RAF VC10 - Great Memories
Excuse me intruding on a Military Aircrew forum..
ZA147 - F (ex 5H-MMT)
In East African Airways 5H-MMT was known as "Mingi Mingi Trouble"
Mingi being Kiswahili for much or many!
(My Old Man used to fly for EAA)
ZA147 - F (ex 5H-MMT)
In East African Airways 5H-MMT was known as "Mingi Mingi Trouble"
Mingi being Kiswahili for much or many!
(My Old Man used to fly for EAA)
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Ahh yes, they found a crack on a wing in Hong Kong that was leaking go juice, the crew taking the decision without any engineering backup to fly it back to the UK and then report it, the way the skins were produced it could have run like a zip opening, luckily it didn't.
I take it, Nutloose you did not spend too much time working "in the wing" fixing fuel tank leaks
Some of you might recognise the old gent in the middle.
Such as the A310MRTT / CC-150T Polaris.
But not the Voyager, whose MPS still doesn't work, I gather....
Weird that - Airbus have had a perfectly good system in their A310 for many years now, but the Spanish are trying to re-invent the wheel. By making it square...Hecho en España = No funciona!
It was indeed a good visit - excellent brief in the OM, trip in a TriShaw, then a look around both a VC10K and a Voyager. A pity that we didn't fly in the Voyager, which was delayed on an inbound trip, but our excellent host managed to come up with a good alternative.
See you at the dinner, haltonapp!
Nice interior shot of that VC10C1K, FL - strange to have been climbing in MAN mode with the turn control displaced like that though.....
31 Mar 2020 - and Voyager STILL doesn't have a functioning Mission Planning System which works!
Last edited by BEagle; 31st Mar 2020 at 22:24.
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I take it, Nutloose you did not spend too much time working "in the wing" fixing fuel tank leaks
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though it was never totally empty when we were working in them.
Only the Base 3 aircraft had dry tanks. Base 1 and 2 aircraft remained wet. When working in a wet tank we employed health and safety religiously
This entailed wearing a rope tied round your waste and then crawling into the depths of where you thought the problem might have been (that could involve moving around corners and climbing over baffles, through quite deep puddles of fuel). The other end of the rope was held by your safety man sat on top of the wing by the tank access hole. A tug on the rope now and again assured him that you were doing ok. No mask or goggles were available 
On the other hand, with the Base 3 aircraft completely dry and purged of fumes it was not uncommon for the entire AES junior sooty team being caught playing cards in the VC10 centre fuselage tank
Another interesting working practice in those days that either went well or you got incredibly wet was to change a water drain valve on a tank that was full of fuel. It called for slick arm movement and accurate insertion skills. It was either
or 
Finally, I would like to say that I do not endorse these working practices that were “unofficially” acceptable at the time; I just did what my Cpl told me to do
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My abiding memory of the VC10 was the first flight in the beast as an apprentice when we had a day out to Brize.
We had a nice briefing from a u/t Loadmistress who, bless her, stressed that if we felt unwell, this was understandable and could we please use the bags provided....we take off, head towards S.Wales, then return to Brize.
The crew were very amiable and tried to get as many of us in the cockpit as possible to watch the proceedings which was appreciated by most of us..
On our return we alternated between a series of controlled thuds into the Brize runway, about ten I seem to recall, and another six overshoots.
At some point during the thuds, there came a gentle
sound from the front....and 30 apprentice heads turned to see, and hear, the Loadie performing as the smilie suggests......the collective..."aaaaaaaawh" ...and subsequent clapping and cheering probably did little to improve her morale....not helped by the other Loadie asking, in a rather loud voice, if the bag was full yet and would she like another?.
We had a nice briefing from a u/t Loadmistress who, bless her, stressed that if we felt unwell, this was understandable and could we please use the bags provided....we take off, head towards S.Wales, then return to Brize.
The crew were very amiable and tried to get as many of us in the cockpit as possible to watch the proceedings which was appreciated by most of us..
On our return we alternated between a series of controlled thuds into the Brize runway, about ten I seem to recall, and another six overshoots.
At some point during the thuds, there came a gentle
sound from the front....and 30 apprentice heads turned to see, and hear, the Loadie performing as the smilie suggests......the collective..."aaaaaaaawh" ...and subsequent clapping and cheering probably did little to improve her morale....not helped by the other Loadie asking, in a rather loud voice, if the bag was full yet and would she like another?.
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Another interesting working practice in those days that either went well or you got incredibly wet was to change a water drain valve on a tank that was full of fuel. It called for slick arm movement and accurate insertion skills. It was either or 
or
Anyway I digress, he pulls the last screw out and the pump drops down, luckily he catches it before it came out too far and is instantly coned in a high pressure Avtur shower of some force... push it back in we all shout.....
