|
Send E-mail |
Dear reader, please bear in mind that news about VC10s is sparse. I don't expect many news items, on the other hand... you never can tell, so be sure to check frequently. For the latest news please keep an eye on the VC10 forum and the A Little VC10derness Twitter feed as items of interest sometimes turn up at these locations first, before these pages are updated. Scroll to the bottom of this page for archived news items. Sky Talk event at Brooklands Museum Brooklands Museum, March 2023 Author Phil Hogge will do a talk about his two books 'Sky Talk' and 'Sky Talk 2' at The Brooklands Museum on Thursday, 20th April 2023. Phil flew Britannias, VC10s, 707s and 747s for BOAC and BA, ending up as GM Flight Operational Services in the BA Flight Operations department. In his retirement he has taken experiences from his own career and from colleagues and used these as the background for fictional stories that provide a wonderful insight into the life of an airline pilot in the 1970s and 1980s, sharing both ups and downs. See below for more information about his books. Visit the link above to book tickets for the talk, you can either visit in person or join a livestream of the event (this last option is free but requires registration). Online shop, March 2023 I found out about this book through some online sources and decided to have a look at it. You can order a copy through the online shop linked to above and you will receive a softback A5 sized booklet that reproduces all, or at least most, of the BOAC adverts that were published over the 1940 to 1970 period. As such, it includes several adverts from the VC10's early years as a BOAC airliner. The book is smaller in size than I expected but its 136 pages are printed on glossy paper that reproduces the adverts very well. I have one copy of this book to give away. If you are interested, send me an e-mail message with 'BOAC Speedbird Adverts' in the subject line and state your full name and address. I will draw a name at random and send the book to the winner three weeks from now, so any submissions should be sent in before 4th April 2023. (I miscounted, I had a later date here but this giveaway will run for three weeks).
Save Arthur Scarf's VC medal, keep it in the UK RAF Museum/GoFundMe campaign, January 2023 Back in March 2016 I photographed Arthur Scarf's medals in the Bomber Command Hall, at the RAF Museum, Hendon. The medals were on loan from Arthur Scarf's family and have been on display for many years, but in 2022 the family decided to put the VC and his other medals up for auction and the winning bid was from an overseas buyer. The RAF Museum has started a GoFundMe campaign to see if it can match the bid and keep the VC medal in the UK. They are hoping to raise £250,000 from the campaign and cover the rest of the needed amount from their own funds and a National Heritage Memorial Fund grant. They have until the end of April 2023 to raise money for this worthy cause. Arthur Scarf's VC is one of only 22 awarded to RAF personnel and the only one awarded for services in the Far East during WWII. As such, it was an obvious choice to include it in the names that adorned the RAF's 10 Squadron VC10s, and it flew for many years on the side of VC10 C1 XV109, the cockpit of which is preserved in a private collection. For more about the action that led to the posthumous award of this medal, click here, or read this article on Key.aero. The page about the GoFundMe campaign also includes more information about this airman, see link above. After XV109's retirement, the scroll was transferred to ZA147 and continued to fly on a VC10 until the type's final flight in September 2013. Potential relocation might save CAHC and its airframes Voice Newspaper, itvNEWS, December 2022 In what can only be described as a great Christmas present, the Cornwall Aviation Heritage Centre has been offered a new location by a local landowner. This new 10-acre site is close to the current Newquay airport location and will offer a home to all of the current exhibits with room for expansion in the future. Right now the offer appears to be at an early stage, there is lots of work still to do before the CAHC can move the large aircraft, set up a new exhibition and open its doors again. But at least we can move into the holiday season and the new year with a possible rosy future for this great museum! See the links above for more about this development. CAHC closes its doors Various sources, 1 November 2022 On the first day of November 2022, the doors closed at the Cornwall Aviation Heritage Centre. The CAHC was set up in 2015 to save what was left after the Classic Air Force retreated from Cornwall after only two brief years, leaving behind a collection of static airframes and other artefacts. CAHC was founded by two businessmen and successfully arranged for a new home on the Newquay airport site, vacating the large hangar and moving to Hardened Aircraft Shelter (HAS) 3. The council would only offer a five year lease on this site and, after a one year extension, is now unwilling to discuss further extensions or a move to a different location on the airfield. The official line from the council is that they want