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Dear reader, please bear in mind that news about VC10s is sparse. I don't expect many news items, on the other hand... you never can tell, so be sure to check frequently Last VC10 arrives for servicing at St. Athan Flypast Forum, 17 January 2012 With the VC10 fleet slowly diminishing the need for servicing at RAF St. Athan is also diminishing. The last two VC10s to undergo minor servicing here shared a moment together before K3 ZA150 left on 19 January leaving K3 ZA147 in the capable hands of the experts there. ZA147 is scheduled to be ready in March 2012 which will bring over 70 years of RAF aircraft servicing to an end at St. Athan, and is also a major step towards the final flight of a VC10. In December 2010 ZA147 was also the aircraft to undergo the last major servicing at St. Athan, so this K3 signifies the end of an era for the workforce there. Photos can be seen through the link above. XV101 has been retired on 20th December Forum, 20 December 2011 As announced below XV101 has also made its final flight to Bruntingthorpe to await the scrapman's axe. The final landing was around 11:40 local time after two passes over the field. There are now four VC10s at Bruntingthorpe all in line for spares reclamation and scrapping. XV101 joins XV105 which has already lost most of the parts needed to keep the rest of the fleet flying, and XV102 and XV107, both of which were delivered last week. XV101 to retire on 20th December Forum, 17 December 2011 The next airframe to be ferried to Bruntingthorpe will be XV101 and the out of service date is set for 20th December. It will join the other VC10s already awaiting their appointment with the scrapman. Another two retirements from the fleet: XV102 and XV107 Forum, 12 December 2011 Today two VC10 C1Ks made their way to Bruntingthorpe on their final flight as they too have an appointment with the scrapman. XV102 and XV107 should have arrived there today to join XV105 in the scrapper's que. The 'spares reclamation' process on XV105 is currently on hold while a 737 is processed. Photos of XV105 can be found in this topic on The Buccaneer Aviation Group forums. Later this month XV101 is also scheduled to make its last flight to Bruntingthorpe. Update: XV107 went 'tech' before departure and therefore only XV102 was delivered, bursting a tyre just after landing. Photos here: VC10 XV102 retires (Buccaneer Aviation Group forums). Update 2: XV107 was delivered a day later, on 13 December 2011 as 'Ascot 859'. Update 3: the two links above seem to be dead, the topic doesn't exist anymore on the forums. This page on the Keypublishing forum does show photos of both XV102 and XV107 landing (scroll down). British Airways ad featuring the VC10 British Airways Youtube channel, September 2011 British Airways launched their new advertising campaign with a video called 'To Fly. To Serve'. Using footage shot at Duxford, Shuttleworth and other locations as well as some clever digital manipulation it shows scenes from its past. These include several historic airliners with the VC10 part being played by Duxford resident Super VC10 G-ASGC. Click the link above to watch it.
There is also another video which shows more of the story: British Airways people & planes over the last 90 years And a 'making of' video here: British Airways - the making of our advert XV105 retires today E-mail, 30 August 2011 VC10 C1K XV105 was scheduled to fly to Bruntingthorpe on Friday 26th August but bad weather meant that this delivery had to be delayed. The plan is now to depart from RAF Brize Norton late in the morning for its last ever flight, with an estimated arrival time around 12:30. At Bruntingthorpe she will undergo spares recovery and scrapping at the hands of GJD Services in a similar fashion as XR807 and XV109 were processed last year. Public access to the airfield around the time of XV105s arrival will not be possible. BBC news item about VC10 deployment over the Mediterranean BBC website, 27 June 2011 The BBC was aboard a 101 Squadron VC10 which is deployed on refuelling duties over the Mediterranean to support the bombing raids on Libya. Click the link above to see the video. G-ASGC is prepared to star in British Airways commercial Flypast forums, June 2011 Recent activity at Duxford saw resident Super VC10 G-ASGC undergoing washing and a facelift in preparation for a British Airways commercial that will be filmed there. Rapide G-AIYR sported Imperial Airways colours for the same purpose, as well as Shuttleworth's DH.51 G-EBIR which was standing in for a DH.16. It looks like 'GC will retain the BOAC/Cunard colours, but I'm hoping that the finish will have more of the golden shine of the original scheme.
