Classic Air Force to get VC-10

[Proplinerman]

The CAF at Newquay are to receive/have acquired ZA148 and the a/c is due to arrive there on 28th August.

Classic Air Force: Cornwall's Living Aviation Museum (http://www.classicairforce.com/)

And story is about two-thirds of the way down the page. Great news!

[WH904]

It's good news. I had the pleasure of visiting St.Mawgan a couple of weeks ago and I was very happy to renew my acquaintance with a much-loved airfield. It was a bitter-sweet experience to be standing in front of the huge hangar again, now that so much of the airfield has changed, but it still has the same atmosphere that it always had. It was nice to see the Canberra T4 being re-assembled outside - who would ever thought that a Canberra would ever be parked there again?!

I have to wonder what is going to happen if they keep acquiring aircraft. The ghastly fence across the huge apron doesn't leave much space, and with a VC10 inside there it'll be almost full. If they ever manage to get the Nimrod transported down there, it'll be pretty packed!

But good luck to them. I get the feeling that visitor numbers are never going to be great but I guess the visitors are secondary to their main activities so maybe it's not important that huge numbers ever visit. It's certainly a remarkable turn-around for a site that looked doomed to decay and eventual demolition... and it couldn't happen to a better place!

So Bruntingthorpe and St.Mawgan get a VC10 but the RAF Museum doesn't get one now, because the VC10 is apparently no longer capable of safely achieving a fairly unremarkable short landing for which it was designed. What a truly shabby business. I wonder how RAFM will explain this latest absurdity. I suppose it's a mixed blessing that the RAF doesn't have any more aircraft of such proportions, other than the Tristar, as it would seem that (based on past experience) the RAFM only regards aircraft as being worth preserving if they're sufficiently small enough to warrant the attention and expense. Absurdity hardly seems an adequate description...

[joy ride]

The VC 10 certainly served the RAF pretty well!
Good news, several flights on BOAC Super VC 10s as a boy have left an indelible mark in my mind. I believe the airframes STILL have plenty of life left in them after all those years, all that "machined from solid billet" certainly paid off.

[DaveReidUK]

So Bruntingthorpe and St.Mawgan get a VC10 but the RAF Museum doesn't get one nowHas the idea of roading XR808 to Cosford been conclusively rejected, then?

[WH904]

Don't know, but it sounds as if the idea hasn't been adopted. Bruntingthorpe are supposedly keeping 808 as a ground runner, in which case RAFM obviously aren't getting it. I assumed that RAFM would indeed take it by road but if the story is true, they appear to have simply lost interest. Gone the same way as the Vulcan B1, Beverley, etc. It's no way to run a national museum.

[Chris Scott]

Great news, as announced by Tim Skeet at the BAC One-Eleven 50th Anniversary bash at Brooklands last Tuesday.

He also mentioned that their ex-Boscombe One-Eleven-500, ZH763, is planned to be taxied regularly. I wonder if they'll be able to do the same with the 'Ten. Can't remember the fuel-flow on the Conway at idle at sea-level/ISA, but in BCAL we used to allow 900 kg (~1125 litres) taxi fuel on our fuel flightplan for a normal departure; i.e., start plus taxi until starting the take-off run. (IIRC, it was 600 kg on the JT3D-powered B707-320s, because of the higher by-pass ratio.)

Any aircrew or regular passenger who has waited on airfields in divers parts of the world for their aircraft to arrive could not fail to recognise the unique sound of a taxiing VC10 (not to mention the sound of four Conways at take-off thrust). In similar vein, does anyone have a Britannia that taxies?

[WH904]

I assume the Britannia at Kemble could taxy, although I haven't heard any news of it ever doing that.

As for the VC10, I can't see any reason why CAF's example couldn't be taxied. If it is to be handed-over in flying condition (one assumes that there will be no interest in removing parts for an obsolete type) then there should be no reason why it could not move under its own power again.

I agree that the sound of a VC10 on the ground is quite distinctive. I fondly remember standing on St.Mawgan's control tower balcony, watching a No.10 Squadron VC10 manoeuvre into the West Pan and I can still hear those Conways whining to this day!