to maximise the income from the airport site but they have not indicated any other paying businesses that are queueing to take over HAS 3 and the surrounding bits of platform. CAHC have submitted several plans over the recent years but these have met with silence, in response the council is saying that CAHC has not provided any suitable plans to them. This standoff is sad as it means that a museum with over twenty airframes, a lot of artefacts a large group of volunteers and a steady stream of visitors is now closed with the future of the large airframes, including VC10 K3 ZA148, the only tanker that was on public display, very uncertain. Officially, they have until March 2023 to find a new location but as the museum normally closes during the winter months, Monday 31st October was the last opportunity to visit the site and enjoy the museum. The petition to save CAHC was signed more than 28,000 times and is still open. Various appeals to local council members have either gone unanswered or were countered by a bland message reiterating the councils need to maximise returns from the airport site, ignoring the fact that the museum pays commercial rents to Cornwall Council, their landlords. This leaves a situation very like the one in 2015: several airframes with an uncertain future at an airfield in Cornwall. Let us hope that some way forward can be found so that this corner of the UK can keep its own aviation museum. Some articles about the situation are here: See below for a link to the petition. Cornwall Aviation Heritage Centre - future uncertain Twitter, Facebook, August 2022 According to a tweet from Thunder & Lightnings, and a statement from the directors and management, Cornwall council has terminated Cornwall Aviation Heritage Centre's lease at Newquay. That would drive a popular tourist attraction away and would put the future of their aircraft, models and artifacts collection in serious jeopardy. I hope that discussions are ongoing, hopefully a solution can be found so that VC10 K3 ZA148, BAC 1-11 ZH763 and twenty other airframes can stay at Newquay. See below for a petition that aims to find a solution to this threat.
2015 Bookazine Special Reissued Key Publishing, July 2022
If you missed it the first time, you can get a copy of the reissued VC10 special, a 116 page bookazine written by Stephen Skinner in 2015. Key Publishing has reissued it in this 60th anniversary year with a changed cover. Apart from that, the contents appear to be identical to the 2015 version (there is an erratum available here) but the cover states that it contains minor updates, most likely this refers to the fates of ZA147 and ZD241 that have been updated in the list of airframes in the appendices. It is an affordable and pretty complete overview of the type's career with some nice photos. To get a copy, click on the link above or have a look at your local newsagents or bookshop. Doors2Manual will have ZD241 tags in stock soon Doors2Manual website, July 2022 As ZD241 was scrapped last April, Doors2Manual has been able to get their hands on some small bits from this airframe for upcycling purposes. They now have some tags made from the fire bottle panel available on their website, see link above. There are three different variations but I suspect that the most expensive one has already sold out, only four tags were available with lettering on them. See the link above for more about this option to own a bit of VC10 history. 60th anniversary coverage Various sources, June 2022 With the 60th anniversary of the prototype's first flight here, it is worth mentioning that:
A Little VC10derness on Twitter @TrueVC10derness, June 2022 I have recently had to put my Facebook page into hibernation as the company did not want me to continue using what they call a 'grey account' and I didn't want to share more of my personal information with Mr. Zuckerberg. I have since set up a Twitter account to keep up a presence on social media. Follow @TrueVC10derness to keep track of updates to the website, relevant news or other random VC10 facts. SunRise Publishing, June 2022
Ex-VC10 Captain Philip Hogge has been writing short stories for quite some time, which led to volume 1 of 'Sky Talk' in June 2020, published by SunRise Publishing. 'Sky Talk 2' is now available and features more recollections based on his career as an airline pilot. Philip's stories are fictional, but based on his own experiences during his time flying VC10s, 747s and other types for BOAC and British Airways. He has contributed several memories to this site, such as this article on flying VC10s in Africa. Through the use of fictional characters, his stories transport you back to the golden age of airline flying and the particular ambiance of those days, without breaking the trust of those colleagues who shared their experiences in the bar at the end of a long day. Follow the links above for ordering information and a preview of both volumes. Platinum Jubilee 2 June 2022 Congratulations to HM The Queen on the occasion of her Platinum Jubilee! The festivities start today and I could not resist a quick look back at previous flypasts over Buckingham Palace, especially ones with one or more VC10s in attendance.