10 Squadron to be reformed on 1 July 2011 Royal Air Force, May 2011 10 Squadron, for years the main military operator of the VC10, is to be reformed on 1 July 2010. It will then continue in its role as a tanker/transport squadron operating the new A330 tanker for the Royal Air Force. In service the aircraft will be known as the KC-30 Voyager Tanker. It will start out with two A330s but will build up to 14 aircraft eventually. A4O-AB moves at Brooklands to enable Concorde turnaround Brooklands Museum, May 2011 On 10 May 2011 A4O-AB was pushed back several yards to create the needed room to turn Concorde G-BBDG around. Assisted by a team from British Airways Engineering 'DG was pulled forward on 11 May, turned around and parked back in its spot. But this time with her nose into the prevailing wind which should lessen the stress that high winds put on her airframe. VC10 A4O-AB was subsequently moved back to her original parking spot, as well as BAC 1-11 G-ASYD which also had to make way.
Photos J. Downey ZA149 assists in A400M development Forum and e-mail, February 2011 K3 ZA149 was flown to Toulouse to assist in developing Airbus' latest military transport, the A400M. To clear the large airframe for air-to-air refueling the pair performed dry contacts in preparation for full refueling trials later in the program. Article on Flightglobal.com with photos here. Added: Video posted by Airbus on Youtube RAF Photographic competition Daily Mail, 10 January 2011 One of the entries in the annual RAF photographic competition is a stunning overhead shot of two VC10s in close formation over Buckingham Palace during the Queen's Birthday flypast. It is just one of a number of wonderful images which have been entered and which show the diverse tasks of the RAF. Although not the winner, the image is at the top of the Daily Mail article about the competition which can be found through the link above (or click here). The other entries are also well worth viewing. Cosford Museum to receive VC10 Tanker Shropshire Star, 29 December 2010 In a news article about upcoming additions to the RAF museum at Cosford mention is made of a VC10 which is to be added to the collection in 2011. While it is good to hear that a RAF VC10 Tanker will be preserved it is a bit odd that only four years back the museum really wanted to get rid of G-ARVM, the last airline configured Standard VC10 in the UK, with the fuselage eventually being saved by The Brooklands Museum. Let's hope that this VC10 will get its deserved retirement at the museum. VC10 used for passenger carrying again as Tristars are grounded Telegraph, 21 December 2010 In January the UK MOD decided not to carry passengers in VC10s anymore due to concerns over the aircrafts equipment in contrast to more modern designs. Today the RAF had to turn back that decision, with a senior officer signing waivers to allow RAF personnel to fly home on 101 Squadron's VC10s for their Christmas leave. This step became necessary as the Tristars of 216 Squadron developed problems that caused them to be temporarily grounded, leaving the RAF without a significant chunk of its passenger carrying capacity. For more read the article available through the link above. VC10 now longest serving aircraft in RAF fleet E-mail, 16 December 2010 Today the Harrier marked its final day as an active RAF aircraft with a 16 ship formation flight. With the retirement of the Harrier the VC10 is the longest serving aircraft in the RAF inventory. The oldest VC10 still in service is XR808 which was delivered on 7 July 1966, 44 years ago. Final VC10 major completed at St. Athan Forum, 9 December 2010 With ZA147's take off from St. Athan a chapter has closed. For 44 years the RAF has performed major servicing on VC10s, initially at RAF Brize Norton, then RAF Abingdon and finally at RAF St. Athan. Now that the last of these has been completed a large part of the workforce is leaving the base and the remainder has moved out of the 'Super hangar' and back into the older (but renovated) 'Twin Peaks' hangar as of mid-December when XV101 was delivered there for a minor servicing. The sequence of photos below was taken on 25 November 2010 and shows ZA147 during the last two test flights after completion of the type's last major.