[WASALOADIE]

WH904,

I think you'll find the whining was the Navigator!

[Whispering Giant]

With regards to Britania at Kemble -XM496, it did indeed taxi under it's own power several times as I was one of those fortunate enough to be part of the crew for doing so. But that was in the late 90's. Not sure if has done anything for the last 10-12 years, as due to work I moved away and hav'nt been involved other than the odd visit.

Brgds

W.G

[Proplinerman]

Yes, I'm beginning to get a bit concerned about space for all the aircraft CAF are acquiring, but let's wait and see. And yes it would be very nice if they could keep ZA148 taxiable, but 900kg of jet fuel, I'm sure, would be very costly indeed, every time they want to do that. As ever, it'll be a question of money.

[WH904]

I hear that CAF also now plan to move the Shackleton up from nearer the gate, so that it too can go on display. Gonna be pretty crowded on the pan soon! I hope they manage to get her into taxi condition one day. How magnificent would that be? A Shackleton roaring along St.Mawgan's runway again? Wowza!

[mikelima1948]

ZA148 carried out a low approach and go around here at Bristol this morning, en route to Newquay. Awsome!

[sisemen]

Some absolutely superb shots of the remaining 10's at Brize for those not in the habit of looking at the Mil Aircrew thread.
http://www.pprune.org/military-aircrew/517746-raf-vc10-great-memories-12.html

[MADTASS]

Was Refuelling a Beechcraft 1900 when it arrived onto Echo Stand, bought back fond memories of my Brize Days.
As for Taxying, a very good friend of mine that did the "Follow Me" for the Aircraft came back and said that Engines from ZA 148 were coming off and going up to the VC10 at Bruntithorpe, don"t know why or when.
Back at work on Saturday so will try and ask around.

[ExAscoteer]

I hear that CAF also now plan to move the Shackleton up from nearer the gate, so that it too can go on display.

Surely the Shacklebomber is owned by the Cornish Aviation Society and not CAF?

[WH904]

One assumes that the CAS have agreed that the Shackleton will be better-off with the CAF collection rather than continuing to hide in splendid isolation. I believe the plan is to replace the Shackleton with a Wessex.

[PlymouthPixie]

The Shackleton has been suffering from some serious structural issues. The likelyhood of it returning to any sort of flying state is extremely unlikely.

The Wessex is being painted into RAF SAR yellow at the moment.

[WH904]

As far as I know, nobody ever suggested that the Shackleton would be restored to "flying state" did they? I think most people will be happy that the aircraft will at least be on show now, rather than being stuck at the side of a road where it was largely ignored.

I guess my only regret about the VC10 is that they didn't manage to get a C1 before they all disappeared. Would have been a treat to see a VC10 back in its "proper" white, grey and blue colours :)

[gruntie]

Would have been a treat to see a VC10 back in its "proper" white, grey and blue colours

But they could paint 5Y-ADA in the "sunshine" scheme it originally wore. Now that would be a sight for sore eyes.

[Chris Scott]

Agreed, EAAC's livery was great, and that's how she first flew out of Brooklands. But the RAF has had her as ZA148 for a long time, I guess.

BUA/BCAL had G-ASIX for less than 10 years before we sold her to the Sultan of Oman in 1974. He eventually donated her to Brooklands Museum, for which we VC10 admirers will be eternally grateful. Not sure what his feelings would be if she was repainted in BUA colours (preferably the later one) or BCAL's. But her existing paint will not last forever...

[Richard Woods]

The Shackleton has been suffering from some serious structural issues.

WL795 has got a badly cracked tail undercarraige leg. We sent a replacement down from Coventry a while back but it will only get fitted when she finally has to move. Dependant on the state of the mainwheels there may be two of those on the way down to St Mawgan as well.

[Skipness One Echo]

But her existing paint will not last forever...
Is that the paint from 1973? Was it ever resprayed before it was retired?

[WH904]

It was repainted a few years back when the revolting hemp paint scheme was replaced by the marginally less-revolting grey scheme :)