Question about the tanker version. I had a couple of trips on these with ATC cadets in the 1980s and was interested in the escape hatch which was originally intended to be used for crew abandonment (just aft of the flight deck on the port side). I think the idea was binned fairly early on when it was realised that getting a crew of four out was one thing, but a crew of four and a dozen odd pax was something else again.
Anyone know what sort of trials were done on this escape hatch and how it worked? I think there was some sort of extending slide to take escapees clear of the aircraft, but as it was all welded up by that time, I'm not sure about that. I take it even at the development stage nobody ever actually jumped out of a VC10
From my Ten course if I remember correctly it was a set of telescopic tubes inside each other that extended out and curved around the fuselage so you would exit underneath, the test dummies dropped hit the wing, hence it wasn't pursued and was disarmed. I think the reasoning was the Ten could provide all its fuel if needed in wartime then the crew would do a rapid depressurisation and abandon it. I don't think in the scenario envisaged the pax seats would be occupied. The complete design cost some £1,000,000 per aircraft and was installed as it was part of the design and had been manufactured. They found soon on that the closed slide was an correct diameter to take a bin bag so as it was opposite the Galley it became the most expensive bin bag holder in history. ( unless you know otherwise )
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