View Full Version : 10 Sqn VC10 at Jersey in 1987/88?
Jhieminga
4th Mar 2015, 11:23
From the text on this website it seems that VC10 XV108 visited Jersey in 1987 or 1988: Aviation History XI ? 75th anniversary of Jersey Airport, Stamp issue | World Stamp News (http://www.worldstampnews.com/2012/03/aviation-history-xi-75th-anniversary-of-jersey-airport-stamp-issue/)
Extract:
Vickers VC10 XV108 c.1987
The RAF VC10 transport became the first of its type to land at Jersey Airport. Originally a civilian airliner, the aircraft flew in from RAF Brize Norton with 24 RAF personnel on board, to test the suitability of the Airportʼs facilities prior to more flights being made the following year.
This seems a strange destination for a regular VC10 flight. Is anyone able to confirm when exactly this happened and what the reasoning behind it may have been? Many thanks!
Exascot
4th Mar 2015, 11:48
That was tight. I do not recall it. Almost certainly a duty free 'training' flight. Probably OCU.
I took a VC10 into Grand Cayman on a training flight. That was tricky. We always listed it as a diversion for Belize but we had never put one down there. On the approach when I saw the runway I thought that it may have been a silly descision to have authorised the flight. Half of the island turned out to see the biggest aircraft ever landed there. I put it down on the theshold and all was OK. Great night stop. Many more people came to see the departure. That was easy. Four Conways at full power against the brakes didn't half rattle the place :ok:
I will check my log books for the details.
I wondered, a few years ago, why GCM was found to be in slightly different place when the latest GPS position didn't match with the old paper maps...
Four Conways at full power against the brakes
You moved the bloody island :hmm:
Sam Dodger
4th Mar 2015, 13:48
Guilty of serious thread drift I know but GCM was an excellent trip, IIRC flagging IAD to COF for a night stop, then to GCM, and back to BZZ via MSY with about 20 indulgence pax that we had picked up in IAD.
Exascot
4th Mar 2015, 14:09
28--29th September 1991 XR807.
Union Jack
4th Mar 2015, 14:35
Exascot - I prefer your account at Post #6 at Plane nearly lands on man [Archive] - PPRuNe Forums (http://www.pprune.org/archive/index.php/t-540990.html:)):)
Jack
Exascot
4th Mar 2015, 14:46
Jack, I had forgotten about that post. Ho hum, good for a giggle :D
sharpend
4th Mar 2015, 17:31
Paul, beat you to it. I took XR807 into Grand Cayman on 21 June 1987. Sadly back to Dulles the same day.
November4
4th Mar 2015, 21:54
Paul, beat you to it. I took XR807 into Grand Cayman on 21 June 1987. Sadly back to Dulles the same day.
I was part of the MAMS team on XV108 8 Jul 87 to recover TCW from exercise in Grand Cayman. I seem to remember the second VC10 XV101 landed with a cracked windscreen and we had to have 2 nights in Grand Cayman waiting for the replacement to arrive. Departed on 10 Jul for Brize via Bermuda.
Jhieminga
6th Mar 2015, 20:02
Interesting stories... but wrong island gentlemen! No recollections of a VC10 trip to Jersey then?
Union Jack
6th Mar 2015, 21:21
Interesting stories... but wrong island gentlemen! No recollections of a VC10 trip to Jersey then? - Jhieminga
That's the trouble with these insular finanacial centres - "They all look the same to me"!:)
Jack
tradewind
7th Mar 2015, 12:57
The recollection I have of the Jersey flight was a number of rocks from the 27 overrun being blasted by the VC-10 engines into someones back garden when powering up for takeoff :eek:
ISTR that because of that, it was a one-off visit! (I stand to be corrected)
haltonapp
7th Mar 2015, 21:51
I went from Kingston Jamaica to Grand Cayman in XV107 on the 17th June 1983, great night stop!
Tradewind, thank you, that is exactly the memory I have and what I was seeking to confirm. It was a long time ago and I was beginning to wonder if I'd imagined "that call" to the ATC supervisor on the day. I'm off back over to VC10derness to report back.
If I also recall correctly, to us in the tower at the time when XV108 called passing FL50 it *looked* as if she'd only just passed the 27 threshold. Amazing climb. :)
May I ask your involvement in the flight? Were you on board?
tradewind
8th Mar 2015, 19:51
No connection to the flight - I was on the island when it happened and saw it reported in the local newspaper and on TV
Understood. Around the same time, did you ever get to see / hear (of) any of the Concorde low passes there when it used to do its Biscay runs? Those were also wonderful. But were stopped because of the noise :rolleyes:
lotus1
8th Mar 2015, 20:10
Change of subject do believe ba sent a tristar in to Jersey around 85 empty but did see a ba 757 land in 86 on the daily Heathrow slot took off fine not like the caladonian 111 what a racket