One of the best aircraft ever - always ran outside as a teenager when I heard the BOAC VC10 take off towards our place from Brisbane Airport- had a picture of one above my drawing board at work- left drafting career to become an Air Hostess with Ansett- this was one of the aircraft that contributed to redirecting my career - spent most of my working life in the Aviation Industry one way or another 😍
It was actually a fighter plane design that someone actually set the photocopier enlarger wrongly & we ended up with this beautiful thing. Concorde doesn't come close but was the ONLY passenger jet to go faster but hey longer in the VC10 is only a good thing! I had many RAF flights in her from Washington DC to Iran & always a window seat too!
I do love the VC10 but the most beautiful airliners for me are the DC3 and the DC7, the DC3 could take 32 passengers 1000 miles at 200mph in 1938, and the DC7 could take 80 passengers 2000 miles at 340mph in 1954
@@rayjames6096 Like comparing the fastest subsonic 9mm bullet. The VC10 could sustain 900kmh+ for 9000kms wheras the convair could do it for 6000kms ;)
I flew as Cabin Crew on VC10s from 1972 to her final flight in BA colours March 1981. I was also on the JFK-PIK record breaking flight. We were caught out as the Flight Deck hadn't told us we were going for the record. Naughty boys.... It was a warp speed breakfast service! A fabulous aircraft, reliable, fast and smooth. Queen of the skies.
Ahhhh the true connoisseurs remarking on the various smells of engines. I remember famously smelling an old carb dash pot and passing it to another friend who also smelt it, and we both remarked how nice the smell of duckhams Q20 was and how you don’t get oil smelling like it anymore. The third person present was a friend visiting from New York and she nearly died laughing at us! Made me chuckle when I heard the guy say, caw smell that!!! Nice one. Great video
I was an RAF Air Steward on the VC10 1984-88..Flew to many countries during that time..Those Conway 301s have some serious kick,especially on a full powered takeoff.A beautifully designed airframe,that Is sadly no longer with us 😢
My first encounter with the VC10 was in 1978 at RAF Brize Norton as a ‘Space Cadet’ ....watching the, taking off and never heard anything so loud in my life as those 4 RR Conways revved up....so loud but aged 14 it was a fabulous introductions to life In the RAF
One of my favorite designs. Do you realize how strong that rear spar has to be to withstand four engines at full military power? It not only has to keep all four stable and together, but then transfer all that force to the airframe to push forward. Amazing engineering and thought went into the design of this bad boy. Brilliant!
Agreed. I was in army in 1970s so had many trips. Nice & roomy. My first was Brize Norton to America Washington. The speckled lighting always relaxed me.
Such a dangerous design. If one engine comes apart more than likely two engines come apart. The strain on the tail section is enormous all main hydraulics run thru to tail also. Just not an engineering masterpiece.
Also consider the moment angular velocity forces on a hard landing or a bumpy runway, whereby the longer extension of two engines side-by-side would result in tremendous leverage and upward torque on the airframe.
Gorgeous aircraft. Love the clean wings, high T-tail, and rear engines. I spent some time in East Africa in the late 70s (my dad was with AMREF [the Flying Doctor Service]), and I remember him explaining that Kenya Airways was one of the few companies that bought VC-10s. (Super VC-10s, actually.) Although they were inefficient and expensive to run, they were perfect for operating right on the Equator in the hot, thin air of high airfields with short runways in mountainous terrain because they were so ridiculously over-powered. Thanks for the video! 🙂
Remember tanking with these gents and this classic aircraft during Operation Desert Storm in 1991 (I was flying EA-6B Prowlers with VAQ-130) they were the best most dependable tankers out there.
In my RAF days I flew from Lyneham in Wiltshire to Maguire AFB in New Jersey in a VC10, very quiet with the engines at the rear. A delightfull aeroplane, made when England Knew how to build great planes.
Worked at RAF Brize Norton for about three years and never minded getting stopped at the airfield traffic lights when a VC10 was going to take off or land. Flew on one from RAF Brize Norton to RAF Bruggen (Germany) in about 45 minutes. Brilliant aeroplane which gave the RAF almost 50 years service.
I remember the RAF VC10s doing the mail runs to and from UK-Zambia in 1966. Would finish letters to my GF on Sunday afternoon in Lusaka and they'd be delivered on Monday mornings in south Wales. Impressive aircraft and a VERY impressive mail service.
