite right that the UK has a VVIP configured aircraft, just a pity it couldn't be in a proper white scheme with a blue flash.

[melmothtw]

Looks like a divider at the back - the A330 is longer than that!

Indeed, here is the final image from the MoD press release that the Daily Telegraph and others chose not to run as it didn't fit the narrative of 'Cam Force One'...

http://i1373.photobucket.com/albums/ag380/garethjennings1/DSCF1919%203_zpsx7ihecel.jpg (http://s1373.photobucket.com/user/garethjennings1/media/DSCF1919%203_zpsx7ihecel.jpg.html)

This will be where your 'hangers-on' will be seated Nutloose. Prince Andrew will be fuming!!

[BEagle]

The double bed installed for Prince Charles and Lady Diana was never used - when the aircraft reached the USA, HRH demanded 2 singles :confused: Which were acquired locally, then after the jet returned to the UK, were consigned to role equipment in Base Hangar.....:(

So it is said...:rolleyes:

[Lima Juliet]

It would have to MAYFLY II as the Halton Aero Club MAYFLY I built and flown by the RAF Halton Apprentices in 1927 was first...

http://www.luftfahrtarchiv.eu/pics/hac1.gif

LJ :ok:

[crewmeal]

Wot no TV screens for the journos?

[melmothtw]

Wot no TV screens for the journos?

I don't know of any seats that have TV screens in the front of the head rest.

[NutLoose]

I think is still have the bottle of aftershave left in the VIP toilet that was from one of Charlies flights. Do you think he wants it back? I didn't rate it.

Melmothtw

There is a bulkhead in front of the seats in that picture you posted of the hanger-on accomodation, this can be ascertained by the front two seats on the left. They have a different armrest, they are designed for a table to be plugged in, because unlike the seats behind, they do not have a fold down table in the seat in front.

.

[CoffmanStarter]

Not much call for 'Hai Karate' aftershave these days Nutty :E

[melmothtw]

Do any of the Voyagers have individual TV screens? Certainly I've had to make do with the communal screen on the bulkhead the couple of times that I have had the pleasure. Still, beats Iberia any day of the week...

[chopper2004]

Not much call for 'Hai Karate' aftershave these days Nutty :E
Maybe ths is what the Royal Protection lads do wear :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtwh3nQP5Uo

[chopper2004]

Not much call for 'Hai Karate' aftershave these days Nutty :E
However I amongst others probably prefer this commercial lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWn9EmbFTRo

[NutLoose]

#20 (permalink)
melmothtw

Do any of the Voyagers have individual TV screens? Certainly I've had to make do with the communal screen on the bulkhead the couple of times that I have had the pleasure. Still, beats Iberia any day of

I would think the VIP seats will have them, after all they already carry a camera in the cockpit :E

The excess baggage down the back probably has a communal screen, the RAF budget being what it is.

Not much call for 'Hai Karate' aftershave these days Nutty

Not since you found the heady aroma of Brut 33 and moved onto that Coff :p


I wonder if they will have binned the half life component requirements for the Monarch these days, especially as it is a civilian operated aircraft in a sense, I always thought it was utter nonsense, I pulled three engines on one Royal, three engines that were perfectly serviceable with trend logs to back up the fact, and then fitted three bay engines of unknown reliability or long term serviceability.

..

[glad rag]

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/uae-air-force-a330-tankers-to-have-etihad-passenger-332718/

[CoffmanStarter]

Ahhh ... "splash it all over" ... The great smell of Henry Cooper :ooh:

Chopper ... Subtle it was not ;)

[Wander00]

What Royal Protection wear.... as Secretary of a large yacht club with Royal patronage we saw quite a lot of the Royalty protection guys and Special Branch, who had to come out with us in the RIB to watch over their Principal. You guessed, they always turned up to go to sea - in grey suits and black shoes. my lad then 13 tried to help one of them aboard and offered to take the officer's bag. Officer politely refused 2 or 3 offers when I realised what it was Will was try to help with, so I called him over. "Nice try, boy, but I should leave it. That is his pistol". Lad suitably chastened sort of hid behind me. However, after we got off the dock we had a really good day with our lovely Ld Lt, Mary Fagan, the Lady in Waiting and two detectives, and lots of unrepeatable "royal" stories. But I will always remember the police "plain clothes" for going boating.

