BOB

Any VC10 related discussions.....
Post Reply
User avatar
Flour Power
Posts: 160
Joined: Tue Jul 09, 2013 6:37 pm
Location: Northumberland

Re: BOB

Post by Flour Power »

I've never been to Brunty so any advice would be gratefully received here too.

Potential fly in the proverbial ointment: The weather forecast looks less than optimal for tomorrow which brings me back to Thumper's question earlier. At what point would the weather be considered too bad to attempt a landing?

Fingers well and truly crossed.
Thumper wrote:WooHoo! Great news Mr P, what a lovely wife you have! :D
She tells me that every day. :lol:
Squawk1177
Posts: 79
Joined: Sat Aug 11, 2012 3:39 pm

Re: BOB

Post by Squawk1177 »

NOTAM says arrival between 1000-1100 zulu on Monday, subject weather l guess

S1177
User avatar
Thumper
Posts: 441
Joined: Thu Mar 07, 2013 12:18 am

Re: BOB

Post by Thumper »

The weather could indeed be the fly in the ointment here. It's clear all the way up until 12 noon, that's when the big black cloud with rain appears on the BBC weather chart for Leicester and hangs around until gone 8pm :-({{|=

Due to Brunty being surrounded by trees, I would imagine they want a nice clear day with reasonably high cloud so they get a good approach.

Of course the weather is only part of the problem, Bob does have a habit of going tech quite a lot!

Due to it being a 4 hour drive for me I can't really do much about weather forecast as I'll be leaving at 6am and a lot can change in 4 hours. It's going to be one of those fortunate or unfortunate situations. It could well be a lot of petrol for nowt and this is the risk I am weighing up at the moment.

MAGNUM - I would aim to get there at least an hour early. From me (Sherborne, Dorset) AA route planner reckons it's 3hrs 28 mins. We've added to that an extra half an hour for fuel/pee stop and traffic. We're leaving at 6am so hope to get there by 10am. It's a really straightforward route, we're taking A303, A34, A43, M1. When you turn off the M1 at Lutterworth you want to head to Bath Lane, don't bother with postcodes and a sat nav after you leave the M1. Here's a map, the red circle shows you were the entrance to the proving grounds (museum) is;

Image
User avatar
Flour Power
Posts: 160
Joined: Tue Jul 09, 2013 6:37 pm
Location: Northumberland

Re: BOB

Post by Flour Power »

Thanks for the map Thumper.

It's 3 hours 51 minutes travel for me so out by 05:00. Must be mad!! :shock:

If you see a six feet six inch tall bloke with a beard, dodgy hat and carrying a Hubble Telescope-sized lens come over and say "Hi". I can't guarantee it'll be me, but there's a good chance.

Here's hoping for good weather. Have a safe journey everyone who's travelling.
Last edited by Flour Power on Sun Jul 28, 2013 12:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Magnum
Posts: 270
Joined: Tue Nov 13, 2012 9:07 pm
Location: Wantage

Re: BOB

Post by Magnum »

My route will be similar, A34, but may cut cross country and join A43 by silverstone race circuit, then M1. Reckon it will be about 2 hours for me but need to allow for rush hour traffic at that time of day.
Anglojet
Posts: 55
Joined: Sun Mar 17, 2013 1:22 pm

Re: BOB

Post by Anglojet »

Less and less rain in the forceast with every update. I don't think they'll be any tomorrow after all.
User avatar
Thumper
Posts: 441
Joined: Thu Mar 07, 2013 12:18 am

Re: BOB

Post by Thumper »

I think my stand out feature is that I'm a woman. Long brown hair, carrying an EOS 30D with a very moderate 75-300 lens. I'm easy to spot as I'll be the one sat down tutting, removing the dust and bug party from my sensor that have magically appeared in 30 seconds :-)////)

More detailed weather is light showers coming around midday, before that is cloudy with sunny spells, a predicted 8-15mph SW wind gusting up to 12-26mph with very good visibility (19,722m) with predicted cloud base at 1,008m, Sfc cloud 76%, low cloud 77%. Taken from met office aviation website for Bruntingthorpe.

