VC10 Changi

[woodring]

I previously left Changi by Vickers funbus in 1970.

I passed through again on Thurs 14th April 2005, lo and behold what should be sat on the pan but one of the none shiny ones (101).
Any body know why she was there?

[hobie]

Why did they call the VC10, Funbus? .......

[goldcup]

Several of the heirarchy at Brize wondering that as well I'll wager...

PS- It is a "shiny" one (C1K)- they're all that colour now.

[hobie]

While looking for an answer to my question I came across this photo from an ex VC10 guy who retired to Canada ...

http://www.vc10.net/Memories/Images/bobwhittington00_00056.JPG

[exvicar]

Goldcup

Shouldn't you be packing?:cool:

[BEagle]

Vickers FunBus is an oblique link to the Vickers FB5 'Gunbus' of earlier years: http://www.dartfordarchive.org.uk/technology/magnified/vickers_fb5.htm

..and the VC10K was a renowned party machine before the stupidity of those who should have known better robbed the squadrons of their individual identities....

But the FunBus took me to Hawaii 4 or 5 times, for example. Not to mention Cocoa Beach, Dayton, Pease and countless other fun spots long before the joys of sandy tents (which fortunately I never suffered).

[Shjustme]

Ah, the Funbus!!

10 Sqn Cpl Stewardess on stop over in Gan,,, sun, sea an sex, lots of it,, but got caught once.. Entertaining 8, repeat 8 !!!! blokes on the beach.. £25 each they paid, which was a hell of a lot in those days...but being there for months all alone must have made the cost worthwhile.. Very obliging girl.. God knows how any decent guy could marry her after her record!!!!!!

10 Sqn Ft Lt Loadie Boss told his wife he was off to Hong Kong on Royal Flt but flew to Rhodesia via Mid East to entertain former Miss Rhodesia, who he had previously met in London. The a$$ole had been up to his tricks again, but his number was up.. His Wg Co went spare but wanted it covered up as the ensuing embarrassment reflected on his own incompetence as he had put the idiot up for the MBE and he got it just weeks before!!!!!!!!!!!

10 Sqn Sgt (W) Airmattress aka Loadie working her way through the fleet's captains,,,,,,,,so much fun, till her number came up.. But the poor wives who had been cheated on,, poor souls....

[Darth Nigel]

So BEagle, from your experience, how does flying the FB5 Gunbus compare to the later offerings from Vickers?

[BEagle]

The FB5 didn't have particularly good protection aginst pterodactyl strikes.........

[WorkingHard]

Great a/c from a great British company. Wasn't this the fastest passenger a/c built, next to Concorde? not very fuel efficient I believe but still a wonderful aircraft.

[Art Field]

I am sure there are many who enjoyed the "Chocolate Milk" and "Orange Juice" provided by 101 at various airshows round the world will understand the "Funbus" tag. For those of us that came from the V world the luxury of hot and cold running water, a fridge and cooker and comfortable seats to go tanking with all added to the pleasure. In addition the 10 is a delight to fly with power to spare though one has to admit the Conways are not the quietest engines in the world.:O :O :O

[vicky10]

The funbus you were talking about is VC10 C1K XR 808 and has only just come out of a major.
She is broken bigtime and has been at Changi for the past 10 days with heavy recs scratching thier heads. They fix one problem and another crops up.
She was involved in moving Ghurkas from Brunei along with 3 other clapped out 10s and 2 clapped out Js
I was there.

[woodring]

vicky10. Thanks for that info I wasn't close enough to read the reg no. I flew on 808 many times when I was at BZN prior to joining 74 sqn at Tengah. Sorry to hear that the old livery is now defunct perhaps thats why she's playing up.

[vicky10]

latest news on XR808 when recovered to Brize she will be ready for the parts bin along with 2 k4s. The begining of the end

[exvicar]

Why not leave the frame in Changi. That way there will be a ready supply of spares in theatre during the next Ex Flying Fish!

[hobie]

one has to admit the Conways are not the quietest engines in the world.
A long time ago I had an ambition to get myself my very own Jet Engine ..... guess what I ended up with? .... a Rolls Conway of course :p

..... I must try and post a photo of it later .... it's a magical sight

[vicky10]

As of last month the fleet had 6 spare Conways, weve used them all in the last 3 weeks and now were stuffed.
Can we have yours?

[hobie]

This photo was taken a few days ago ...... the Conway was mounted on display in our Staff Canteen 15 years ago .... you can see how well it's being looked after ....

http://www.yorkshirekoi.co.uk/files/1745_conwayjpeg.jpg

Sorry Vicky .... you can't have it .... ;)

[vicky10]

Your right Hobie it looks to clean and shiny and we would go and break it for you

[bluetail]

Beagle

Without a doubt the old "funbus" was a top party machine, I recall one particular airshow at Mildenhall in the mid 90,s when I closed up my Mighty Hunter and went looking for more action, I staggered passed the old Victor and was just about to move on past the "Funbus" when I noticed the fuselage bouncing on the nose leg.

the door was shut of course, but I took my chance and knocked on it to be let in, ...............I got in..............there must have been about 100 on board, there was not a sound to be heard outside but inside it was brilliant, I was offered.......Tonic (G &T) Orange (Voddy) and Coke (Bacardi) from the front galley, together with women and a disco in top form, I had one of my mechs with me, and he couldn,t believe his eyes.

