A Little VC10derness

I took a trip to Brize last weekend, and there was a chap there who said 105 had just flown its last RAF flight at the family day there. He said it was due to be retired last week, but weather played its part and it is now due to retire on Tuesday (30th).

Can anyone here confirm this? If it is true, does anyone know at what time it will be flown to Bruntingthrope as I am going to be passing by Bruntingthorpe on Tuesday and would love to be there to see it (if you can see anything outside the airfield!!)

Thanks

AJW,

The flight into Bruntingthorpe was cancelled last Friday due to bad weather.

I am advised that XV105 departs from RAF BZN today (Tues 30 Sept) @ 11:30 AM. Guess probably arrive @ Bruntingthorpe around 12.30.

I've posted on the news page about this: http://www.vc10.net/news.html

So she could still be in the air at this point, soon due to land for the final time.

So, assuming all has gone to plan this morning, 'Farewell' to 105 - another of the 14 original C1s delivered to the breakers, and I'm guessing that she looked in pretty good shape as she left Brize. She certainly did in May 2009, when she carried about 100 10 Sqn Association members and families on what will, in all certainty, prove to have been my last ever VC10 flight.

Looking at my logbook, 105 doesn't appear more or less frequently than any of the others in the fleet, but I see that I did my first VC10 Route Check (Gan-Akrotiri) at the end of my OCU course in her; that she was the last VC10 to transit RAF Tengah in February 1976; and that she needed a 3-engine ferry from Khartoum to Akrotiri for an engine change in January 1978. I don't suppose I ever thought back then that she would see service until 2011, so I can't really complain ....... but it still seems such a shame to tear her apart!

I went to Bruntingthorpe with my Dad and managed to get inside to see her land. She did a high pass, then a low overshoot, then round for the final landing. She taxied up to the far end and parked up for the breakers to do the 'dirty deed'.

Landed at 1430 local.

I was going to upload some of my pics, but have found some here:

http://tbag.conforums.com/index.cgi?boa ... 1314738510

We spoke to the captain and he said there are two more due in next month and a further two next year

ICM - You and me both....Dad and I were on 105 for that reunion! We probably bumped into you, but didn't know who you were!

On a slight side note; my Grandfather gets a mention in 'Silent Swift Superb - the Story of the VC10' for flying 105 with four other Walkers on board (him front left of course!)

ICM wrote:So, assuming all has gone to plan this morning, 'Farewell' to 105 - another of the 14 original C1s delivered to the breakers, and I'm guessing that she looked in pretty good shape as she left Brize. She certainly did in May 2009, when she carried about 100 10 Sqn Association members and families on what will, in all certainty, prove to have been my last ever VC10 flight.

Looking at my logbook, 105 doesn't appear more or less frequently than any of the others in the fleet, but I see that I did my first VC10 Route Check (Gan-Akrotiri) at the end of my OCU course in her; that she was the last VC10 to transit RAF Tengah in February 1976; and that she needed a 3-engine ferry from Khartoum to Akrotiri for an engine change in January 1978. I don't suppose I ever thought back then that she would see service until 2011, so I can't really complain ....... but it still seems such a shame to tear her apart!

...I can confirm that 105 was a very, very good jet when it left Brize! I've had my fair share of issues with it over the last few years, but it had been very well behaved recently.

AJW wrote:I went to Bruntingthorpe with my Dad and managed to get inside to see her land. She did a high pass, then a low overshoot, then round for the final landing. She taxied up to the far end and parked up for the breakers to do the 'dirty deed'.

Landed at 1430 local.

I was going to upload some of my pics, but have found some here:

http://tbag.conforums.com/index.cgi?boa ... 1314738510

We spoke to the captain and he said there are two more due in next month and a further two next year

ICM - You and me both....Dad and I were on 105 for that reunion! We probably bumped into you, but didn't know who you were!

I can't remember from the top of my head as I'm not at work at the moment, but I believe it's actually 3 going before the end of the year. 2 end of October or November (sorry to be so vague, haven't been at work for a few days!) and another just before Christmas (20th) although this could be delayed until the start of the new year. Sad times at VC10 towers.

Thanks for any heads-up regarding VC10's into Brunty. Being fairly local I intend to visit when they are due as it's the only time I get to see one nice and low.
Thanks in advance for any info provided.