We've decided to get up at 5am, check the NOTAM, check the weather online again, maybe put in a cheeky phone call to air ops Brize and if everything still looks "possible" then leave at 6am, we would rather be there for nothing than miss it and it beats going to work :mrgreen: --+0+--

I hope everyone has a safe and pleasant trip down/up/across.
Magnum
Posts: 270
Joined: Tue Nov 13, 2012 9:07 pm
Location: Wantage

Re: BOB

Post by Magnum »

If you get any updates before you leave be sure to post them here. :)

I like my anonymity but I should be easy to spot, I'll be the one without any posh camera or big lens, unless I dig out my old Olympus OM10.
Manofmendip
Posts: 239
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2012 1:58 pm
Location: Midsomer Norton

Re: BOB

Post by Manofmendip »

Hi Thumper

Lovely to find a lady interested in the VC10.

I have a lady friend who i have introduced to BOB and she also came up to Brunty with me in March to meet Gary and talk about our 'Keep a VC10 Flying' project. She is in love with BOB now.

What got you interested in this beautiful aeroplane?

Best wishes.

Dave
User avatar
Thumper
Posts: 441
Joined: Thu Mar 07, 2013 12:18 am

Re: BOB

Post by Thumper »

Ugh, what is this, I never knew a 5 existed in the morning!

Latest news is everything is all set for an 11am prompt arrival at Brunty. Weather still looks patchy from midday on.

Last cup of tea and then it's "the off"!

Hi Dave, that's great that you got your lady friend interested in Bob! I don't really have a service history of sorts, my Dad was in the RAF so I grew up living nextdoor to Coningsby so my favourite noises as a baby were twinkle twinkle little star and the roar of a Phantom :mrgreen: My Dad collected and restored many aircraft so I was always a tomboy tinkering around with things. I went to a military school where the CCF was part of the curricular and we were all "expected" to join the forces afterwards. I headed for the RAF in a bid to become a Navigator but was dumped due to an undiagnosed heart condition (nothing serious though)! I was offered others posts but had lost interest so embarked on a career in all things motorbike.

I used to go to Woodford and Mildenhall shows as a kid with my Dad and this interest was re-spawned in the late 90's when I lived in Shoreham and happened upon their fantastic annual airshow. Moving on later, my other half is the author of Vulcan Ventures and is a huge Vulcan and VC-10 fan. He showed me his Classic Wings VC-10 DVD and I was "sold". The first time I saw a VC-10 in the air was only a few weeks ago at Yeovilton so I'm a real late comer and have missed out on years and years of this beautiful bird!!

Right, I'm alert enough to drive so that's me out the door, catch some of you later! --+0+--
User avatar
Flour Power
Posts: 160
Joined: Tue Jul 09, 2013 6:37 pm
Location: Northumberland

Re: BOB

Post by Flour Power »

Well, after getting up at 4:20, I'm at Brunty. The guy on the gate didn't seem to know anything and told me to park on the pan near the Super Guppy.

If anyone reads this and is at Brunty please feel free to come and rescue me. I'm in a black Mini. :)

Mike
Manofmendip
Posts: 239
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2012 1:58 pm
Location: Midsomer Norton

Re: BOB

Post by Manofmendip »

Hi Thumper

That is a very interesting history that you have.

My first contact with the VC10 was as a lad in the 60s when I used to cycle to Wisley (the BAC Test Airfield) to watch the VC10s on the ramp there; BOAC Super VC10s in wonderful deep blue and white, with real gold leaf 'Speedbird' logo on the tail and BOAC CUNARD lettering.

In 1970 I worked at Weybridge in the drawing library of the Main Design office (where the VC10 was designed) just after the last East African Super VC10 had flown out of Weybridge for delivery via Wisley. I met Ernie Marshall (Senior Project Engineer on the VC10 project), many times and talked to him about the 'beautiful bird'.

Last year I co-founded the group 'VC10der Loving Carers - Keep a VC10 Flying' with Wolfgang Borgmann, with the hope of saving ZA147 in flying condition. We have 33 members but no money, we need about £1.5m in the first two years, as we have not been able to gain any sponsorship for the project.

So, it was especially moving to see ZA147 flying past here, this morning, on her way to the Falklands.

Dave
Magnum
Posts: 270
Joined: Tue Nov 13, 2012 9:07 pm
Location: Wantage

Re: BOB

Post by Magnum »

The sun is shining today at Bruntingthorpe.
User avatar
Thumper
Posts: 441
Joined: Thu Mar 07, 2013 12:18 am

Re: BOB

Post by Thumper »

Just a quick update, Bob landed safely to a good crowd at Brunty after a superb go around. Well worth the early start :D
petet16
Posts: 262
Joined: Sun Dec 09, 2007 10:09 pm

Re: BOB

Post by petet16 »

Happy and sad, happy for the safe arrival, but sad it will be the last for BOB :(
Post Reply