VC 10 on Route 66
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VC 10 on Route 66
To the VC 10 guys who left New Mexico today - what a beaut!!
I was just walking out of work as you left the runway (which goes over our hangar) and laughed my socks off at the spectacle of my American colleagues running and scrambling for their key chains to silence the chorus of at least 20 car alarms that you set off on your departure. It brought tears to my eyes.
Absolutely bloody great! Thanks.
Hope you had a safe trip home.
Ivan
I was just walking out of work as you left the runway (which goes over our hangar) and laughed my socks off at the spectacle of my American colleagues running and scrambling for their key chains to silence the chorus of at least 20 car alarms that you set off on your departure. It brought tears to my eyes.
Absolutely bloody great! Thanks.
Hope you had a safe trip home.
Ivan
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Nice post to see 
Never worked the VC-10 personally, but had the pleasure of her carraige on a number of occasions.
I'm glad the venerable old girl made your day, I'm sure you message will be well received.
Regards,
Kokpit.
PS: I believe she is still the fastest airliner to date (excluding Concorde and the '-ski')
Never worked the VC-10 personally, but had the pleasure of her carraige on a number of occasions.
I'm glad the venerable old girl made your day, I'm sure you message will be well received.
Regards,
Kokpit.
PS: I believe she is still the fastest airliner to date (excluding Concorde and the '-ski')
We used to be restricted to 0.886 IMN when I flew it, later that was reduced to 0.866 IMN for alleged stress avoidance reasons.
On air tests I was cleared to take them up to 0.91 IMN ( if my memory is correct) subject to a Mne of 0.925 IMN. Went quite happily at such speeds!
I've certainly flown them across the pond at 0.88 IMN in the past - but it guzzled fuel and there wasn't much point as it saved a whole 4 minutes in every 88 compared with cruising at the more sedate 0.84 IMN we normally used.
Glad you liked the sight - and sound!
The jet which set of the most car alarms I can remember was the Yak 141 at the Farnborough Air Show. But it also melted the runway!
On air tests I was cleared to take them up to 0.91 IMN ( if my memory is correct) subject to a Mne of 0.925 IMN. Went quite happily at such speeds!
I've certainly flown them across the pond at 0.88 IMN in the past - but it guzzled fuel and there wasn't much point as it saved a whole 4 minutes in every 88 compared with cruising at the more sedate 0.84 IMN we normally used.
Glad you liked the sight - and sound!
The jet which set of the most car alarms I can remember was the Yak 141 at the Farnborough Air Show. But it also melted the runway!
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I think you'll find that the CV990 Coronado matched or bettered those speeds. I don't think there was a military version of this aircraft. My father in law flew the VC10 right up to it's last commercial flight with Air Malawi, then positioned it to BOH where, presumably it was broken up. When the 10 was flying for Gulf air he flew with many ex 10Sqn chaps. I asked this before but can't remember the answer, what was the piano wire for, stretched across the top of the flight panel combing?
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Whilst not directly connected to the original VC 10 post, there's a thread on "Questions" which had some interesting replies regarding the speed question
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...5&pagenumber=1
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...5&pagenumber=1
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FEBA
Never been on the Queen of the Skies as aircrew (Just an Albert truckie), but used to do majors on them in Base hangar. I believe that the piano wire was to clip on curtains/sunscreens, but I could be wrong as so often is the case
Never been on the Queen of the Skies as aircrew (Just an Albert truckie), but used to do majors on them in Base hangar. I believe that the piano wire was to clip on curtains/sunscreens, but I could be wrong as so often is the case
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Remember the Dawsons Field saga when the PLO hijacked several airliners two of which were a VC10 and CV990. It would be interesting to hear some VC10 stories on a similar line to the Vulcan, like the four engine flame out on the way to Mexico City and how the spanish rat saved the day.
