A Little VC10derness

I got an e-mail from a visitor asking me about the vertical fin on a VC10. What is the row of dark dots along the leading edge? They are not present on a civil VC10 and I can only think of maintenance markings or aerials. Who can solve the riddle??

They are on all VC10s... you just can't see them with the schemes. They are where the hot ait=r from the airframe anti-ice is expelled.

Tonks

That's our next kite

That answers the question indeed. The funny thing is that I couldn't remember those openings from A4O-AB (and I can say that I've seen almost every inch of that particular a/c!), guess that's been too long ago. Also I couldn't find them on any photos, take this one for example:


It wasn't until I looked at this photo just now that I noticed the openings:

Hi - long time since I've been here.

On the Std 10 the Fin LE anti-ice air exhausted through the small panel with the line going through it above the flag in the picture of A40-AB. It looks like it may have been blanked off to stop the rain getting in

That makes sense, on the Standard there's room to duct the LE anti-ice air to such an exhaust but on the Supers with the fin tank in the way you wouldn't have room for the ducting and thus the smaller openings along the leading edge. Seeing as all the current fliers have got a fin tank I wouldn't have noticed the difference from photos of them. Thanks!

I cannot remember if the opening was blanked off on A4O-AB, we didn't install anything there while I worked on the tail in the late 90s. It may have been done earlier of course but up until then they didn't do much high access stuff on that aircraft.

The K2 had the same panel on the fin for exhausting the anti ice air as well.
You can see it more clearly on this shot

From the 1962 Airframe course notes

Thanks for that! I only have this image:


While it is supposed to cover the Ghana Airways aircraft (see effectivity stamp) it shows the anti-ice exhaust air vents as on the fin tank configured aircraft. Mistake by BAC?