White Knuckle Airways

[SirPeterHardingsLovechild]

Just a thought for some of the barrack room lawyers out there.

In this new age of being friends with the Eastern Bloc, combined with the UN (for example) going for the cheapest bidder for their transport requirements…

Question: If I find myself on a NATO or UN operation and I’m required to be a passenger on one of these deathtraps – can I refuse, is my life insurance valid?

Thought not.

[massingbird]

Could be worse, could be a VC10!

[MightyGem]

Hmmm...when did the RAF last crash a VC 10?

[ZK-NSJ]

the UN charters those russian IL-86
contraptions to fly our peacekeepers
to east timor.

[Reichman]

Dear Massingbird,

And your problem with the VC10 would be what?

Luv, Reichman

[BHP]

SPLC,

You can always tell them you have a case of Vodka and you will give them half on arrival - safety guaranteed. Don't let them get their hands on it prior to landing though!! Or take-off for that matter.

[ADIS5000]

Reichman

My problem with the VC10, before some idiot ripped out 90% of the seats and put a petrol tank in instead, would have been, no leg room, cr*p food and the fact that you usually took me to places I'd rather not have gone anyway.




However, anything seems preferable to an ill maintained, aging, unreliable, semi death trap from the Eastern Bloc any day.

Cheers ADIS

[Reichman]

Addis

The seats on the CMk1Ks have not been ripped out, though they do face backwards and can be removed if required to carry freight. The leg room is greater than the majority of civvy bucket & spade jets. The food.....well you've got me on that one. If it's any consolation, we have to eat the same swill as you (blame Brize In-Flight Catering). As for destinations - get on one that's going where you do want to go.

Reichman

[ 21 August 2001: Message edited by: Reichman ]

[BEagle]

Actually, Reichmann, you'll find the seat pitch on the VC10K4 is even better than on the C1K!!

Agree that the food isn't what it used to be - but the in-flight guys do the best that they can with the budget!

[Out Of Trim]

If it was me.. I'd hope it was an RAF VC10 - The Uk's safest airline.. and makes a great noise.. Good performance too! What more could you want?

[spekesoftly]

Surely happiness is flying backwards in a VC10 ?

[ADIS5000]

Help, help,.......I'm stuck in a VC10 fanzine, get me back to the FJ world now!!!! (where you only have to dodge egos!!!)

Cheers ADIS

[Tonkenna]

I flew in a couple of Ukranian a/c during a UN tour in Bosnia. Scary stuff I can tell ya. I joined the crew on the flt deck for the approach into Sarajavo and just before top of drop we all had a Vodka!?

Oh and Massingbirds only problem with the VC10 was that he didn't get to fly them!
(Hi Massingbird )

Tonks

[Flatus Veteranus]

The RAF's policy of rearward-facing passenger seats dates from the Hastings. Not only do they face arsewards, and so prevent facial damage on impact in an emergency, but the seat anchorage is stressed to higher decelerations than IATA requirements. The philosophy was put to the test in the late 40s, when a Hastings carrying spare aircrew and ground parties to the ME, in preparation for a major airlift, shed a prop blade over the Med on the Malta/Cairo sector. The prop blade came inboard and , in addition to killing the FE, severed all control runs to the rear end. No rudder or elevator control was left to the pilots.

The aircraft diverted to Benina (Benghazi)in Libya. The passengers formed a chain the length of the cabin and, by passing baggage up and down at the direction of the captain, helped retain some control of pitch attitude.
The captain managed to get it down at Benina at a resonable attitude/speed but well short of the runway. Unfortunately the aircraft hit some sort of bund or drainage ditch and cartwheeled. All in the passenger cabin survived with minor injuries. Those on the flight deck did not.
The Captain, Flt Lt Tunnadine, received a posthumnous AFC - not often awarded. This is all from recall of having read it in Blackwood's magazine when I was an undergraduate.

[ol_benkenobi]

Gents, nice inter-contingent bollocks but a very good point put forward. Nice to cram lots of stuff into this thing but if it bends how do we sit!?
C17 guys nice, lets not forget that the people who own the kit you are putting in the back are the priority.

[STANDTO]

This is something that has always been of interest, i.e. the fact that the RAF make you sit backwards cos its safer. Apparently they haven't done it on civvy a/c because the public don't like it! I can't see several million people saying that they aren't going to benidorm this year because the seats face backwards, can you? Typical example of giving the public what they want, rather than what they need!

Found the Hastings story interesting. As a regular user of regional transport, when I have had to sit in line with one of those bloody great props on an ATP, I have sometimes wondered what would happen if a blade let go................

ejector seats for regional airlines. Its got to be the way forward

[Justin Cider-Belvoir]

If I can draw you chaps away from the VC-10 banter and back to the original thread.

I had heard that alot of the AT for Ex Saif Surreal had been put out to tender with the civvies, but it simply hadn't occured to me about this lowest bidder must be best thing and assumed that we would be using reputable airlines.

And then there I was passing through sunny Akrotiri a few days ago when I saw a civvy airliner landing. I didn't recognise what the jet was and definately didn't recognise which airline. It did have some sqiggles on the side and a black, red and green flag though. I assumed it was a visiting ac or a diversion. That is until I saw the Royal British Army walking out to climb on board and be flown out to (un)Safe Surria.

Rather them than me.

[Reichman]

Next time you fly on a civvy airliner take a look at which way round the flight attendants sit for take off and landing - backwards. Bit of a clue there.