sad looking VC10
 

Any idea where they found the VC10 for the opening scene of last night's drama - The Last Post ? Strange that it was wearing an inflight refuelling probe and a sad hue of the beautiful BOAC dark blue. Not to mention the photoshopped Lightnings in the background . . . .

From what you describe, I'm guessing Bruntingthorpe.

I don't think I ever saw a Lightning at Khormaksar?

Good point, neither do I. I believe they sent 2 from the UK for trials, one with a UHF set and one with a VHF set so they couldn't even talk to each other. Bags packed and off home.

But there was a clip of a Wessex flying away in ther distance (archive?) and some (definitely contemporary) footage of a Belvedere.

I gather it was all filmed in South Africa, near Capetown (not the VC10 obvs) - terrain looked about right - although my reference is Oman, which I guess was not too different from Aden......

it was a South African registered helo briefly in one of the shots, taken from underneath (a Huey, I think) ZU-ELP.

They seem to have done their research on the scenery. It's certainly not Shamsan (the volcanic remnant that surrounds Crater), but I don't think anyone would want to be shooting on location out there. Even without the present war, actors driving down M'allah in redcap uniform would be trouble.

Noah Zark. I think you're confusing it with the trailer for another programme.

Here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq4NkrHD_GE

Looks like they've superimposed the Duxford VC-10 in BOAC livery with everyone getting off it (and they have all the BOAC ground equipment) on the background.

The aircraft steps have the BOAC logo from an earlier era's font than the aircraft livery :) . I know this sort of comment dismays the producers, who want all attention on the actors...

I cannot be 100% certain but the consensus seems to point towards WHBM's answer: it is G-ASGC at Duxford with the background and a refuelling probe added in post-production. They did some filming at Duxford in July, that could have been for this series.

Please don't do that G-ASGC - she is special.

I came up the M11 motorway past Duxford two days ago, the only museum aircraft out on the ramp, which you get a fleeting glimpse of northbound, was the Monarch Britannia. A bit prophetic :( . But the rest of the aircraft must be inside, or pushed off to the left; the BOAC VC10 has been visible outside there for 20 years or more. I always look out for what is there on the odd occasions when I drive past.

The VC10 and the other airliners are further left on the platform (when seen from the motorway heading North). They moved several years ago, I think around the time that the superhangar was extended.

Indeed so - I too was confused (actually in Gogglebox shouting at the screen mode!) when I saw the Huey from below, and yet another heli-in-the-background shot for another prog set in Afghan.

Must have bought up a load of surplus MTP combats ......

This one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaOYN0Svd_U

The Huey is a 50-year-old ex-US Army UH-1H (originally a UH-1D).

For historical accuracy, it's about on a par with that BOAC VC-10 with the refuelling probe. :O

Did BOAC ever land VC10s in Aden, I don't recall seeing them, only the BUA VC10, for trooping flights?

Sure. There was a short period between the end of Comets and the withdrawl of services there. It was the sort of lesser operation the Standard VC10 was designed for.

Here's a 1966 timetable showing a service terminating there, operating via Tripoli and Khartoum.

http://www.timetableimages.com/ttima...66/ba66-15.jpg


Now for whether a Super VC10 made it there, as in the film sequence, that's a different matter.

I seem to remember BOAC had alternating VC10 and 707 flights. In the latter half of 1967, everyone was getting excited about the prospect of a VC10, most of us having arrived there in the first place on Britannias. In my case, that was a British Eagle Brit, G-ANCF (Ironically, post British Eagle, this aircraft went to Monarch!) When my turn to go home in October 1967 came, 6 of us were allocated seats on .... Yep! A Britannia! This time it was the ill fated XL638, fitted out primarily as a cas evac plane with arrangements for lots of stretchers and a wide door which allowed the ambulances to reverse up a ramp to the aircraft. (Hence the only 6 "regular" passengers). And, while the lucky sods going home on one of these new-fangled jets were there within a few hours, we had to endure 20 hours from Aden to Lyneham!

And another clip of a Vulcan flying overhead with serial number XH558.

No Routemasters though.........

I didn't count the hours.

I did by Hasting, and counted the days! :(