[NutLoose]

Ahhh police security, I remember the RAF plods doing the Ten security sweeps prior to departure, they would request we open panels etc so they could have a look inside. Asking one day do you actually know what any of this stuff is, he replied no, so what are you expecting to see I asked, a big black ball marked bomb with a fizzing fuse? instant humour failure and a rather quiet search continued.

We did have one plod get rather adventurous and asked me to open a panel up on the top of the fin, now even by any stretch of ones imagination, a terrorist would need to bring his own hydraulic platform to plant his bomb up there and also considering it had a lot of fuel behind it I graciously declined.. much to the plods chargrin.

[HP90]

One important point that hasn't yet been mentioned on here is that the Voyager has a full DAS suite fitted, which in my opinion is vital in this day & age for an aircraft that will be carrying high-profile government VIPs.

In addition, it would theoretically be possible to trail a couple of Typhoons along if ever the PM needs to fly over/near somewhere "hot"!

[Davef68]

Is it just me or is the fuselage cheat line a bit wobbly towards the back?

https://www.flightglobal.com/assets/getasset.aspx?itemid=67609

[Wander00]

Call me old fashioned, but couldn't we have a big Union Flag on it

[CoffmanStarter]

I'm with you Wander old chap ... Splendid idea :ok:

[crewmeal]

Shock horror - no champers, but the brekky looks good!

David Cameron's newly refurbished £10million jet is slammed | Daily Mail Online (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3681491/Its-disgrace-Prime-Minister-s-newly-refurbished-10million-jet-slammed-disgruntled-passengers-no-thrills-feel.html)

[Linedog]

Should've made it PAYD.

[BEagle]

So a few p*ssed hacks can't guzzle champagne at the taxpayer's expense?

SHOCK! HORROR!!

No TV screens either? Take your own iToy if you really need to watch video on such a short flight.

Old refuelling plane? Yes - a couple of months old....

The Daily Mail is an utter disgrace these days.

[hippocrates]

BEagle hits the nail on the head!
Maybe the first touch of austerity the poor loves have experienced.
For those with their snouts in it, the trough just got a little smaller.....
I thought that the breakfast looked fantastic!

[Geordie_Expat]

Agree with the above. What an utterly childish piece of "journalism".


The phrase "Ah diddums" springs to mind.

[melmothtw]

So a few p*ssed hacks can't guzzle champagne at the taxpayer's expense?

Ha ha, that is so far removed from the reality of what I do that I don't even know where to begin.

"One passenger in business class complained..." - so probably not a journalist then.

[Wander00]

Typical Daily Mail - totally misses the point - poor journo did not get any free booze - and just what uniforms did they expect the RAF crew to wear. Usual Mail - utter b@ll@cks

[NutLoose]

I totally agree about the Union Jack / flag, it should replace that bloody awful logo on the front, how many times do they need RAF on the side as it is emblazoned in big letters on the main fuselage, plus it looks confusing / wrong as the roundel is a different version from the main one along with the font colour.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/RAF_Voyager_Aircraft_MOD_45156495.jpg

On a brighter note, it's nice to see my old workplace behind the jet. I wonder if they have got anything to grow in the garden outside the line office since, the WO used to make us tend the roses etc when we were not busy, the plants were lifted one night and several gallons of Skydrol added before the said bushes were replaced.... End of the gardening..period.... Nothing would grow after that. :E

[downsizer]

but the brekky looks good!

That is not the breakfast normally served on a voyager! Certain none of the numerous flights I've been on.

[dragartist]

At least the line is straight that side Nutty. the bloke who did the other side must have been pi$$ed.

[NutLoose]

I think you will find it is heat haze, I get it all the time when photographing aircraft on a pan, you can see from this side shot how bad it is, all the windows look distorted

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/RAF_A330_ZZ335_16sep14_LFBO.jpg

[DirtyProp]

"The converted RAF Voyager A330 is expected to cost £2,000 an hour, compared to the current average cost of £6,700 an hour."


I think they left a zero out...

[TBM-Legend]

That Royal Air Force sticker certainly looks like an after-thought!

[BEagle]

The 'ROYAL AIR FORCE' wording painted on the fuselage is both too large and in the wrong font compared with the traditional style used on TriStar and VC10.