ZD241 has been scrapped ZD241 Twitter, 20 April 2022 On 20 April the scrapman did catch up with ZD241 at Bruntingthorpe. After parts were removed last week it was only a matter of days but the end has come for this Super VC10 that flew for BOAC for thirteen years, as a RAF tanker for eighteen years and became a crowd favourite at the Bruntingthorpe Cold War Jets days for another five years. See the Twitter feed linked to above for a photo by Damien Burke, or click here for another one. Six complete VC10s are still around, five of which are in the UK. Gp Cpt Gerry Bunn, CBE (1941 - 2022) 10 Sqn Association, April 2022 Just as I was starting an article about 10 Squadron's involvement in operation CORPORATE, 40 years ago this month, I received the news that Gp Cpt O.G. 'Gerry' Bunn CBE, who was the Officer Commanding No 10 Squadron in those days, has died at his home in Hampshire on 9th April 2022. He was also the founder and president of the 10 Squadron Association. Once further details of the funeral become available they will be posted on the association's website (see link above). Rumours saying that ZD241 has been scrapped at Bruntingthorpe - (Updated 14 April 2022) ZD241 Twitter, 13 April 2022
The ZD241 preservation team posted on Twitter and LinkedIn today that the last live BOAC Super VC10, ZD241 (ex G-ASGM) may have been scrapped today. There is no photographic proof yet, so it is just a rumour for now, but there are enough reasons to fear the worst. The situation at Bruntingthorpe left ZD241 as the only large airframe on the site that was not owned by the Walton family. All their airframes are either in the new area just outside of the airfield boundary or safely stored in a corner where they are not interfering with the automotive activities on the site. ZE704, the last Tristar airframe, was scrapped on 10th April and this left ZD241 as the sole 'outsider'. We will have to await further news. Update: Damien Burke posted a photo on the site's Facebook page showing a still complete ZD241 next to the scrapping pan. Items, including the overwing exits, have been removed from the airframe. Doors2Manual started an auction for the overwing exits on their Facebook page and you may find other bits of VC10 (not yet from ZD241) on their website. It looks like the aircraft is still in one piece for now, but the activity points towards a date with the scrapman's axe in the near future. I suspect that the airframe will be stripped of any useful parts that may support the project that aims to use ZA150 as a tanker. Fifty Six Years & Many Airlines Later available again , March 2022
Bob Cooper wrote 'Fifty Six Years & Many Airlines Later' about his work as a licenced aircraft engineer with an impressive list of more than nineteen different airlines and maintenance organisations. Far from being a dry account about maintaining airliners, it is a personal account in an amusing and readable style that appears to include almost every possible combination of airline and aircraft type. From the challenge of obtaining his licences to dealing with a seriously blocked toilet on a 757, it is all included and a large collection of Bob's own photos are used to illustrate the many stories. This book has been self-published by Bob and after an initial print run quickly sold out, Bob has decided to do a second print run. Send an e-mail to the address above if you would like to purchase a copy (limited number available, so be quick). Ownership information added to FAA registration information FAA registry info, January 2022 While the four US registrations for ZA147, ZA148, ZA150 and ZD241 have been around since last November, recently they have been linked to an owner. This registered owner is Aerovision LLC in West Palm Beach. This is one of the steps towards getting ZA150 back in the air. ZA147 scrapped, cockpit section preserved Key forums, UKAR forums, November 2021 Posts on different forums and social media sites have reported the sad news that VC10 K3 ZA147, previously 5H-MMT, was scrapped at Bruntingthorpe. This is not an unexpected outcome as the airframe was living on borrowed time ever since the Bruntingthorpe site was sold to a new owner. The recent addition of ZA147 to the US register as N147ZA was either a paperwork exercise to smoothen the process of reusing spares from this airframe for the