Photos J. Thomas Defense Review confirms out of service date for 2013 BBC News/Defence Review, October 2010 The UK's latest defence review unleashes several cost cutting exercises which together should cut defence spending by 8% over the next four years. Amongst the cancelled carriers, Harriers and Nimrods is a line that confirms the fate of the current VC10 fleet: "We will accordingly ... reduce the role of the VC10 transport/tanker aircraft to undertake air-to-air refuelling only, with the target of withdrawing it by 2013 as A330 enters service;" Over the past few years several dates were thrown around, some of them creeping up towards 2020, but this confirms that in three years time the flying life of the VC10 should be over. Behind the scenes the schedule of spares reclamation from airframes will probably not change much. Currently GJD is working (or will soon start) on ZD242 which has been at Boscombe Down for the past few years undergoing testing to learn about airframe ageing. In two years time the 50th anniversary of the VC10's first flight can be celebrated but while we may see a flypast for that event, it may well be the last significant celebration of the VC10's life that will include one. Victoria Cross names to be reused e-mail, July 2010 When XR807 and XV109 made their last landings at Bruntingthorpe in April 2010 (see here for photos of XV109) the names that they had carried ever since they were delivered to the RAF appeared to have been removed. I received an e-mail that explained that these names will be transferred to other aircraft in 101 Sqn's Tanker fleet. ZA147 will now be named after 'Sqn Ldr Arthur Scarf VC' (ex XV109) and ZA150 will take up the name of 'Fg Officer Donald Garland VC & Sgt Thomas Gray VC' (ex XR807). The RAF's VC10s will therefore continue to honour these VC holders. Queens Birthday Flypast 2010 RAF Website, 12 June 2010 The flypast for HM The Queen's birthday included two VC10s as item three of the large formation that overflew Buckingham Palace on Sunday 12 June 2010. Looking at the composition of the formation, the VC10s fly in trail AAR formation and together with the BBMF and the Tornado/Typhoon group are labeled as 'Homeland defence, future, present, past'. With the BBMF representing the past, and the Tornado/Typhoon being the present defence, does that mean that the VC10 is the future? I guess not but still, we can dream... A4O-AB stars in music video KateNash.co.uk, May 2010 It may not be your kind of music but have a good look at the video for Kate Nash's latest song 'Do Wah Doo' (click on the title on the righthand side of the TV). You see people boarding Viscount G-APIM 'Steven Piercey' at the beginning of it, but from that point on all the inside shots show VC10 A4O-AB, specifically the flight deck, rear cabin and executive washroom. If you take a look at the 'Making of...' video on the same page there are some outside shots as well. XR807 and XV109 make their final landing at Bruntingthorpe Flypast forums, April 2010 Tuesday the 6th of April saw the ferry flight and last landings of C1K airframes XR807 and XV109. They arrived at Bruntingthorpe to be 'spares recovered' by GJD Services. This means that any component that will help in keeping the other 13 airframes in the air will be removed with the remains cut up for scrap metal. To see video footage of their arrival click here or here.
XR807 and XV109 at Bruntingthorpe shortly after their arrival
Photos F. Wallace Two airframes to be phased out in April 2010 GJD Services, March 2010 Bruntingthorpe based GJD Services have been awarded the contract to dispose of the current RAF VC10 fleet as the airframes are phased out of service. Most of this work will be done at Bruntingthorpe but those aircraft destined for preservation will be prepared at their final destination. The press release does not mention numbers and locations unfortunately. The first two airframes are expected to be flown to Bruntingthorpe in early April, C1Ks XR807 and XV109 will be the likely victims. UK Ministry of Defence updates VC10 statement Flight International, 22 January 2010 In an updated statement the Ministry of Defence now states that the VC10 "remains safe to fly". The VC10 continues to be used to carry passengers but has been temporarily removed from a small number of tasks while the basis on which passengers fly in the aircraft is being reviewed. More after the link above. RAF suspends passenger operations with VC10s Flight International, 19 January 2010 The Royal Air Force has announced today that it will no longer employ the VC10s of 101 Sqn for passenger carrying operations. That means that after 48 years the days of the VC10 as a passenger aircraft are over. This is not the end of the line though, the VC10 will continue to operate as a tanker aircraft and will most likely also carry cargo. The aircraft will continue to serve with 101 Sqn until replaced by the A330-200 based FSTA. What, no VC10...? New York Public library, 2009 What can I say, I'm disappointed....