But that stupid sticker with the sloping 'A's is tacky beyond belief. By the doors so that it will feature in journos' snaps like some product placement advert. It should certainly be replaced by the Union Flag!

£2000 per hour? Plus the small matter of >£1M per day for the AirTanker contract....:rolleyes:

[collbar]

wouldn't worry to much about the corporate logo insisted upon by the RAF PR machine.... the door covers it when its open!!!!

[NutLoose]

Wow.....they have a PR machine, is it powered by a hamster on a wheel?

[ORAC]

May Force 1?

I don't think DC will get to fly in it......

[Gsxr600]

I'm confused. Is it the premise that it cost £10 million to "convert" this Voyager to be VIP transport? It doesn't seem any different from a standard Voyager configuration from the pictures. What has actually been altered on this particular airframe? Has anyone on here seen the whole passenger cabin?

[ORAC]

I would imagine the "conversion" was the contract change cost to allow it to be used as a VIP transport, not the interior decor....

[NutLoose]

Did you not see the first class compartment in the first link? Probably secure comms etc too.

[artee]

May Force 1?

I don't think DC will get to fly in it......
I still think that it should be called Piggles, in honour of David Cameron.

[Gsxr600]

Yes I did Nutloose, are you saying it cost £10 million to create a first class compartment!? That seems a lot. I would guess that ORAC is nearer the mark: probably only a fraction of the £10million was actually spend inside the aircraft!

[Martin the Martian]

The logo next to the door is so that the RAF is prominent when the VIP steps out through the door with all those cameras watching him or her trying not to trip down the steps.

I do like how the DM refers to it as an 'old' refuelling jet, and how the turbulence was magnified as a result.:rolleyes:

No champagne, but a useful countermeasures suite. I know what I'd prefer.

[NutLoose]

So has it gone from Cam Force One to May the AirForce be with you?



..

[VX275]

How about 'The Mayfly'

[Out Of Trim]

The logo next to the door is so that the RAF is prominent when the VIP steps out through the door with all those cameras watching him or her trying not to trip down the steps.

In that case, they put the logo in the wrong place then. Seeing as 1) door L1 being open would cover the logo; and 2) door L2 is usually the one in use! :E

I would go along with a Union Flag option instead. :ok:

[Willard Whyte]

How about 'The Mayfly'

Hope it lasts longer.

[ICM]

The Union Flag was added to the 10 Sqn VC10s in 1976 once it had become apparent that "Royal Air Force" on the side was not always sufficient to make clear to which nation that Air Force belonged. Strange you may think, but true.

[dead_pan]

May Force One? Sounds like the tail-end of a pharting competition...

[PDR1]

I'm confused. Is it the premise that it cost £10 million to "convert" this Voyager to be VIP transport? It doesn't seem any different from a standard Voyager configuration from the pictures. What has actually been altered on this particular airframe? Has anyone on here seen the whole passenger cabin?

I would imagine it's additional ECM/DASS/[etc] and additional Comms kit, and possibly more extensive tempesting, to allow it to function as a secure "office" (on the ground and in the air) and less vulnerable to various threats.

€0.04 supplied

PDR

[ORAC]

How about 'The Mayfly' The 'Dragonfly" surely...... :E:E

[Pontius Navigator]

Mayfly was a Bomber Command exercise in the 60s.IIRC

[NutLoose]

More like Mayday

[NutLoose]

As we have a new Foreign Secretary do you think it will need to go back to have a chimp cage fitted to house him in?
I can see him now sliding down the emergency chute waving his two flags and riding off into the sunset on his Boris bike.

I actually feel sorry for the rest of the World having him foisted upon them.

[langleybaston]

Jealousy will get you nowhere ............. think of the buckshee booze BJ will swig, and the occasional socialising opportunities.

Truth to tell, some of the dreadful old f@rts strutting the world stage could do with a little lightening up, surely?

And whatever else, BJ is both intelligent and educated, as any reader of his D Tel articles might testify.

[Lyneham Lad]

And whatever else, BJ is both intelligent and educated, as any reader of his D Tel articles might testify.

Yes, but one does sometimes wonder at his attention to detail...