Flew on them several times as a small boy in the Middle East. A huge thrill, and all the seats in the RAF ones used to face backwards, as it's safer in the event of some crashes. Gorgeous lines too.
I'm really chuffed so many of you appreciate this video, it was the first time I'd seen a VC10 and at my 'local' airshow at Biggin too. Sadly it was the last airshow to be held there (2010) and having this amazing aircraft display was trully an awesome swan song. Please keep enjoying the vid and sharing your VC10 memories, they are fascinating to read... Oh, and just for the record, theres no photoshop... Peace.
In 1970 I flew all the way from Sydney to London via USA in a BOAC super VC10,it's the best aircraft I have ever flown in,magic.All you need is a little bit of VC10derness!!!
I had the pleasure of departing from Hamburg in one of these. The Captain briefed us before taxiing what to expect.........., seemingly there were noise issues around the airport and in order to comply with them we were to "expect a lot of noise and vibration before the take off roll", and a "steeper climb out than normal", to FL40. I have to say that was a ride and a half, sheer awesome, another memorable flight with the RAF. Good on you lads!
I remember seeing one of these flying over as a child, on the approach to Heathrow. The thing that grabbed my attention was the noise as it sounded very different to the other airliners flying at the time. That was the one and only time I saw one in the air and I regret not seeing them off, just before the RAF decommissioned them. Beautiful aircraft.
As a kid I flew on the VC10 between Hong Kong and London a few times. My Dad used to specifically ask for the BOAC VC10 rather than the 707. It was faster, quieter, flew higher and was more comfortable than the Boeing and.....it was British
I am 70 years old and in 1980 I took my family to Malawi on one of the last British Airways scheduled flights in this magnification plane. Hours of luxurious, smooth travelling - the most enjoyable flight of my life.
Nov 1965 at age 9 months , went to Singapore on one of these...Dad being posted from Middle Wallop to the far East. 3 years there then VC10 to next posting in Germany...Manser Barracks near Gütersloh. Boiled sweets handed out on takeoff to help stop ears popping. Great plane, impressive from outside or inside...
When i was a lad in the 60's...was in the Junior RAF (ATC)...We visited RAF Brize Norton and as a group we managed to scrounge an afternoons flight on a VC-10... We did about a dozen 'touch&goes' and then had a quick flight over to Cardigan Bay. all of us being invited to the flight deck...I managed to be on the flight deck on one of the 'touch&go' landings......memory still with me to this day......
Great footage of a jet that took me to, and brought me from Gulf Ops. I always liked the backward facing seats. My best memory in a 10 was arriving at Al Kharj with 43(F) Sqn and hitting the approach with a SAM threat. We approached high and dived over the airfield before pulling a high G turn to bleed speed. All I saw was sand as we turned, and I had no idea what was going on. When we got down and I was taken to my squadron, I found out what was happening. That was some good flying.
I remember my father telling me to watch out for a big plane flying over Blantyre Malawi, we certainly heard it coming, children were running for cover. She flew right over head and headed out to Chilaka airport , it had come to take our president Dr Banda to meet the Queen. During the afternoon before taking off, our father took us to see her on the handstand. A few years later I was fortunate to travel many times on the VC10 , going backwards and forwards to boarding school in England, terrific thrill on take off, superb aircraft.
The VC-10 was like something out of Gerry Anderson’s Thunderbirds. I strongly suspect The Air Terranean Fireflash was both based on, and really a nod to the sheer beauty of the VC-10.
Great video of the RAF VC-10. Was at Biggin Hill in May 1978 for the annual air show. Also, had an opportunity of flying on a BA Super VC-10 in 1970 JFK/LAX/HNL. ✈️
Flew one of these summer 1970, Montreal to London, BOAC then. The cabin seemed much quieter than the 707 cabin. I specifically booked the flight because of the VC10. Loved it. The service was still with silver and light china. I couldn't drink in Canada because I was underage but in flight I could, so I had wine with my meal. I was 20 and it was a great experience, never to be repeated.
+Damremont18 All rear-engined aircraft are much quieter than the now-traditional under-wing mounted engines. a 727 or DC-9-as alsothe VC-10 -was magnificently quiet except in the rearmost parts of the cabin or lavatories. Also because in those days passenger comfort was a design obligation.. nowadays it's weight/fuel saving as a priority; consequently the newer aircraft are MUCH noisier in the passenger cabin than the older jets, due to lack of [heavier(!!!) sound-proofing materials. Regards.
