Vickers VC10

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vickers_VC10

The Vickers VC10 is a mid-sized, narrow-body long-range British jet airliner
designed and built by Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd and first flown at
Brooklands, Surrey, in 1962. The airliner was designed to operate on
long-distance routes from the shorter runways of the era and commanded excellent
hot and high performance for operations from African airports. The performance
of the VC10 was such that it achieved the fastest crossing of the Atlantic by a
jet airliner, a record still held to date for a sub-sonic airliner, of 5 hours
and 1 minute; only the supersonic Concorde was faster. The VC10 is often
compared to the larger Soviet Ilyushin Il-62, the two types being the only
airliners to use a rear-engined quad layout; the smaller business jet Lockheed
JetStar also had this engine arrangement.

Although only a relatively small number of VC10s were built, they provided long
service with BOAC and other airlines from the 1960s to 1981. They were also used
from 1965 as strategic air transports for the Royal Air Force, and ex-passenger
models and others were used as aerial refuelling aircraft. The 50th anniversary
of the first flight of the prototype VC10, G-ARTA, was celebrated with a "VC10
Retrospective" Symposium and the official opening of a VC10 exhibition at
Brooklands Museum on 29 June 2012. The type was retired from RAF service on 20
September 2013. It has been succeeded in the aerial refuelling role by the
Airbus Voyager. VC10K3 ZA147 performed the final flight of the type on 25
September 2013.

Though BOAC had ordered modified Comet 4s, it viewed the type as an intermediate
rather than a long term type. In 1956, BOAC ordered 15 Boeing 707s. These were
oversized and underpowered for BOAC's medium-range Empire (MRE) African and
Asian routes, which involved destinations with "hot and high" airports that
reduced aircraft performance, notably between Karachi and Singapore, and could
not lift a full load from high-altitude airports like Kano or Nairobi. Several
companies proposed a suitable replacement. De Havilland offered the DH.118, a
development of the Comet 5 project while Handley Page proposed the HP.97, based
on their V bomber, the Victor. After carefully considering the routes, Vickers
offered the VC10. Crucially, Vickers was the only firm willing to launch its
design as a private venture, instead of relying on government financing.

By January 1960, Vickers was experiencing financial difficulties and was
concerned that it would not be able to deliver the 35 VC10s without making a
loss. It offered to sell ten Super 200s to BOAC at £2.7 million each only to
find that BOAC was unconvinced it had a role for the already ordered 35 VC10s
and doubted the airline's ability to fill all 200 seats. The whole project
looked to be facing cancellation prior to government intervention, supporting
Vickers with an order for Super 200s being placed on 23 June 1960. The Super 200
extension was cut down to 13 ft (3.9 m) for the finalised Super VC10 (Type
1150), the original design retrospectively becoming the Standard VC10 (Type
1100).

In accordance with its contracts with Vickers, in May 1961, BOAC amended its
order to 15 Standard and 35 Super VC10s, eight of the Supers having a new combi
configuration with a large cargo door and stronger floor; in December the order
was reduced again to 12 Standards. By the time deliveries were ready to begin in
1964, airline growth had slowed and BOAC wanted to cut its order to seven
Supers. In May, the government intervened, placing an order for VC10s as
military transports to absorb over-production. This lengthy, well-publicised
trouble eroded market confidence in the type. BOAC chairman Gerard d'Erlanger
and managing director Sir Basil Smallpeice resigned, defending the opinion that
the airline was a profit-making company, not a sponsor of indigenous aircraft.
BOAC's incoming chairman Sir Giles Guthrie was also anti-VC10; he proposed that
the Vickers programme be shelved in favour of more 707s

Role
Narrow-body jet airliner and aerial refueling tanker

National origin
United Kingdom

Manufacturer
Vickers-Armstrongs

First flight
29 June 1962

Introduction
BOAC, 29 April 1964

Retired
Royal Air Force, 20 September 2013

Status
Retired

Primary users
BOAC
East African Airways
Ghana Airways
Royal Air Force

Produced
1962–1970

Number built
54

Unit cost

£1.75 million

BOAC's successor British Airways (BA) began retiring their Super VC10s from
trans-Atlantic flights in 1974, mainly due to the 1973 oil crisis, and using
them to displace standard VC10s. Ten of the eleven surviving standard models
were retired in 1974–75. Of these, five were leased to Tayaran AlKhalij (Gulf
Air) until 1977–78 then purchased by the RAF. One was leased to the Government
of Qatar for VIP transport until 1981 when it was purchased by the RAF as an
instructional airframe. The Government of the United Arab Emirates used another
for similar purposes until 1981; it is preserved at Hermeskeil, Germany. The
other three were traded in to Boeing as part payment on new aircraft, and were
scrapped at Heathrow. The last standard VC10 in BA service, G-ARVM, was retained
as a stand-by for the Super VC10 fleet until 1979. It was preserved at RAF
Cosford in the British Airways Museum collection; its condition deteriorated
after BA withdrew funding, being reduced to a fuselage in 2006 before being
moved to the Brooklands Museum.

In 1977, studies began into converting redundant commercial VC10s into aerial
refuelling tankers; the RAF subsequently issued a contract to British Aerospace
to convert five former BOAC VC10s and four former East African Airways Super
VC10s, designated VC10 K2 and VC10 K3 respectively. During conversion, extra
fuel tanks were installed in the former passenger cabin; these increased the
theoretical maximum fuel load to 85 tons/77 tonnes (K2) and 90 tons/82 tonnes
(K3), the Super VC10's fin fuel tank making the difference. In practice, the
fuel load was capped by the maximum take-off weight before the tanks were full.
Both variants featured a pair of wing-mounted refuelling pods and a single
centreline refuelling point, known as a Hose Drum Unit (HDU), installed in the
rear freight bay; nose-mounted refuelling probes were also fitted.

Conversion of K2, K3 and K4 tankers took place at British Aerospace's Filton
site. The K3s had a forward freight door, facilitating the insertion of five
upper fuselage tanks in the main fuselage; the K2s lacked forward freight doors,
thus a section of the upper fuselage was dismantled to insert the five upper
tanks. In the K2 and K3 conversions, extensive floor reinforcement was installed
to support the additional weight imposed by the five fuel tanks.

The VC10 and Lockheed TriStar tanker/transports were replaced in RAF service by
the Airbus A330 MRTT Voyager under the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft Project.
The type's final flights in RAF service took place on 20 September 2013, the
final refuelling sortie was followed by a tour of the UK. On 24 September, ZA150
had its last flight to Dunsfold Aerodrome for preservation at the Brooklands
Museum, while ZA147 arrived at Bruntingthorpe on 25 September.

Specifications (Model 1101)

General characteristics
Crew: 4 + 3 flight attendants
Capacity: 151 passengers
Length: 158 ft 8 in (48.36 m)
Wingspan: 146 ft 2 in (44.55 m)
Height: 39 ft 6 in (12.04 m)
Wing area: 2,851 ft2 (264.9 m2)
Empty weight: 139,505 lb (63,278 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 334,878 lb (151,900 kg)
Powerplant: 4 × Rolls-Royce Conway Mk 301 Turbofan, 22,500 lbf (100.1 kN) each

Performance
Maximum speed: 580 mph (933 km/h)
Range: 5,850 miles (9,412 km)
Service ceiling: 43,000 ft (13,105 m)
Wing loading: 110 lb/ft2 (534 kg/m2)
Thrust/weight: 0.27




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