Farewell VC.10

[nuuumannn]

On 25 September, the last flying Vickers VC.10 made its last flight. RAF VC.10 K.3 ZA147 (first delivered to East African Airways as Super VC.10 5H-MMT in Decmber 1966) landed at Bruntingthorpe, bringing to an end over 47 years of RAF operations and 51 years since the type's first flight in 1962. ZA147 at RAF Leuchars in 2003.

I always liked the VC.10 in this colour scheme.

The 'Hemp' scheme popular in the 1980s and 90s.

Finally, G-ASGC on display at IWM Duxford.

Sadly, the Queen of the Skies is from now on a museum exhibit.

 

[stona]

I used to fly to Nigeria on the VC 10 as an "unaccompanied minor" as a kid. West Africa was the first leg of the journey down to South Africa, Johannesburg I thing. That was exactly the kind of Empire/Commonwealth route that the VC 10 was designed for.
I still have my BOAC Junior Jet Club book! Each flight was logged and signed by the Captain when we used to go up to the cockpit, something that's not going to happen today.
Sad to see the old girl go.
Cheers
Steve

 

[vikingBerserker]

From 1966, that really is impressive! Beautiful plane.

 

[stona]

From 1966, that really is impressive! Beautiful plane.

A VC 10 still holds the record for the fastest sub-sonic transatlantic crossing. They were powerful beasts, designed to use the shorter runways prevalent around the Commonwealth/Empire. I used to land at Kano back in the sixties and I don't think that was a full length international runway in those days. It certainly wasn't in the 3,500-5,000m class!
Cheers
Steve

 

[nuuumannn]

Apparently they are built like the proverbial brick outhouse too; the reason the RAF is retiring them is not because their airframes are worn out, but because of cost; the RAF use a fleet of Tristars and up until the other day VC.10s and it will replace them both with Airbus A330 tanker transports.

 

[Airframes]

Sad to see them go after so long. I had an uncle who worked at the Weybridge factory when they were being built, and remember thinking how huge they were. They still look big even by today's standards, a this shot taken at Duxford shows to advantage.
I did two long flights in RAF VC10's, to Ghana and back, via Dakar, back in 1971. Dragged backwards through the night !

 

[buffnut453]

Flown many a mile backwards on those things. Beautiful aircraft...bluddy noisy but beautiful.