XR806 is no more... Forum, 30 October 2009 Early in September the nose section of XR806, a long time resident of RAF Brize Norton ever since its accident in 1997, was moved out onto the airfield from its location between the structures and paint bay where it had been in use for battle damage repair training. At that point it was to be used for fire training. Often this is the last assignment for a piece of airframe structure and this was no different. During the last week of October the remains of XR806 were completely scrapped and removed from the airfield. Click on the forum link above to view some photos of this nose section at its last location. Queen's Birthday Flypast 2009 and RAF Brize Norton Families Day Flypast forums, 13 June 2009 This year's birthday flypast for Her Majesty The Queen will consist of five elements. The third element consists of a VC10 with two Tornado GR4s. Some photos of this formation as well as other photos from the RAF Brize Norton Families day (including a VC10/Vulcan formation) can be seen on the Flypast Forums (photos Nick Blacow) and on PlaneTalk here (photos Damien Burke) and here (photos Chris Haywood). Careful, there are a lot of Vulcan photos there as well! (I'm sure you won't mind though.) First VC10 replacement flies RAF, 10 June 2009 The first airframe destined to replace the VC10 in service as the new Multi-Role Tanker Transport has flown from Airbus home base Toulouse. In July it will move to Airbus Military in Madrid for outfitting as a tanker aircraft. Photos can be seen through the link above. End of RAF operations in Iraq Ever since the first Gulf War in 1990 the RAF has been active in and around Iraqi airspace. After 19 years of service in the Middle East the RAF has now pulled back its assets from this area. RAF Marham was treated to the sight of three VC10s in formation as they escorted Tornados from resident XIII Squadron home, carrying aircrew and support personnel. Follow the links above for news coverage including footage of the flypast. Another Corgi VC10 available Corgi Newsletter, May 2009 The fourth Corgi VC10 model, this one in early BOAC colours, is now available to order. Details are on the Corgi website, but you can also ask your local Corgi dealer of course. For a photo of the pre-production version of this model have a look at the VC10 models page. And in a nice twist the announcements for the second half of this year now show a fifth VC10 model again in 101 Sqn colours. This model has been announced before but was dropped due to low orders. Apparently this decision has now been reversed again. There are photos of a pre-production model on the Unofficial Aviation Archive Air-to-Air refuelling by the VC10 tankers of 101 SquadronTimes Online, via I. McMillan, March 2009 The Times looks at the operations of the VC10 with 101 Squadron, describing a typical Air-to-Air refuelling sortie over the North Sea and looking back at the VC10's history. Click here to read the article.
Vickers VC10 – AEW, Pofflers and other Unbuilt Variants Author, March 2009 Due to hit the shelves in a few weeks is a new book written by Chris Gibson about the unbuilt military variants of the VC10. For the first time a closer look at all the plans that Vickers based upon the VC10 design is available, featuring archive material, drawings and new artwork. Many of the options offered featured new and interesting approaches to the problem of fitting military hardware for one or more roles into an airframe. This led to multi-role variants, including one where the nose section of the aircraft could be exchanged for one equipped for another specific role. Another interesting story is the AEW project. In this competition the VC10 may have made a much better platform than the Nimrod that was trialed, which eventually was passed over by the venerable Shackleton. So, do you want to know what a 'Poffler' is? The book should be available from the first week of April and can be ordered from Amazon through the link below:
Vickers VC10: AEW, Pofflers and Other Unbuilt Variants: Project Tech Profile New 1:200 model brand on the market Aviation Megastore, January 2009 For those enthusiasts collecting 1:200 scale models the range has been pretty limited with just the Collector's Aircraft Model shop stocking British made, limited run models. Recently JC Wings has sprung up as a new brand with a range of 1:400 and 1:200 models. All models are limited to 500 pieces worldwide so if you are interested I would suggest a quick trip to your preferred supplier. I haven't been able to locate a website for the company but the two links below are shops stocking the models. Initially a BOAC and BA VC10 have been issued with the BA model having sold out at some locations already. An RAe XX914 version is now available for pre-orders. News items from previous years can be found on the pages below: News Archive - 2007/2008 |
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