Reckon you've guessed already, Jelle: the unique Type 1109...

Nice photo of another familiar cockpit, but you forgot something obligatory:
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....f3719042d0.jpg

Could it be one of only two VC10 parts in wood?
No - the floor (in the loo, but possibly elsewhere) was a laminate 'sandwich' of balsa wood between aluminium sheets - very strong and excellent for 'second use' in model making! Brize Workshops scrap bin was a little treasure trove!

Ahh a female cup, it's got a crack in it.

I thought the big item looked like a rubbing strip made of paxolin? possibly Horizontal Stab or a slat?

What does that even mean? Aside from being sexist drivel.

Gear down ferry
 

Did two gear down ferry flights in two weeks in Aug/sept 89 with the same captain! Gander to Brize 808 and Gut to Brize 807. What a racket at cruising speed.

Daft question .. from a Herc bloke ... what was the gear down limiting speed on a 10 ?? and what was the fuel penalty - given the normal cruise was high and fast ! - I'm guessing "horrendous" might be the answer !! Certainly on the Herc a gear down ferry took forever but the fuel penalty was not too bad ... if ATC let you get to height and travel that slowly !!

If the U/C door was open (unlikely), the limiting speed was 254 KIAS. Most gear down ferries would have had the affected leg`s `door` fully closed, in which cast the max speed was actual VNO. In practice, gear down ferries were planned at 270 KIAS, as a compromise with respect to RANGE/DRAG/FUEL FLOW.

Aahh... I should have guessed that, but I didn't.... Good to see a bit of the prototype surviving. There are plenty of bits of VC10 shaped skin out there, also ex-G-ARTA, but this item is just a bit more special.

As for gear down speeds, one of the ex-Vickers F/Es once told me that they did VNE dive tests with the gear down, as they needed the drag to control the speed and the gear doors (the ones attached to the leg, not the inboard ones) could take it as long as there was no yaw on the aircraft. I don't know about the fuel penalty for a gear down ferry though, I couldn't find it in the Cruise Control Manual.

Yep- Belize thrice monthly unless there was something (important?) happening. Add 1982 and 1983 for definite to the years. Landings credited with "Crap" or "Magic" by the Rapier site guys.

Eng on the line had her favourite cup that had a massive crack in it but as she brought it from home refused to part with it.

..

I still have a set of engine Engineers placards somewhere that are brand new lol.

My last flight in a VC10 was an air test from St Athan, but the two before that we’re getting one back from Edmonton via Bangor with a main gear leg stuck down. I don’t recall the speed we flew at or the fuel burn, but there was a limitation of no flight in icing conditions which did delay us a day crossing the Atlantic. It was slow and we were constantly asked if we knew we had a gear leg down by other aircraft.

I have to 'resemble that remark'! 'Twas Butcher Radar who marked the landings - specifically anyone returning to the UK on that 'gozomie' bird.

I did a gear down ferry in an A300 from Porto to Brussels and we could not fly the sector until we had permission from all the countries we had to fly over!

Like this? https://www.vc10.net/Memories/everyt...af.html#Belize

Chris scott , sorry bit late joining [ new knew ] .. Think HER was more like 500' AMSL . Landing Westerly came over the edge of a very tall cliff I seem to remember . Daylight flight MBA-LGW/MAN , regularly stopped for a gas 'n go in Yellow Dog Tristars . Regular HERs were often at night , 'tho occaisonally did Souda Bay in daylight .

rgds condor.

Spelling 0/10 new Knee..

Yep! Them's the Boys. "We can (could) Hack It" :ok: