101 Sqn Anniversary VC-10
 

Spent part of friday with 101 Squadron photographing the anniversary marked VC-10 in ARA12. Many thanks to the ground and air crews for taking the time to help us get these.

..What a beautiful aircraft! who would imagined watching them come into service all those years ago that they would still be giving sterling service in the next century!:D

Its a beautiful thing.


I think I read somewhere that some US pilots prefer tanking from VC10s because of the high-mounted engines. Does that sound correct?

That's what I learnt doing aircraft recognition as a cadet.

Looks good - of course, it IS one of the aeroplanes that they inherited from 10 sqn (which makes this ex-10 sqn pilot feel rather better).

Most USN pilots preferred refuelling (or even refueling) from the VC10K rather than the KC-135 or KC10 during GW1.

Nothing to do with the engines though. More to do with operational flexibility - their words, not mine!

Good to see the 'cat crapping in a pork pie' badge on the fin of an ex-'shiny' ten. Although the Dulles Dinosaurs will probably not agree.

Caught a glimpse of the pairs recovery back into Brize, very nostalgic. Great to see the skills are being maintained, good luck, fly safe 101.

Sqn Badges
 

BEagle

As an authority on the subject, can you recall which sqn's badge was a donkey laughing through a lavatory seat ? It may have been one of the Valiant outfits.

Lovely VC10 pics !

The truly amazing thing is that at 40 years the aircraft is nearly half as old as the Squadron! A glowing testament to Royal Air Force maintenance practices and a damning indictment of the Government's procurement process.

Why USN pilots prefer VC-10 to a KC-135 by FFP aged 6 and three quarters.

Assuming that the jet isn't MPRS (and I'm not sure how many are....)

The KC-135 is primarily a boom aircraft, but can be adapted to refuelling probe equipped aircraft by the use of a BDA (Boom Drogue Adapter) This 10ft length of hose has a drogue attached to the end. This must be set up on the ground (there is no way of attaching the BDA in flight).

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...e_adapter.JPEG

When the receiver makes contact, the hose must then be bent into 2 ninety degree angles to enable fuel flow. This, coupled with the offset position of the receiver and lack of visual cue's make it harder for the receiver.

http://www.bw-flyer.de/neu/report/report/aar/aar1k.jpg

Why the USN prefer VC-10's to a KC-10
2 Wing hoses make it a quicker process for the USN. Can refuel Maverick and Iceman (although when they had F-14's the wingtip clearance was a little too close for comfort) at the same time, as oppposed to cycling through the centreline on the KC-10. The 10 will be primarily boom refuelling in the AOR, so it's a bit of a pain to bring up the boom, trail the centreline, reel response check it (up until recently ;)) then start the refuel. VC-10 is configured ready to go, so it's easy if your looking for a tanker at short notice.
Beags is right concerning the flexibility reason, but then how flexible (and how much individual thought do you allow the pilots) do the USAF need to be with 59 KC-10's and 540 odd 135's ?

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Nice shots, chap.
What was the camera ship? Another VC10?

MS

Thanks for the comments, we were in another VC-10 in ARA12.

Neil

Of all the commercial jet aircraft produced how come the most elegant looking ones have been British (namely the Comet, VC10 and Concord)?

Will be a shame to see the Funbus leave service, though with the way FSTA is going it may well be around longer than I.;)

Yes, that really is a CRACKING good photo.....:sad:

From what I hear..........:{

Hope things won't lead to a situation as serious as the fate which befell an earlier Vickers design.

The Valiant.

Art Field will know what I mean.

Lovely photos. I flew out to Singapore in XV105 back in '69 and its really nice to see she's still airborne. (No, I'm not a reggy 'spotter' - As a former "Ton-Five" Halton Brat I recall the number easily)

Of the twenty-odd aircraft that I've worked on in my career, the VC10 is my personal favourite. They have their quirks, as all aircraft do (the fuel quantity indicating system and the flap assymetry systems being the most troublesome bits during my time from '71 to '74) but the VC10 was the best engineered flying machine I've ever come across.

What's the crack then BEagle?

Very disturbing if what I hear is even half true.

Great photos Thatch, lovely to see the old girl but for how much longer?

Oh dear, sounds ominous, surely the old girl is not going to catch the Vickers tin worm after all these years, must have got it off Lofty's car.

Lofty's car eventually expired in a shower of rust flakes, I hear.....

When Plod needed a list of everyone's cars on 101, Lofty's went from 'White' to 'White and Brown' to 'Brown with the odd bit of white' in various editions of the list!

Not sure if it's Vickers tin worm - or BWoS changing the way the jet was flown with upset?

More data, anyone?

Worked it out... its the Sqn and not the VC10 that is 90!!

Doh!

Only 45 years since the first VC10 flew (Civvy not RAF).