Never flew in one, but a friend of ours was a pilot in 101 sqn RAF Brize Norton. He gave me and my youngest son a tour of the VC10 he flies. Incredible.
adam shaw 2:57 Even the VC10 dislikes the history channel ' hi A S... yeaa see that flyer signal wave off from the 4 jetmotors... i do like to watch on TV about history channel and my favor is military channel
I flew on these a few times when I first joined up , Hannover to Calgary in 9 hours if I remember correctly, it felt safer seating backwards, I do believe it was one of the last flights before they started putting us on the Tristar which took 11 1/2 hours. Great aircraft both of them.
What a beautiful and elegant aircraft..my uncle worked in BOAC years ago..and after a company visit to London once..he brought back a scale model of the VC 10 (in their company colours..) accurate down to the last detail..my pride and joy for years.. thanks for sharing..!!!!
Thanks for bringing back some good old memories. One, Vc10, I flew in one once to Texas and back again as part of a trip to Columbia. It was a great aircraft. Two, memories of Biggin Hill where I learned to fly and used to instruct part time. Sadly Biggin has changed a lot, most of the old flying schools and clubs have gone and so has runway 11/29 and the grass runways, which all added character to the place. And, of course some of the great characters that used to hang out there.
i went in this classic aircraft to canada in 1994and sat in the cochpit with the pilot for about 2 hours it was one of the things that stay with you for life. thanks to the RAF people that made that a once in 10 lifetimes happen...thanks
I flew back from Belgium to Belfast in 1984 in an RAF VC10, tremendous experience especially when you sit facing backwards watching the ground disappear below. That thing had some poke !
Cool plane. Engines sound / smoke remind me of the old 707's. Yeah, I know that the new engines are quiet and have very little smoke, but there's something about THUNDER and SMOKE that makes the heart beat a little faster.
I have bitter-sweet memories of the VC10. In 1964 I was on the first commercial flight of the VC10 out of Nairobi - a flight that was to take me from the city of my birth never to return.
Flew in VC10 often while working in Qatar in 70s and 80s and our company had a club and used to look after the crews and used to take them out to an island about 3 miles offshore.Whilst on the island a departing VC10 came low over the island no more than 100 feet up and actually did a wings waggle as if to say thanks for looking after us whilst in Doha.
I am too late to comment on ,VC10s didn't start travelling until late 1970s ( my teenaged years ) on Tristars and B747s would have loved the chance to experience VC10s.
I flew to and from Aden and Sharjah with the R.A.F. It was a really quite and smooth ride. The last time I saw one was, surprisingly, at McLennan A.F.B., CA, in the early '90s. I was eating lunch outside a cafe just south of the Base when it took off right over me. When my regiment was in Aden in 1966 and 1967 and an R.A.F. VC-10 would leave R.A.F. Khormaksor, which was very close to our camp, every night around midnight taking troops, civil servants and families home. The closer we got to our departure date we always wondered if we'd make the flight home. Fortune smiled upon us and all but one got home safely.
we emigrated from liverpool uk to brisbane austrailia in a vc10 in 1974 , took 3 days , i was 6 at the time , the pilot let me sit in the cockpit from damascus to singapore , how times have changed , needless to say but after that experience i wanted to fly , at 45 i can say i do , vc10 big noisy thing of beauty , made a little lad dream .
Thank-you so much for this great video, Viddy. To me, this aircraft was such a graceful and wonderful piece of art. I am so sorry that it did not have the market to keep it in production. I would have loved to have flown it. Similar to Mr. Cummins below, I lived very near the flight path of US Air Force aircraft taking off and landing. It was many years ago, and the aircraft were C-7’s, C-123’s , C-130’s, C-141’s, and C-5’s. I did not mind the noise at all, since I grew up with a love for airplanes. As for airliners, I am very nostalgic. I really miss the B-707’s, DC-8’s and 9’s, and I even flew on the Convair 880’s and 990’s. I guess I am showing my age now and will not say anything about my DC-3 flight. Anyway, again, thank-you for the great video and keep them coming!
That sound! Rolls Royce must employ musicians because every one of their turbine engines from the Derwent and Dart, through the Avon, Conway, and Spey, right to the RB211 and Trent have that characteristic Rolls Royce whistle/whine that no other engine manufacturer has.