This wire was originally known as 'Rendall's washing line'. BOAC's Captain 'Flaps' Rendall was concerned that there was nothing with which to assess the ac attitude when making a visual approach, so he had this wire added after one of the early route proving flights.
Interesting historical note - 'Flaps' flew the first ever Standard VC10 revenue flight in April 1964, his son flew them wiht BOAC and BA and his grand daughter Lucy captained the last ever flight of a Standard VC10 in March 2001 when the RAF's last VC10K2 was flown to the knacker's yard at St. Athan. Where she flew a very nice approach in a stiff cross-wind onto the short wet runway.....
Interesting historical note - 'Flaps' flew the first ever Standard VC10 revenue flight in April 1964, his son flew them wiht BOAC and BA and his grand daughter Lucy captained the last ever flight of a Standard VC10 in March 2001 when the RAF's last VC10K2 was flown to the knacker's yard at St. Athan. Where she flew a very nice approach in a stiff cross-wind onto the short wet runway.....
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Many happy hours spent at the Movements School, stood drumming fingers on the desk, with the lesson at a complete stop, waiting while one of these babies taxied past the window.
I’ve done a few of these jobs out of New Mexico. Hope the MAMS team have cooled down a bit if they have been stuffing those nasty, horrid silver boxes in the vent.
I’ve done a few of these jobs out of New Mexico. Hope the MAMS team have cooled down a bit if they have been stuffing those nasty, horrid silver boxes in the vent.
Gentleman Aviator
FEBA
Don't know if this counts as a VC10 "dit", but your mention of Dawson's Field struck a chord.
I was on my first tour in the Gulf (Persian Gulf we were still allowed to call it) at the time. Among my souvenirs is a letter from the PMC, saying that my Mess Bill cheque was amongst mail that had been destroyed when the VC10 at Dawson's Field was blown up, could I please write another one!
Unfortunately can't recall if I did or not ........
Don't know if this counts as a VC10 "dit", but your mention of Dawson's Field struck a chord.
I was on my first tour in the Gulf (Persian Gulf we were still allowed to call it) at the time. Among my souvenirs is a letter from the PMC, saying that my Mess Bill cheque was amongst mail that had been destroyed when the VC10 at Dawson's Field was blown up, could I please write another one!
Unfortunately can't recall if I did or not ........
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IIRC the C1 was a standard body with the super wing and tail (fuel tank?) so not quite standard, more standard+
Thats why the K2's were retired as their older (hard) wing meant that more (different) spares were required and that the flightcrew could not be cross certified between those with standard wings and those with super wings (Beags will now leap in and correct me)
You get the gist.
IIRC the C1 was a standard body with the super wing and tail (fuel tank?) so not quite standard, more standard+
Thats why the K2's were retired as their older (hard) wing meant that more (different) spares were required and that the flightcrew could not be cross certified between those with standard wings and those with super wings (Beags will now leap in and correct me)
You get the gist.
Some years ago??? the Kings Liverpool Regt were flying out to HK from Liverpool Speke Airport and they used VC 10s. These flights were at approx 0200hrs for three nights luckily whilst I was on duty. I knew about these flights so one night my partner in my vehicle asked me how we could see them as he had been told they were pretty impressive. I took him out to the side of 27rwy to watch close up. I will never forget the look on his face when the a/c went past us about 30 ft away and rotated (at full power). I thought he was going to get out of the vehicle and Run AWAY as he did not expect the noise, it was GREAT.
All 101 Sqn crews were cross-qualified on the VC10K2, K3 and K4. But as the K2 became increasingly scarcer, there was little need to cross-qualify the 10 Sqn people unless they were going to fly the K2 in the sun-drenched Islas Malvinas.
A few minor differences, but nothing really significant apart from buffet speeds and the 177 knot flap limit beyond the 'take-off' (20 deg) setting. Often the TPI would be right at the 7 deg limit at max TOW; the aileron upset applied as soon as the flap lever reached the front of its travel (unlike on the K3/4), so the process of accelerating after a max weight TO to achieve flap up safety speed needed precise control.