return to flight plans of ZA150, or it may have been a delayed action from a time when the project was somewhat larger in scale. I am leaning towards the former explanation myself. Although I have not seen any photos, the cockpit section was apparently spared and is still at Bruntingthorpe. Fifty Six Years & Many Airlines Later - Some Pilot / Sunrise Publishing, November 2021 Two recent publications cover two different careers in aviation that included several VC10s. Bob Cooper wrote 'Fifty Six Years & Many Airlines Later' about his work as a licenced aircraft engineer with an impressive list of more than nineteen different airlines and maintenance organisations. Far from being a dry account about maintaining airliners, it is a personal account in an amusing and readable style that appears to include almost every possible combination of airline and aircraft type. From the challenge of obtaining his licences to dealing with a seriously blocked toilet on a 757, it is all included and a large collection of Bob's own photos are used to illustrate the many stories. This book has been self-published by Bob and although an initial print run has already sold out, an e-mail to the address above will put you on the list for a second print run.
Sunrise Publishing has just published 'Some Pilot', written by Nigel Harrison. Nigel learned to fly in South Africa in WWII and became a flight instructor for the RAF and later for Airwork before joining BOAC. As an airline pilot he flew as second officer on Constellations, Britannias and Comets before gaining his command on the VC10. After retiring from BA he flew for the royal family of Abu Dhabi. His autobiography deals with his career but also covers the ups and downs of a long haul-pilot's family life. A short extract from the book is available on the Sunrise Publishing website, see the link above. Four VC10s on the US register FAA registry info / UKAR Forum, November 2021 Recently, four new US registrations were assigned to the VC10s currently located at Bruntingthorpe, Dunsfold and Newquay. The N-numbers are N147ZA, N148ZA, N150ZA and N241ZD and the link to the RAF serials is pretty obvious. Out of these four airframes, ZA150 is the only candidate for flight but having the other three airframes on the same register will make it easier to swap out spares if this should become necessary. All of these airframes are owned by GJD Aerotech, acting as the UK representative of Kepler Aerospace who is the planned user of the VC10 tanker. While the chances of ZA147 and ZD241 leaving Bruntingthorpe in one piece are very slim, the museum career of ZA148 is most likely not in jeopardy because of this. Even if this airframe would need to donate parts to its sister ship, it could still remain as an example of the RAF's ultimate tanker at the Cornwall Aviation Heritage Centre. Back in 1960, Vickers presented options to Pan Am for a Super VC10 with 200 seats and easy Atlantic capability in all but the most severe winter conditions. They also came up with a VC10 freighter for the airline and the proposed variant would incorporate some interesting options, including an ahead of its time two-man flight deck. Even though this plan never went beyond meetings and paperwork, 61 years later we finally are able to see VC10s on the US register. Tailwinds & Teapots, memories from a BOAC steward BOAC-Heritage.org, November 2021 Robert Thornton, who runs BOAC-Heritage.org, has written a book about his early years as a BOAC Steward. In his early twenties he flew around the globe in VC10s and in 'Tailwinds & Teapots' he shares stories from those heady days. It is available from Amazon.co.uk either as a paperback or a Kindle download. Keep an eye on his website, Twitter feed and Facebook page and do not forget to celebrate Historic Airlines Day on 24th November 2021. 