@absoftitanium Of course it is!? If you were a British tech geek kid in the 60's, 70's or 80's that sexy whine was one of the memories of our childhood. (Alongside a RR Merlin and a Cosworth DFV..... Oh and the smell of 2stroke on the streets!)
i miss the noise and the smell of this wonderful aircraft. have lived around RAF Brize Norton all my life where these were based. have been lucky to have flown in them too as an air cadet passenger long before they were replacd with the tanker version as in video. now they have the C-17 Globemaster, A400m Atlas, A330 Voyager K2/K3 and of course the C-130 Hercules. all great aircraft too that sometimes keep me awake at night as i now live next to the base but i don,t care.
Loved flying in these as a young child. On BOAC flights I would get a branded decorated metal tin of sweets if I was lucky but on the RAF VC10s (no sweets though!) they faced the seats backwards which allowed you to enjoy the amazingly steep angle of the runway at take-off. So quiet on board with the engines at the rear. Lovely aircraft!
Nice video! I rode in one of these from Guangzhou, China to Beijing way back in 1978--a few days after riding in a Boeing 747SP from San Francisco to Hong Kong. Both were extremely interesting flights for an aviation buff.
I had the privilege of flying in this aircraft many times in the 60’s and 70’s to the Middle East to the USA and all over Europe! It was a privilege. I remember one flight from Sharjah the plane could only take off with a full payload of personnel but only enough fuel to fly to Malta for a refuel, the air temperatures and humidity was so high at Sharjah it wouldn’t have been able to take off. Good memories.🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧👍
And when I was a schoolboy living along the flightpath to Montreal's Dorval airport, I used to see these regularly. Some were probably IL-62s flying the Moscow-Montreal line, but as a schoolboy, if it had four rear-mounted engines it was a VC-10. Still a beautiful plane.
...right about those Conways wonderful sound. Great video Thank you. Had the opportunity to fly on a VC10 from ORD to YUL in 1969 (the flight made a scheduled stop there on the way to London and was listed in the Air Canada timetables with the note that BOAC provided the service). One of the most beautiful planes to ever grace the skies. The old BOAC livery accented its clean sleek lines making it look fast even when parked at the gate.
I am a poor flyer, but flew from London to Cairo in 1981 on a BA VC10. It was so smooth that when I was wondering when we would take off, we were already airborne. A friend, a pilot in the US, for United, tried out the plane, but complained that the aircraft was just too powerful. They didn't buy it.
Well this sudger had many flights on VC10s in the 1970s courtsey of the ladies of the RAF. Luved this plane & much later found that this was the fastest airliner after Concorde. It is the best looking airliner ever & Concorde takes second place this time. In fact its a bloody big fighter really if they'd stuck some canons on it. Maybe it started out as a fighter & someone enlarged the plans on a photocopier by mistake! It is just such a looker with those swept back wings & the stunning tail & attached jet engines. What were they thinking when the designer thought "we'll have the wings well back, stick this crazy tail & attach the engines to it!". But it never dates, its the bees knees. I LUV YOU VICKY!! I WANNA RIDE YOU AGAIN & AGAIN. SHAKE THAT TAIL BABY!!
P.s. -to my earlier entry..is that I flew out of Bombay (now Mumbai) on the VC-10 to Heathrow. Also forgot to mention was that halfway to Baghdad the pilot announced that due to a sandstorm at Baghdad we would not be landing there. Then another announcement 20 minutes later that the sandstorm had abated and we would be landing at there...panicfrom the hotesses as they rushed around collecting cups saucers plates utensils plus food that had been served to help placate ???? passengers missing their destination. One thing I do remember of that landing was how low the approach was to the buildings, roads and the river and the bridge over it......yes that was wonderful air travel in the 70's
Vickers built two versions of the VC 10, the short version and the stretch version that had uprated engines. The RAF used the short version but equipped with the uprated engines. First time I flew on one was in 1965, owned by BOAC as it was called at the time. Flew from Heathrow to Singapore. Next time was in an RAF one from Brize Norton to Hong Kong great aircraft, was so good Tupolev made a copy.
I envy you SO much.....I do like Tu's..the 154 especially...But the VC10 always had a special place in my heart...in fact the last time I saw her I was on the cliffs above Ramsgate...and saw her landing at Manston..
The Shipwrecker! Hahah that’s funny... yeah they were loud. First saw them when I was an Air Cadet at summer camp at Brize in 79 the sound was deafening ... sad,y part of their demise as the sound levels weren’t tolerated by the CAA and probably the FAA too...
Flew in a beautiful VC10 when I was posted to Hong Kong in 1974. Stopped for fuel in Cyprus and Gan. Seats all face rearwards in the plane but so comfortable!
