Originally Posted by
Waddo Liney
Thank you everyone for your timely comments - I didn't except so many. So, the consensus appears to be that the VC-10 did not use reverse thrust in flight and that the noise and vibration I experienced was due the spoilers being deployed.
Absolutely, those spoilers seemed more like airbrakes - producing an impressive rate of descent. BOAC VC-10s seemed to use spoilers a lot when descending to some Middle Eastern & East African airports, possibly because of airspace restrictions due to unrest and recent conflicts. (This was in the late Sixties and early Seventies) As you say, quite a lot of vibration and noise associated. The only aircraft in which I flew which was allowed to select reverse thrust while airborne was the DH/HS Trident - Mk1 I think. Quite a different and distinctive noise, from the engines.
Coming in to shortish runways - like Aberdeen's Dyce - you'd sometimes hear reverse thrust being selected on short finals, That generally meant no go around option. I believe one Trident did slightly over-run onto the grass at Dyce as a result.