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VC-10s fly final mission

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posted on Sep, 20 2013 @ 05:29 AM
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The final mission of the VC-10 tanker has launched from RAF Brize Norton. The flight of two was scheduled to refuel a Typhoon, Tornado GR4, Hercules, E-3 Sentry, as well as each other. They were then to do a flyby over Newcastle, Warton, RAF Coningsby, RAF Marham, Birmingham, RAF Lossiemouth, RAF Leuchars, and Prestwick, before landing and ending 47 years of service.

I remember seeing these come through Hickam a lot when I was younger. I always loved the design, and thought they were a neat airplane.

www.bbc.co.uk...



posted on Sep, 20 2013 @ 05:38 AM
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I remember my first ever flight was in a VC-10.

I was an Air Cadet and we took off from Filton Airport in Bristol and landed in Brize Norton. I think the flight lasted around 40 minutes. It took a couple of hours to get back to Filton by coach.

Farewell old friend.



posted on Sep, 20 2013 @ 07:21 AM
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reply to post by Zaphod58
 


End of an era Zaphod

I remember them as a kid when dad was in the RAF
I'm pretty sure we used yo fly on them as passengers
back to England from Malta.

Goodbye old friend and thanks for all your years of
service.

I think I may have something in my eye

Cody



posted on Sep, 20 2013 @ 07:44 AM
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cody599

End of an era Zaphod


Yeah it is. They're amazing old birds. I used to love looking out on the ramp and seeing them sitting there when they'd come through. One of the few foreign aircraft that I'd get excited seeing there.



posted on Sep, 20 2013 @ 12:01 PM
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Thought you might like this





A homage so to speak

Cody

edit on 20/9/13 by cody599 because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 20 2013 @ 12:28 PM
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reply to post by Zaphod58
 

So why are they being retired? Just old?



posted on Sep, 20 2013 @ 01:32 PM
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reply to post by Grimpachi
 


Age and cost to maintain. They're being replaced by the Voyager tankers.



posted on Sep, 20 2013 @ 01:37 PM
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edit on 9/20/2013 by Zaphod58 because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 21 2013 @ 01:41 AM
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I'm old enough to remember the VC-10 as a commercial aircraft, before the advent of the 747 it was the flagship of the BOAC fleet, and until the advent of the Concorde it was the fastest airliner in service.

BOAC advertising always carried the tag line "Try a little VC-10derness", lol. The rear mounted engine design gave it the quietest cabin in its class and was intended to keep the wing completely clean for various high lift devices which would in turn allow it to use shorter runways around what were then called the Empire Routes. Although this proved no advantage over the well established 707 commercially, it did make it ideal for the RAF. The only other aircraft to use the same layout were the near identical Ilyushin Il-62 and the much smaller biz-jet Lockheed Jetstar.

One of my abiding memories of the type was seeing all those retired British Airways VC-10's, still in full livery, awaiting conversion to tankers, lined up by the side of the A-1 thirty years ago, sad to see I'll never see one fly again.



posted on Sep, 21 2013 @ 11:07 PM
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Aviation Week was on board Tartan 52 during the mission and has a recap.

Next week, ZA147 flies to Dunsfold, and will join the Brooklands Museum. ZA150 flies to Bruntingthorpe, and awaits disposition there.


The two aircraft launched shortly after 10am getting airborne in spectacular fashion, trailing black smoke in a spectacular snake-climb departure associated with the VC10 during its Cold War days. As “Tartan 52” flight, the aircraft headed north in tight formation before reaching the North Sea and a rendezvous with Eurofighter Typhoons from RAF Leuchars and Panavia Tornados from RAF Lossiemouth where the two types took fuel from the VC10’s wingtip hose drogue units.

With refueling complete the two aircraft split and the six-strong flight crew of ZA150, led by Sqn Ldr Tim Kemp descended the aircraft low over the Moray Firth to run in for the flypast over Lossiemouth, with a 500 ft pass over the airfield before an impressively steep climb away, fine for those in the cockpit, but less for those in the small passenger cabin where the seats, like on all RAF VC10s, face aft rather than forward. The same the procedure was repeated at Leuchars, Prestwick airport, near Glasgow and the BAE Systems plant at Warton before another rendezvous with the other VC10, which had done flypasts down the Eastern U.K. at Newcastle, RAF Coningsby, RAF Marham and Birmingham. The two together then formatted close for a dramatic pairs arrival in the circuit of Brize Norton, where hundreds of cameras on the ground were trained on the aircraft for their streamed arrival at 2.14pm. The aircraft were greeted by families and personnel from 101 Sqn who cheered when the crews emerged.

VC-10 flight



posted on Oct, 4 2013 @ 12:33 PM
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With the retirement of the VC-10, and the looming retirement of the Tristar tankers, the RAF has an interesting problem approaching. The new Voyager tanker is too large to fit in the hangar in the Falklands, and sending one there is the equivalent of using a sledgehammer to kill a mosquito. Tankers at the base there only fly a few hours a month at most.

Options being looked at include a KC-130J variant like the US uses, or possibly fitting buddy pods onto an A400M.



posted on Oct, 6 2013 @ 04:56 PM
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reply to post by Zaphod58
 


It was previously stated that the RAF would not use the Atlas as a tanker. They ALSO said we would buy the F-35C, and would not be fitting guns on our Typhoons, hey ho.



posted on Oct, 6 2013 @ 05:40 PM
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reply to post by waynos
 


So what, two or three months until they announce buddy pods on your A400s?



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