A Little VC10derness

First of all: Welcome to this new forum!

But to get things going, Lance Cole (he of the famous book) posted this message in my Guestbook:
"Greetings. Great Site. Glad to see my VC10 book is included! After the book, my plan was to get the MOD to cut off some scrapped tail fins and mount them on a plinth at Brize Norton. better to get the British airports Authority to make a display of standing VC10 fins at LHR. Can you imagine the sight of that as you drove in? Thanks for taking the time to make this superb site."

Any thoughts on this? Should we have a VC10 memorial somewhere? Post your replies here.

Maybe, when the ac is finaly retired, I think it would be a great idea. The ones that are being taken to pieces at RAF St Athan will not be of much use though as the elevators and rudders are, or will be removed for spares. In the future though it would be great.

From about 1984 til 1987 when I joined the RAF I used to work at the museum at Cosford and regularly went in the VC10 there. Never then did I suspect that I would get to fly such a musem piece. However, museum piece or not, it is still the best thing I have ever flown and I hope to be back soon.

Tonks

At RAF Lyneham we restored a complete Comet and put it on the gate as a guardian. Why can Brize not do this? The station is the biggest in the UK so they have room especially now the married patch has gone.

Married patch gone???? It was there when I left home last week

Alas, at the moment the main prob is that any ac that is "scrapped" is stripped bare of all the spare parts and that very little is left other than an airframe with no engines, flying controls etc... would look a bit daft. Maybe when the VC10 is finaly retired.... in many years time

Tonks

Yes Tonks the stalag as we used to call it has gone. On the BZN website are pics of it coming down. I only mean the airmans quarters. As a lowly airman I didnt get one of the 5 bedroom mansions up by splinter village with the officers

Like I mention in dispatches - I was put forward by the CFI chief instructor who TAUGHT me to fly, to go to Cranners. l was about to marry so declined. I regret to this day that decision as I believe, with my engineering experience i would have gone on to 10 squadron as a pilot when I passed my flight traing at Valley! They say hindsight is a blessing. Then I woulda got one of those marvellous houses and coulda taken part in the high spririted food fights in the mess

I'm off to the states in a while to live where I am going to BUILD my own aircraft. I'm just scrounging for some left over Conway engines now

in addendum - if I come up on the lottery there will be a VC10 going with me to the states when they are retired FOR DEFINITE. Failing that I want to LIVE in the sultans aircraft and will pay for a full repaint and refit of the APU!

In NZ they have made an Argosy into a cafe, and at Lyneham the comet is an 'executive meeting venue' (a boozer for groupy)

I went on board the Cosford aircraft when it was stored at BZN FULLY FITTED OUT. Where did all the gear go? I can never forget the smell in those poor sad aircraft as they arrived from BA. A smell of coffee, cigarettes, food - generally a happy smell. Our RAF VC10 smell of vomit, skydrol, kerosene and YES the captains expensive Hong Kong after shave! Me make you velly good suit?

I have seen a large aircraft mounted on a pillar in the USA so it IS possible to have a VC10 tribute. Heathrow has the half scale Concorde. You know - I have the ideal site........WISLEY AIRFIELD.

They have been scratching around for YEARS with what to do with it. Fly the retired aircraft in there and make a dedicated museum

comments?