The C1K is indeed a hybrid - not a 'true' Standard VC10.
K2s went out of service only because they were old. Plus, when some wretched engineer decided that the 'fail-safe' design philosophy was no longer acceptable in the 1990s, the allowable flight envelope (AFE) for the K2 to operate within 'damage tolerance' margins became severely restricting. But with a little research and effort, I was able to devise a long-range cruise technique for the old dears which meant we could make MPA-ASI in one hop - and also ASI-BZN. Take-off and climb with 'max allowable noise' until reaching the initial cruising level of a mere FL170; you then nibbled up the edge of the AFE as weight was burnt off until reaching FL290. Where you stayed until you had got down to a weight at which you could make FL370. There was no earthly point in cruising above FL290 unless you could make FL370 as the requirements of the daft BWoS AFE would have meant cruising with aileron upset applied - and that drank more fuel than cruising at FL 290 without. Having reached Real Mens' World of FL370 where the air is rare around 4 hours after take-off, you stayed there until top of drop at a sedate IMN of 0.82. That way you could get 9 hours flight time from take-off by which time you'd be at DH with 7 tonnes remaining. Flew the profile 3 times and it worked a treat - saved HM the Q landing fees at a couple of en-route aerodromes as a result and got the team home a day early. Did anyone say well done? Did they hell....
A few minor differences, but nothing really significant apart from buffet speeds and the 177 knot flap limit beyond the 'take-off' (20 deg) setting. Often the TPI would be right at the 7 deg limit at max TOW; the aileron upset applied as soon as the flap lever reached the front of its travel (unlike on the K3/4), so the process of accelerating after a max weight TO to achieve flap up safety speed needed precise control.
The C1K is indeed a hybrid - not a 'true' Standard VC10.
K2s went out of service only because they were old. Plus, when some wretched engineer decided that the 'fail-safe' design philosophy was no longer acceptable in the 1990s, the allowable flight envelope (AFE) for the K2 to operate within 'damage tolerance' margins became severely restricting. But with a little research and effort, I was able to devise a long-range cruise technique for the old dears which meant we could make MPA-ASI in one hop - and also ASI-BZN. Take-off and climb with 'max allowable noise' until reaching the initial cruising level of a mere FL170; you then nibbled up the edge of the AFE as weight was burnt off until reaching FL290. Where you stayed until you had got down to a weight at which you could make FL370. There was no earthly point in cruising above FL290 unless you could make FL370 as the requirements of the daft BWoS AFE would have meant cruising with aileron upset applied - and that drank more fuel than cruising at FL 290 without. Having reached Real Mens' World of FL370 where the air is rare around 4 hours after take-off, you stayed there until top of drop at a sedate IMN of 0.82. That way you could get 9 hours flight time from take-off by which time you'd be at DH with 7 tonnes remaining. Flew the profile 3 times and it worked a treat - saved HM the Q landing fees at a couple of en-route aerodromes as a result and got the team home a day early. Did anyone say well done? Did they hell....
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The C1s (now C1Ks) combine the shorter fuselage of the Standard VC10 with the wing, tailplane and engines of the Super. A freight door, strengthened floor and roller conveyor loading system were also added. The C1Ks can carry 139 pax or 8 pallets or up to 78 stretchers. The strengthened floor allows vehicles such as Landrovers (and small armoured cars when we had them) to be carried.
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Anybody here recall the Sweeper 10s that flew the westbound route at Xmas time?
One that passed through Gan had a great party going on board, even a real christmas tree, with festive(?) decorations and lights! And the Q's were sweetness and light to us "not having" blokes. . . in many. many ways.
One that passed through Gan had a great party going on board, even a real christmas tree, with festive(?) decorations and lights! And the Q's were sweetness and light to us "not having" blokes. . . in many. many ways.