5X-UVA crash at Addis Ababa in the news BBC News Stories, October 2021 Back in May 2021, Harriet Ware-Austin was a guest on the BBC4 Radio programme 'Life Changing' (see below) and talked about the tragic Super VC10 crash at Addis Ababa in 1972 that claimed the life of her two sisters. She also shared this story on my website. A new BBC article about Harriet's experience talks about the responses she has received since the radio show and about the differences and similarities between her situation and that of Graham Townsend, who lost his two brothers in that same accident. See link above or click here. New Art Print Hansen Fine Art, October 2021 A recent addition to the selection of fine art prints at Hansen Fine Art is 'Wisley Flypast' by Richard Wheatland GMA, GAvA. This painting shows prototype VC10 G-ARTA overhead Vickers flight test centre at Wisley. Click on the link here or above to view or purchase a copy. Aircrew Interview: Flying the VC10 AircrewInterviewTV, August 2021 Aircrew Interview TV produces an online show that does what the name indicates, arranging interviews with various aircrew members and talking about their work, often including interesting aircraft types. Advertised as Part 1, in this 30 minute episode they interviewed former RAF VC10 pilot Chris Nash about his experience with Vickers' finest. It covers Chris being posted to multi-engined types, the role of the VC10 within the RAF and various other topics. Available on Youtube or by using the link above. Freddie: The Second Coming of Sir Freddie Laker is available Recursive Publishing, June 2021
Ania Grzesik and Gregory Dix published the very well researched and complete biography 'Laker' in 2019, which finally made the full story of Freddie Laker's amazing history available. This book ended at Laker Airways' financial downfall in 1982 and did leave the reader wondering: what happens next? This question has now been answered with the release of the follow up 'Freddie: The Second Coming of Sir Freddie Laker'. This book picks up where 'Laker' ended and describes the aftermath of the airline's bankrupcy, the huge antitrust case that was filed and then delves into Sir Freddie's financial recovery and his new Laker Airways (Bahamas) that emerged 10 years after the original Laker Airways went bust. Sadly, co-author Gregory Dix passed away in 2021 and did not get to see the release of this second volume. His hard work has resulted in a book that completes the story and serves as a wonderful tribute to a great businessman. Available now from Recursive Publishing or Amazon. As it deals with the period after 1982, Sir Freddie's involvement with BUA and the VC10 is not covered in 'Freddie', for that story, have a look at the earlier volume 'Laker'. If you enjoyed 'Laker', you should really get yourself a copy of this second volume too! Ascot Airways, a book about the life of a 10 Sqn steward, now out Amazon, June 2021
Robert Whittingham has published a book about his career as a steward with No.10 Squadron, looking after the varied passengers on 'RAF Airlines'. One story that is in the book is his account of how he was part of the crew that rushed to Addis Ababa on XR808 to take the survivors and wounded from the 5X-UVA crash back to the UK, which is also on the RAFBF site here. There are lots of other stories included as well, such as one about a test flight on Concorde, or about the time when he approached Air Force One and heard "Stop, or I will shoot" and several anecdotes about looking after distinguished passengers. His book 'Ascot Airways: The Life and Times of a Royal Air Force Steward' is available on Amazon and through various other retailers. Click here for Amazon.com or here for Amazon.co.uk. Classic Gatwick Jetliners book out History Press, May 2021
Author and ex-Gatwick Air Traffic Controller Tom Singfield has completed the perfect companion to his Classic Gatwick Propliners book: Classic Gatwick Jetliners. It is a full-colour photobook containing over 200 shots of various types that visited the Gatwick apron in the 60s, 70s and 80s. The extensive captions provide a pretty complete overview of the development of the airfield and the background of the various airlines of that era. Obviously, the VC10s of BUA, BCal and some other airlines are included but they are in the minority. Still, I can recommend this as a worthwhile addition to your bookshelf, so that you can enjoy the view of late 20th century liveries and many airlines and types that are long gone now. Super VC10 crash Addis Ababa remembered BBC Radio 4, 21 April 2021 The BBC Radio 4 programme 'Life Changing' that aired today includes a conversation with Harriet Ware-Austin, who was eight years old when she witnessed the crash of Super VC10 5X-UVA at Addis Ababa. The aircraft carried her two sisters, who did not survive the accident. A few days ago, it was 49 years ago that the combination of a jacking pad left on the runway and incorrectly assembled brakes caused the loss of this airframe and 43 lives. Click on the link above to listen to or download the programme. Another account describes how a RAF crew was asked to carry out an extra flight to bring the survivors and their family back home, see here: VC10 Crash. Ethiopia, 1972. This flight was carried out using XR808 and is mentioned in the radio programme. Harriet has kindly shared parts of her mother's account and her own memories on this page. Still two intact VC10s at Bruntingthorpe E-mail, April 2021