[Pontius Navigator]

LL, very much an ideas man who uses the skills of those around him to execute his ideas. Think great Generals, while they have a graspo of their subject they don't micro manage. I am sure he would trump Hilary in any talks with the US.

[Union Jack]

I am sure he would trump Hilary in any talks with the US. - PN

I see what you did there, not once but twice....:D

Jack

[CoffmanStarter]

I'd put good money on Matron Theresa having had a word in his ear on appointment to smarten his act up ... He's certainly got the brains and intelligence to be a good FS.

[NutLoose]

He needs a personal hairdresser, I can't speak French, but I'm available.

Why is mother Theresa starting to look like Maggie Thatcher in her dress sense?

[Heathrow Harry]

I beleive BS speaks quite fleunt French - nonsense o course as in his English pronouncements but fluent nonsense.................

[ORAC]

9OzSvvuCgJ4

Latin, French and Italian fluently; passable German, Spanish and Russian. The last perhaps from his gransparents - not sure about Turkish........

[HP90]

Maybe we ought to have a think about the wisdom of broadcasting the real-time position of the PM's aircraft live on the internet. Can you imagine Air Force One doing that? All it takes these days is someone standing on the approach with a laser or a drone.

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/zz336 - Click on the flight history for the two flights to/from Hangzhou.

(For those reading this at a later date, ZZ336 was trackable throughout it's entire flight from the UK to China and back again, while carrying the PM and pretty much every other notable name in UK politics to the G20 summit.)

[Wycombe]

Yep, noticed it last night amongst the Cathay's, BA's etc tracking across Mongolia.

Another one that appears regularly ops out of AKT across Israel into Jordan, then disappears, or does the same in reverse....interesting to see (for someone like me that's just interested in what's going on), but really wise?

[Davef68]

40 minutes to fly from Brize to Heathrow? :-)

[ICM]

My logbook tells me that a similar positioning flight some 40 years ago also took 40 minutes - presumably the Brize departure that sent you some miles in the other direction, then a radar pickup to be put into the LHR arrival flow. (But just 25 minutes for LHR - Brize, I see.)

[sharpend]

On average it took me 0:40 minutes Brize to LHR, but we always did well on the return averaging 15 minutes! Part of this was that we were not VVIP inbound to LHR, but they were always glad to get rid of us at 9 pm. With a westerly wind, one hardly had time to raise the gear before intercepting the Brize localiser.

[BEagle]

When I held on the OCU before my VC10 course, dear old 'JR' told me about those VIP/VVIP positioning flights with a new VIP captain going there for the first time. "This is probably the easiest trip you'll ever do without a VIP on board", he said, "We'll just take-off, climb to around 4000ft, then do whatever ATC want whilst we all have a cup of tea. The only planning you need is the approach chart and more importantly, the taxiway chart."

Off they went, all went smoothly and the new VIP captain breathed a huge sigh of relief. 'JR' knew just how to get the best out of his students and it was a total pleasure to fly with him.

[mcdhu]

Lots of positioning NHT - LHR and back in the minijet (HS125) of 32Sqn.
The record was held at 8 mins. Hard to beat - tried a few times and failed!!
mcdhu

[212man]

With a westerly wind, one hardly had time to raise the gear before intercepting the Brize localiser.

Must have been even worse with an Easterly.....:p

[Herod]

Must have been even worse with an Easterly

Not really, because you would depart on an easterly runway and then you would go past the airfield, to position for the easterly runway at Brize.

Similar situation with the BAe 146 operating Jersey-Guersey

[Pontius Navigator]

Herod, that is what I was tempted to say apart from the Smiley that 212 used, so I thought he had some secret plan.

I wonder now if he got the direction of an easterly wind wrong.

[212man]

Herod, that is what I was tempted to say apart from the Smiley that 212 used, so I thought he had some secret plan.

I wonder now if he got the direction of an easterly wind wrong.

No, I was simply thinking tailwind/head wind, and not extended routing....

[Pontius Navigator]

212, thank you, so a down wind take off etc.