We of the Kipper Fleet allways had a good beer call at shows, but the Funbus had one advantage over us, namely the Coffee Jockey...they just new how to look after you.

I also recall a certain Tonka Nav ex POW being on board who was completed wasted, what a laugh, what a muppet (top bloke though)

Happy days.

[Beeayeate]

Recall with very, very fond memories the Vicky10 "sweepers" that came through Gan at Xmas. Outstanding hospitality and even an Xmas tree - with lights.

If anybody here was crew on a "sweeper" in 72/73 may I extend a belated and heartfelt thank you for your flying party. Oh, and many, many thanks to the Q's . . .ahh the Q's. . . :E

[Blacksheep]

Just off a Major and now due for retirement to be used as spares? Ah yes, that's the good old MOD, just as I remember it.

By the way, how many hours has it done? A 10 year old B767 typically has around 45,000 or 10,000 cycles on it, so in civilian life, forty years service would come out at around 180,000 or 40,000 cycles. :ok:

BTW, they were referred to as the Vicar's Knickers in the seventies, when they were still shiny [ I say, are you a REAL Squadron Leader or just a VC10 pilot? :E ]

The real question about those Good Old Days is "Who got the Marine Bar's 'trophy' collection when Gan closed?"

[D-IFF_ident]

Spent 4 weeks in Singapore on the VC10 a few years back - part of the Five Nations Pacific Defence Agreement annual exercise. managed to get back there last week on my current type - for 4 hours. Buggrit.

[bluetail]

Hobie

Nice toy for your canteeen

Unfortunately your Conway can,t be from a Funbus, cos, it looks like its got a Hush Kit bolted on, (The fan shapes at the left end under the telly)

and the one thing a VC10 is not.....................quiet on Take off

BT

[vicky10]

The C1KS have clocked around 27.000hrs
The K3/K4S Ex civvie have around 60.000hrs.
We are not welcome at airshows this year as officially we are told the organisers want something more punchy[new] cluttering up thier pan. We know that Buffoon and his ilk would rather the public did not see a 21s centuary airforce flying museum relics.
That has put paid to a huge global fan base seeing a VC10 in its twilight years. Come to think of it that means the Tonkas, Trimotors, Nimrods, Hawks, Sea Kings, Alberts and Harriers, Pumas and Chinooks wont be attending then either. C17s eat your heart out.

[teeteringhead]

Oh, and many, many thanks to the Q's . . .ahh the Q's. . . Well they did used to say that the female of Air Quartermaster was Air Quartermatress.....:E

[hobie]

Unfortunately your Conway can,t be from a Funbus, cos, it looks like its got a Hush Kit bolted on, (The fan shapes at the left end under the telly)
BT, I have connections but the best I could do was to get a Civvy version Conway ..... it was taken off a DC8 or a 707 ..... the engine was manufactured in 1975 .... I think the Conway was also used in the Victor Bomber ? .....

:ok:

[bluetail]

Hobie

I didn,t meam to criticise, I think anyone who tries to preserve a bit of aviation history needs a pat on the back...........good on you for your efforts.

I just wish my canteen had something better than a plastic green pot plant.

Oh by the way, the Victor B.1 had a guzzling Sapphire which was replaced in the B.2 with as you rightly say the noisy Conway

BT

[Blacksheep]

27,000 you say Vicky10!

If only you could get a similar deal with Rolls Royce as the BBMF, the VC10 C1's are good for at least another 80 years then.

...and there's some twit on Aviation History and Nostalgia who claims that British built airliners are all failures. Tut, tut! Not the most beautiful airliner ever built (a close competition with the DH Comet), that's for sure.

[vicky10]

How anyone could call the CV10 and DH Comet ugly need an appointment with an optician. They were a fantastic piece of British engineering for the time.
The VC10 fleet has been life extened by wasteofspace to 2011
belive it or not.
Rolls Royce really want nothing more to do with the Conways.
The MOD is considering converting the 10s into gliders with a big rubber band stretched across the runway 26 at Brize and will give enough power for a 5 min MCT.:( :(

[moggiee]

Wow! 20011!!!

That's another 18,006 years!

[tommee_hawk]

After three and a half weeks on a 4 day trip, 808 finally recovered to home base on 26 Apr - most of the snags having been fixed in theatre by some sterling Brize engineers. It didn't help matters, after negotiating the ITCZ without incident on 8 occasions, that she was hit by lightning on finals to Brize... Last attempt by an angry god perhaps...:ooh:

[D-IFF_ident]

Well done chaps. Now she's 100% again it must be time to take her to St Athan and scrap her?

[Hobo]

Working Hard,

The Trident and the Convair 880 were both faster.

[BEagle]

I hear there's another of the old dears languishing somewhat tits-up in another continent......yet again.