A recent overflight confirmed that there are still two intact VC10s at Bruntingthorpe airfield. The six Tristars and two 747-400s can also be seen. Apart from these airframes under threat, the Walton owned Nimrod, Comet and Victor are safely stored in a corner of the site. It may take a while before more news emerges, so for now we'll have to make do with this status update. New 1:200 scale JC Wings model coming up Aviation Megastore, March 2021 Various shops are showing a new JC Wings 1:200 scale model of BOAC Standard VC10 G-ARVM in its interim BOAC/BA colours. There are several photos on the Aviation Megastore site (see link above) and a drawing on the Diecast Trading website and this model has the unique BOAC fuselage with BA 'Negus' tail scheme that 'VM wore in the mid-70s. The model is familiar if you know the previous JC Wings releases in this scale, with only minor changes (no shiny wheels and an additional stand). Based on the photos, JC Wings has got the wing shape right but the outboard fence should extend along the entire wing chord for the type 1101 wing. Still, the JC Wings models are pretty good value for money and in the limited 1:200 scale market, this is a welcome addition to the range. Visit your favourite aviation model retailer for pre-order details and price indications, or follow the links in this post for some suggestions.
ZA150 photobombing the Top Gear crew BBC News, March 2021 It is always good to see ZA150 popping up in the news, even though it's only in the background of a photo. As there are no updates on the plans for this airframe, this photo will have to do for now.
Legal wrangling over airframes at Bruntingthorpe The Times, January 2021 An article in The Times for 22nd January 2021 explains that the owners of Bruntingthorpe airfield have gained the right to remove the stored aircraft from the airfield. Although the article lists the VC10s, the contested situation is mostly that of two stored 747s, ex-TransAero (now bankrupt) but now owned by a different company, and six Lockheed Tristars, ex-RAF but now owned by a US-based firm hoping to get a foothold in the air-to-air refuelling business. The owners of the 747s and the Tristars both argued that these aircraft are part of an active project and that they should have access to the aircraft to get them back to airworthy status, and that the runway should be made available to fly them out in due course. The judge ruled that most of these plans were not realistic and that the companies have had enough time to take action, having received notices to remove the aircraft on several occasions. The situation for the VC10s has not changed, apart from the fact that there appears to be a small window left in which the aircraft should be removed from Bruntingthorpe by its owner. GJD services has already invested heavily in keeping ZD241 intact and alive over the past 7 years and it is unrealistic to expect its owner to come up with the funds needed to take the airframe apart and move it to a new home. The same applies to ZA147, which has been stored since the last VC10 flight, having had its engines and several other parts removed. Based on this, the odds are against these two airframes surviving beyond the next few months, although perhaps cockpits or fuselage sections may be preserved. The full text of the judgement is here. The large aircraft owned by David Walton (Nimrod, Comet, Victor) are not affected by this, these will remain stored at the airfield. Smaller types have been moved to a new storage/museum area next to the Lightning Preservation Group's sheds. News items from previous years can be found on the pages below: News Archive - 2019/2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||