[mcdhu]

Jenkins has spurred me on to hijack the thread to see what other 'record breaking' flights we might have competed for in military hardware.
May I start?
BFS to NHT (HS125) Conditions required were RW 17 or 25 for departure from BFS. Cruise at FL290 for max TAS with strong NW'ly Jet followed by the WCO 'snatch' onto 08 at NHT with the connivance of the LHR Director who were usually up for it on receipt of a phone call from Aldergrove.
I think the record for the 260nm was held by a grey haired ex-Britannia skipper (initials ML) who posted 38 mins TO to LDG in a 600 Series in either the late 70s or early 80s. Average 410kts - not bad for a short flight!
Any more?
mcdhu

[KelvinD]

So, in this age of Royal flights, CamForce 1 etc, what is going on? Today, Prince William and family left Heathrow on a visit to British Columbia. On a Canadian Air Force plane (A310 15001). BA and the RAF having a weekend off then?

[taxydual]

Kelvin

The Canadians usually provided a VVIP aircraft for Royal Visits to Canada. They have pride in their Royal Family.

Unlike some others who relegate HM and ilk to tourist.

The Canadians have class.

[Max Angle]

He is simply using the services of another of his grandmother's airforces, she has more than one at her disposal.

[Jimlad1]

Its standard form for royals when doing overseas tours to use host nations aircraft when they share HMTQ as head of state.

[Whenurhappy]

So, in this age of Royal flights, CamForce 1 etc, what is going on? Today, Prince William and family left Heathrow on a visit to British Columbia. On a Canadian Air Force plane (A310 15001). BA and the RAF having a weekend off then?

Two weeks ago the RNZAF did tasking for DSCOM, flying Marines from Exeter to Albania. It's something that our air forces do.

Edited to add the Bootnecks didn't know what hit them. They were offered full airline service - less alcohol - on board the Kiwi B757s (ie no horror boxes); to the extent that quite a few sat in Business Class!

[ICM]

There may well be a protocol issue in all of this. In July 1976, HM The Queen visited the USA as part of the Bicentennial celebration using HMY Britannia and a 10 Sqn VC10. But despite the VVIP assets on hand and ready, she was then flown to Canada to open the Montreal Olympics by a Canadian Forces 707 (CC-137?) of 437 Sqn.

[steamchicken]

While she is in Canada, she is Queen of Canada, taking over from the Governor-General.

[BEagle]

KelvinD wrote: Prince William and family left Heathrow on a visit to British Columbia. On a Canadian Air Force plane (A310 15001).

A pity that the Duke of Cambridge and family weren't flying instead in 15004 or 15005:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/nw969/A310MRTT_zpsx0pipxs8.jpg (http://s14.photobucket.com/user/nw969/media/A310MRTT_zpsx0pipxs8.jpg.html)

That would have been rather a good Guard of Honour!

[rjtjrt]

Edited to add the Bootnecks didn't know what hit them. They were offered full airline service - less alcohol - on board the Kiwi B757s (ie no horror boxes); to the extent that quite a few sat in Business Class!

I bet they were more polite than many a commercial passenger.

[sled dog]

Ref post #87, how about Brize to Abingdon ( 1974 ? ) in a Britannia to see if it would fit into the hangar there. It did. Sorry for being off thread.

[Warmtoast]

Post #87
Jenkins has spurred me on to hijack the thread to see what other 'record breaking' flights we might have competed for in military hardware.
May I start?http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/RAF%20Lyneham/Lyneham%20-%20Gatwick%20-%20April%201960_zpslzahevl7.jpg
Extract from my log book of 99 Sqn Britannia positioning at Gatwick in April 1960 - 40-mins Lyneham to Gatwick.

Not particularly of high quality, but below is a screen grab from some 8mm cine film I shot of the Gatwick departure hall as it appeared during the flight above. The occasion was when we were tasked at very short notice to fly Julian Amery, the then Colonial Under-Secretary of State, to Nicosia for talks with Archbishop Makarios and Mr Kutchuk. These talks led to the creation of the Sovereign Base Areas.


http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/RAF%20Lyneham/Gatwick-April1960-Cropped.jpg

Note the ‘busy’ departure check-in desks on the left. With what appears to be just two pax checking in!


http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/RAF%20Lyneham/Gatwick1961.jpg
Postcard of Gatwick dating from around the same time.


Apologies for the thread creep - WT

[TBM-Legend]

Looks like they could have built a parallel runway way back then but alas.....

[ShotOne]

All we need now is a new Britannia (not the Bristol one!)