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C/n 801/2 - Test Specimen
C/n 803 - G-ARTA
C/n 804 - G-ARVA - 5N-ABD
C/n 805 - G-ARVB
C/n 806 - G-ARVC - ZA144
C/n 807 - G-ARVE
C/n 808 - G-ARVF
C/n 809 - G-ARVG - ZA141
C/n 810 - G-ARVH
C/n 811 - G-ARVI - ZA142
C/n 812 - G-ARVJ - ZD493
C/n 813 - G-ARVK - ZA143
C/n 814 - G-ARVL - ZA140
C/n 815 - G-ARVM
C/n 819 - G-ASIW - 7Q-YKH
C/n 820 - G-ASIX - A4O-AB
C/n 823 - 9G-ABO
C/n 824 - 9G-ABP
C/n 825 - G-ATDJ - XX914
C/n 826 - XR806
C/n 827 - XR807
C/n 828 - XR808
C/n 829 - XR809
C/n 830 - XR810
C/n 831 - XV101
C/n 832 - XV102
C/n 833 - XV103
C/n 834 - XV104
C/n 835 - XV105
C/n 836 - XV106
C/n 837 - XV107
C/n 838 - XV108
C/n 839 - XV109
C/n 851 - G-ASGA - ZD230
C/n 852 - G-ASGB
C/n 853 - G-ASGC
C/n 854 - G-ASGD
C/n 855 - G-ASGE
C/n 856 - G-ASGF
C/n 857 - G-ASGG - ZD235
C/n 858 - G-ASGH
C/n 859 - G-ASGI
C/n 860 - G-ASGJ
C/n 861 - G-ASGK
C/n 862 - G-ASGL - ZD240
C/n 863 - G-ASGM - ZD241
C/n 864 - G-ASGN
C/n 865 - G-ASGO
C/n 866 - G-ASGP - ZD242
C/n 867 - G-ASGR
C/n 881 - 5X-UVA
C/n 882 - 5H-MMT - ZA147
C/n 883 - 5Y-ADA - ZA148
C/n 884 - 5X-UVJ - ZA149
C/n 885 - 5H-MOG - ZA150

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C/n 838 - XV108

Timeline

Date  
7 June 1968 First flight.
18 June 1968 Delivery to RAF 10 Squadron as XV108. Named 'William Rhodes-Moorhouse VC'.
1 July 1968 Encountered a significant thunderstorm near Brize, with hailstones denting the leading edges and puncturing the radome. Returned to Brize and could not complete the planned flight to Andrews AFB.
15 January 1986 Carried the Foreign Secretary, Sir Geoffrey Howe, from Kuwait to London Heathrow. Crewed by Captain Neil and F/E Richie Spence.
February-March 1972 XV108 carried HM the Queen on her Royal Tour of the Far East, leaving from the Heathrow VIP park.
2nd June - 1st July 1972 Operated as support aircraft for G-BSST during the Concorde sales tour in the Far East and Australia.
23 April 1982 Flew Foreign Secretary Francis Pym to Washington for last minute talks with the US Secretary of State, Alexander Haig, about the situation on the Falkland Islands.
2-3 June 1982 Carried eighteen wounded, including survivors from 'Sheffield', from Montevideo to the UK via Wideawake. Large Red Cross markings applied to signify its aeromedical evacuation role.
13-14 June 1982 Carried another 61 wounded back to the UK.
27 April 1986 Flew to Paris to act as standby aircraft for the return of the body of the Duchess of Windsor to the UK.
1987 First visit to Jersey airport by a VC10, organised as a training flight by the OCU. Rocks from the overrun were blown into someones garden, which may have caused this to be the only visit.
15 August 1995 First flight after conversion to C1K tanker/transport.
1 September 1995 Delivery to 10 Squadron as C1K.
October 1996 Repaint into grey colourscheme.
30 June 1997 XV108 flew the British delegation to Hong Kong, including Tony Blair, for the official handover to the Chinese Government.
28-29 June 2003 Performed a flypast with XV109 and several Tornados at the RAF Waddington air show.
14 October 2005 Transferred to 101 Squadron upon disbandment of 10 Squadron. Tail letter 'Y' allocated.
12 June 2010 Took part in Queen's birthday flypast over Buckingham Palace together with XV105.
30 May 2012 While acting as a receiver during an early morning AAR mission, a mishap caused the probe to break free and this hit the top of the cockpit and put a dent in the tailplane leading edge.
28 August 2012 Took part in the last three-ship VC10 formation, standing in for ZD241.
7 November 2012 Flown to Bruntingthorpe together with XV106, XV108 performed its last landing around 11:15LT. Total time: 39202 hours.
August/September 2013 Remains of wings and rear fuselage/tail scrapped.
16 November 2013 Forward fuselage moved to East Midlands Aeropark and placed on display.

More info

Page about XV108 on Aeropark website

Images


Photo BAE SYSTEMS / Brooklands Museum archives

Photo BAE SYSTEMS / Brooklands Museum archives

Photo BAE SYSTEMS / Brooklands Museum archives

Photo BAE SYSTEMS / Brooklands Museum archives

1-2. XV108 takes off from Brooklands on its first flight to Wisley.
3. Taxiing at Wisley during the eleven days it spent here for production testing.
4. Taking off from Wisley for a test flight in June 1968.


