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First day covers
Posted: Tue May 13, 2014 9:52 pm
by Bill1980
I've finally managed to get hold of one of the 40th anniversary first day covers. It isn't signed by former Prime Ministers, but better still, by six of the VC10 design engineers and test pilots:
Roger Back - Chief Designer Civilian Aircraft
Jack Ratcliffe - Chief Systems Engineer, Brooklands
Michael Salisbury- Chief of Aerodynamics, Brooklands
The late Jock Bryce- Chief Test Pilot
Eddie McNamara- Engineering Test Pilot
Hugh Tyrer- Chief Metallurgist.
I have found a rather useful picture frame (!) to display it in...
Re: First day covers
Posted: Tue May 13, 2014 9:57 pm
by ACLVC10
Looks good, that must of cost a bit .....
Re: First day covers
Posted: Tue May 13, 2014 10:03 pm
by Bill1980
Not too bad actually, £21 on Fleabay. A bit cheaper than the £28,000 Conways gathering dust on there
Re: First day covers
Posted: Tue May 13, 2014 10:07 pm
by Thumper
Oh dear Andy, you must have missed that one!! Great item Bill and very special to have the signatures on it. That Conway makes me laugh every time I see it, it was even funnier when it was in the sale and had been reduced to a bargainous £27,998!
Re: First day covers
Posted: Tue May 13, 2014 10:08 pm
by ACLVC10
That's not a bad price at all. Yeah those engines just don't seem to be selling at all but for that price I'm not surprised
Re: First day covers
Posted: Tue May 13, 2014 10:09 pm
by ACLVC10
Thumper wrote:Oh dear Andy, you must have missed that one!! Great item Bill and very special to have the signatures on it. That Conway makes me laugh every time I see it, it was even funnier when it was in the sale and had been reduced to a bargainous £27,998!
Yeah my spotting skills aren't as good as they used to be, plus the fact my budget isn't as good as it used to be
Re: First day covers
Posted: Tue May 13, 2014 10:23 pm
by Bill1980
Thanks Helen and Andy.
I'm not much of a philatelist. The only one of those elegant VC10 stamps I had was on a birthday card someone sent me years ago. I just thought I'd have a punt on it and won. I doubt I'd have been lucky with the version signed by the ex Prime Ministers.
It was flown on a 10 Sqn C.1 and then on a 101 Sqn K.3. It seems quite fitting to be "reunited" with a bit of a K.3 rather than hidden away in a stamp collector's album.
Bill.
Re: First day covers
Posted: Tue May 13, 2014 10:37 pm
by Jelle Hieminga
That's a nice find Bill, congratulations on getting that cover! There are a few familiar names on there. Mike Salisbury spoke at the 50th anniversary do in 2012, I guess he's still around. Jack Ratcliffe passed away a year or so ago, he designed a lot of the electrical systems on the VC10. Hugh Tyrer passed away in 2010, a very knowledgeable gentleman about all things to do with metallurgy who worked as a consultant after his retirement. Some parts of this page are based on a report he wrote:
http://www.vc10.net/Technical/hingetube ... ement.html