VC10 - The truth
 

OK guys, I've heard all the "now Concorde is grounded it's the fastest passenger aircraft in the world" stuff, but how fast could/can the VC10 fly really? And is it true that it could fly faster than the RAF chaps are allowed to fly it?

It's still beautiful all these years later regardless of the answers to above questions.

I believe that the original VC10 type 1100 was limited to Mach 2.5 where as the Type 1664 and Type 1170 are able to achieve constant speeds approaching Mach 3 at altitudes of 84,000 feet

wow that really is fast.:ugh:

Corrona,

Glad you don't believe me.

Have you had a look here? It's a wonderful web site.

There is a page that provides the information here

I agree that it is one of the most beautiful aircraft designed

Concorde and the VC-10 ... the two best passenger aircraft shapes to have ever flown IMHO :ok:

CoffmanStarter,

I agree

Rumour has it the 787 'cruised' above M0.9 regularly during testing.
The phrase 'goes like a scalded cat' is probably in poor taste though. :)

What is the melting point of plastic ???:)

Just to clarify...I was talking about skin heating temp due to speed...nothing to do with electrickery LOL

Longer ron,

Depends on the plastic. "Plastics" are a group of materials that can have vastly differing characteristics. You can get plastics that can maintain their properties in extremely hot temperatures. Polyetherimide (I think that's how you spell it) can be used up to 340°F (170°C) - ish. But that is a special plastic

For the 787 about 100C upsets the engineers. :suspect:

I must be blind, I could not see any ref to M2 or M3 or 84k ft in the links. I did fly out of Embakasi (Niarobi) in 1965 in one. then back from Changi in 1970. Did the Washington Saturday run several times in the 80s. recall people saying we were overtaking 747s. Miss BOAC 1954 was the senior steward or what ever they called them at the time. Was Concorde banned from IAD due to noise. My mate who lived at Fairfax Va always new when we had arrived so had the steak in the smoker for when we had cleared customs. VC10 was the noisiest thing flying into IAD at the time. Very strong aircraft. I did some design work on the Super tankers when it was found they had extruded stringers. the assumption had been they were the same bent tin as the standard. The original RAF ones had a wet fin. I went down to Weybridge just before the design office moved to Chadderton (may have been Woodford for a while). I miss those days - rose coloured specs!

He was joking about speeds, read the follow on posts :E

Yup the RAF ones were standard fuselage with super engines and wings, plus a wet fin, the tail plane was a bit bigger than a Hunters main planes if I remember correctly. Noisy outside even with noise abatement, but quiet inside.

dragartist,

NutLoose is correct. I was joking. I promise.

I have a really crap sense of humour. I admit it. My wife tells me that I never grew up past the age of seven. I reckon seven and a half.

Sorry HVAL...plastic - as in plastic pig - which could of course be a reliant 3 wheeler or a GR5/7/9/10...or indeed a Boing Nightmare liner :)

Can't speak for the military birds. For what it's worth, on the Standard 1103s and the 1109 (to which spec the prototype, G-ARTA, was modified for airline service) Mmo was M0.86 (true) = M0.886 (indicated). I don't know Vd. On entry into service with BUA in 1964-65, they cruised them at Mmo, with the overspeed bell often ringing intermittently in gusty conditions. By 1971, as BCAL, we normally cruised at M0.835 (true). After the 1972 fuel crisis, we were down to M0.82.

The 1103 was a Standard VC10 with main-deck cargo door and what was referred to as a "super" wing, with Kuchemann (droop-snoot) wing tips, to enable cruise at up to FL430. (BOAC's Standards were limited to FL410.) Unlike the RAF transports, there was no APU, a dry fin, and the engines were as for the Standard VC10. The 1109 was similar to the 1103, but no cargo door.

G-ASIX, which had cracked its tailplane bullet in an upset over Mendoza in about 1972, was sold to the Sultan of Oman in 1974 as his personal jet. He donated her to the Brooklands Museum around 1989, where she can be visited. That cockpit...

I'm more than happy to bow down to greater knowledge. I only speak as someone with an interest but...
I had a pal many moons ago who's Pa was a Trident captain. He (Ian's Pa) claimed that the Trident 2 was the fastest airliner and indeed I can remember reading the same in the Guiness book of records circa 1972.
Mind you, his Pa also told me that every aircraft landed bu a Trident had a controlled crash. He also told me that they were a bugger to get off the ground(?)

Brooklands got it earlier than 89 as I came out in 89 but we took a search to coat it with some fancy resin, so it must of arrived 87 88 ish, the throttles had seized when we were there. Had a nice tour round what was a new museum followed by taking the RAF Sherpa round some of the track, got quite far up the embankment too :oh:

We used to refer to the Tridents as Quadrants at Edinburgh as when fully laden they had to have the extra thrust from the APU to get off the ground...