Photo BAE SYSTEMS / Brooklands Museum archives

Photo via D. Williams

The Michael Harries Collection © The Tangmere Military Aviation Museum Trust

The Michael Harries Collection © The Tangmere Military Aviation Museum Trust

1. XV108 returning to Wisley from a test flight with the ELRAT extended. This was usually done at the end of one of the test flights to check its proper functioning.
2. A few years later the titling on the fuselage has been changed to just 'Royal Air Force'.
3-4. XV108 is shown here coming in to land and during a flypast at the Biggin Hill Airshow in 1970.


Photo via A. Brown

Photo Peter R. Foster

Photo D. Burke, Thunder & Lightnings

1-2. The 10 Squadron VC10 were often used to carry VIP passengers around the world. These photos show just two occasions where Prince Charles flew on XV108. In 1997 this same VC10 would carry him to Hong Kong for the handover to the Chinese Government.
3. Later in its career XV108 gained a refuelling probe.
4. XV108 and XV109 showed up at the 2003 RAF Waddington air show with Tornados in tow.


Photo D. Burke, Thunder & Lightnings

Photo Nick Blacow

Photo PaulC

Photo Chris Kern

1. A flypast by XV108 at the 2003 RAF Waddington air show.
2. A view of XV108 climbing away, the nose radome seems to have been changed for an unpainted example.
3. XV108 parked at Brize Norton prior to an AAR sortie on a Thursday morning.
4. XV108 landing, the addition of the letter 'Y' on the fin shows this to be after 2005.


Photo J. Thomas

Photo J. Thomas

Photo Geoffrey Lee, Planefocus Ltd.

Photo L. Griffith / Sharpshot Aero

1. January 2011, XV108 'Y' is at RAF St. Athan for maintenance.
2. Parked in front of the detuners, this VC10 looks ready for service again. This was to last just over a year and a half as the airframe was retired in November 2012.
3. XV108 leading ZA147 and XR808 over the North Sea on 28th August 2012, it had to stand in for ZD241 as the last K4 was still in maintenance.
4. April 2013, sharing the storage pan at Bruntingthorpe with a Jetstream, XV108 is having some fuel removed judging by the bowser parked next to it.


Photo J. Hieminga

Photo J. Hieminga

Photo J. Hieminga

Photo P. Stephens

1. September 2013, sadly the rear section of XV108 is lying on the ground awaiting final scrapping.
2. In contrast the front section has been neatly removed and set aside.
3-4. The interior has been partially stripped but apart from that this piece of VC10 is very complete.


Photo A. Townshend

Photo P. Stephens

Photo I. Haskell

Photo J. Hieminga

1. On 16 November 2013 XV108 is loaded on to a low-loader for a journey along the M1.
2. XV108 on its way to its new home.
3. The next day the fuselage section has been installed at the East Midlands Aeropark on a custom built cradle.
4. Fast forward to June 2015, a lot has been done to bring the fuselage section up to display standard.


Photo J. Hieminga

Photo J. Hieminga

Photo J. Hieminga

Photo J. Hieminga

1. Next to the forward fuselage is a refuelling pod, explaining how this VC10 earned its money.
2. The flight deck roof still shows the patch repair above the centre window that was done after a refuelling mishap on 30th May 2012.
3. Entering through the aft door, display boards are used to tell the story of this VC10. The grey pipe is a refuelling probe which also prevents anyone trying to move further back.
4. Looking back through the fully fitted out cabin, the visual effect from the dividers and the image between them is very convincing.


Photo J. Hieminga

Photo J. Hieminga

Photo J. Hieminga

Photo P. Stephens

1. The flight deck is very complete and interestingly shows large areas of velcro along the side panels which was used to fix armour plating when overflying a war zone.
2. The wall next to the navigator's station features a large section of this velcro, when not used to fix armour plating a protective covering prevents damage to the velcro hooks.
3. The team looking after XV108 have now finished the paintwork on the support equipment, completing a set of aircraft steps that was very familiar at RAF Brize Norton for many years.
4. During the summer of 2019, after repairs to the 'plug' that closes off the forward fuselage, XV108 was repainted into mid-90s 10 Squadron colours.


Photo P. Stephens

Photo J. Hieminga

Photo J. Hieminga

Photo J. Hieminga

1. This iconic livery was wat earned the type its 'Shiny Ten' sobriquet, and it is great to see it back on a VC10 fuselage.
2. Seen here in August 2023, XV108 is in good company at the East Midlands Aeropark.
3. XV108 is accompanied by several complete airframes at the Aeropark, as well as Viscount and Vanguard nose sections.
4. She is also surrounded by period steps, a replica station sign, a Conway engine, underwing refuelling pod and an engine nacelle.


Photo J. Hieminga
     

1. The flight deck is complete and the team have worked wonders to fit it out with lights and even appropriate sound effects.

 

 

Moving the front fuselage section from Bruntingthorpe to East Midlands Aeropark.

Video courtesy of Pete Stephens

Colourschemes

RAF White over grey scheme with large blue lightning flash down the fuselage. "Royal Air Force Air Support Command" titles and roundels. Titles changed to just "Royal Air Force" in 1972. Red cross markings on the fuselage during operation CORPORATE.
RAF All over grey scheme with large lightning flash down the side of the fuselage. Toned down roundels and fin flashes, code letter 'Y' on fin (since 2005).


 

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