I can't, and I can't hold it ...help....heeeelp... comes the reply... thoughts of getting wet flash through our minds and in unison we all shout PUSH..
Gawd knows how he did it as the tank was full, but he got the pump back up in the hole while one of us rushed in picked up the dropped tools and screws and managed to screw it back home... needless to say attempt 2 involved a defuel
Last edited by NutLoose; 25th Jul 2013 at 09:08.
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Had to help a RAF Plod doing a security walkround for a Royal Flight, opening panels etc, so he could peer in at all the gubbins looking for a round black ball marked bomb with a slowburn lit fuse coming out the top...
Stepping back he spies the tank access panels three quarters of the way up the port fin and announces he wishes to look in there, pointing out that no self respecting terrorist is going to bring his own hydraulic platform, defuel the tank, spend an hour plus removing the screws, plant his bomb, reseal and repanel the tank, then refuel it and slink off into the night, I then told him if he wished to peer in there then he is on his own..... ahhh what about that one he says pointing to a easy ground level access door and on we moved....
..
Stepping back he spies the tank access panels three quarters of the way up the port fin and announces he wishes to look in there, pointing out that no self respecting terrorist is going to bring his own hydraulic platform, defuel the tank, spend an hour plus removing the screws, plant his bomb, reseal and repanel the tank, then refuel it and slink off into the night, I then told him if he wished to peer in there then he is on his own..... ahhh what about that one he says pointing to a easy ground level access door and on we moved....
..
Last edited by NutLoose; 25th Jul 2013 at 15:14.
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Not an ego trip, but I would like to keep this VC10 thread on the first page (and preferably near the top) of Military Aircrew until the old girl totally retires; sadly in the very near future. I think it is the least that could be done in honour of such a beautiful aircraft that has probably touched just about every serving member of the Royal Air Force, Army and Navy (when they chose to travel in luxury) since 1966.
I have a million more stories I could tell, so I am sure there are many more from others.
I have a million more stories I could tell, so I am sure there are many more from others.
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Well said, from helicopters to fighters to the VC10, one felt one had come home and reached the pinnacle of ones career, from any angle she just looks right and has that ageless quality and beauty few icons fail to reach..
Spanners,
Having never served on the glorious "guzzomie" bird, I can not agree more. The VC10 must be the epitome of British aircraft production. Every flight I was treated to was a delight, including my casevac in 1991 from GW1. I would have loved to have the opportunity to spend some of my service looking after the aircraft. As an ex C130 GE I was lucky to work with fellow VC10 GEs on many operations. All had the same attitude as we did, and, despite contrary rumours, I never heard of problems between planes !!!! One of the best nights out, down route, I ever had, was in a hotel, off base Macdill AFB, when my whole crew decided to stay in the hotel bar. The VC10 crew, co located, were happy to take on the stray GE and off we went. Great night, great crew great memories. You're right, keep the thread on page one, hope this helps.
Smudge
Having never served on the glorious "guzzomie" bird, I can not agree more. The VC10 must be the epitome of British aircraft production. Every flight I was treated to was a delight, including my casevac in 1991 from GW1. I would have loved to have the opportunity to spend some of my service looking after the aircraft. As an ex C130 GE I was lucky to work with fellow VC10 GEs on many operations. All had the same attitude as we did, and, despite contrary rumours, I never heard of problems between planes !!!! One of the best nights out, down route, I ever had, was in a hotel, off base Macdill AFB, when my whole crew decided to stay in the hotel bar. The VC10 crew, co located, were happy to take on the stray GE and off we went. Great night, great crew great memories. You're right, keep the thread on page one, hope this helps.
Smudge
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Hearing XR808 went into Brunty today, I thought she was being saved for Cosford? She was the most historic of the lot.. Tell me she's not for the chop 
News
Seems our heritage is getting sold down the swanny, I cannot fathom why an airframe couldn't have been donated to the Moravia museum in Scotland, short term gains in cash, must surely be outweighed by the tourism and possible employment opportunities it could have provided.....
..
News
Seems our heritage is getting sold down the swanny, I cannot fathom why an airframe couldn't have been donated to the Moravia museum in Scotland, short term gains in cash, must surely be outweighed by the tourism and possible employment opportunities it could have provided.....
..
Last edited by NutLoose; 29th Jul 2013 at 21:44.
I cannot fathom why an airframe couldn't have been donated to the Moravia museum in Scotland, short term gains in cash, must surely be outweighed buy the tourism and possible employment opportunities it could have provided....
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This...http://www.pprune.org/military-aircr...ded-cas-3.html.... might give some background Nutloose as well as a similar thread on History and Nostalgia.
Hopefully they will be taking the hard route of dismantling the airframe, trucking it over to Cosford and then reassembling it
Hopefully they will be taking the hard route of dismantling the airframe, trucking it over to Cosford and then reassembling it