Am i the only person here interested in Heavy Aviation Metal?

DesertHound · January 24, 2015, 03:53:02 PM

A BOAC VC-10 would look nice, much like in the colours of the 747 you posted. Lovely looking, classic airliner. Not sure they would have been in a museum in 1982 but who cares! It would still look good, and have an air of vintage about it in BOAC colours.

Ultimately go for what you like though!

Trainfish · January 24, 2015, 04:03:54 PM

Yes, a VC-10 would be good. It would bring back memories of flying to Hong Kong in the early 1970's with about 9 re-fuelling stops. It took us 25 hours if I remember correctly.

javlinfaw7 · January 24, 2015, 06:52:56 PM

First VC10 in a museum was G-ARVM at RAF Cosford in October 1979

CF-FZG · January 24, 2015, 10:07:24 PM

Quote from: Trainfish on January 24, 2015, 04:03:54 PM
Yes, a VC-10 would be good. It would bring back memories of flying to Hong Kong in the early 1970's with about 9 re-fuelling stops. It took us 25 hours if I remember correctly.

I don't know what route you took, but in the 70's a 10 would do HK to UK with just one stop, (usually), in Bahrain. In the early 80's they would stopover in Germany for a top up.

DesertHound · January 25, 2015, 09:25:09 AM

Without googling it (not difficult) I believe there were short / long range variants of the VC-10. It could be that a shorter range one was used.

Just an idea. In those days multiple stops weren't so uncommon, whereas today we expect point to point, or at worst, one transit.

Oh the glory days of air travel, where have they gone?

Dan

Agrippa · January 25, 2015, 10:04:16 AM

Quote from: DesertHound on January 25, 2015, 09:25:09 AM
Oh the glory days of air travel, where have they gone?
Dan

I'm afraid they've gone, airliners nowadays are just metal tubes
for carrying chavs to Teneriffe .

Trainfish · January 25, 2015, 11:39:00 AM

Not sure if the number of stops was just due to fuel, I was only 9 when we last did it and the memory isn't so great these days. I'll do some digging and see if I can find the route we took. I seem to remember we stopped in Cyprus and Singapore and also somewhere in the middle of the night which was infested with frogs. And I don't mean French people.

B757-236GT · January 25, 2015, 01:20:43 PM

My father served on VC-10s as an airframe techncian and remembers them as tempremental most of the time. Most were hanger queens and required ingeneous use of various implements to coax them into life and keep them working. Some of the RAF ones were amalgamations of super wings and standard fuselages but there were also some very early builds with cola cans for fuel tanks and engines out of an Ford Model T. Having said that the VC-10 is one of the few aircraft to fly at cruise on 2 engines. 2 were throttled back while the other two were pushed up, this was far more efficient than having 4 engines working at lower RPM etc. He finished up on Hercs at Lyneham and always said they were the best. Simple engineering and simple maintainenece was all that was required. Some of the stories of some of the things that occured in the RAF would make the modern world go white but back then its what you had to do to get the job done including having to use many substances which are now band as dangerous to health! Interestingly for the last 2 years of life the VC-10s were flight crew only. Im told this is due to serious corrosion issues. The tristar fleet of course completely buckled under the extra workload leading to many hire ins, to the extent many tristars only came back to the UK for heavy maintainence as they were the only a/c to fly into the restricted airspace!

Remember some of the RAF flights were like buses so stopped in various bases on the way to drop and pick up supplies and people. My father again had to go to Guam to fix a Belfast that had gone tech with a landing gear issue. It took 3 days using various RAF aircraft including a Britannia on the first leg to get there! They took the Belfast straight back home as they were unable to do a major repair out there. Needless to say it took quite a few fuel stops to get back. He and the rest of his team were away in total for 12 days!

Richard

Trainfish · January 25, 2015, 01:50:32 PM

I was thinking earlier that we stopped at Guam but when I looked it up I decided it was a bit too far out of the way going to Hong Kong.

One thing I do remember was that the seats faced the wrong way! I was too young to drink then so I know that did actually happen.

B757-236GT · January 25, 2015, 06:08:44 PM

Its something the RAF have always done. Trouble is when the civil world tried it there massive complaints but there is real proof its safer to have them that way. Back in the 60s and 70s the RAF had bases everywhere but im not sure if Guam was. The Belfasts were the large freighters of the day so tended to be borrowed for non RAF use occasionally. Some of the ex RAF ones went on to Heavylift airlines and one still exists to this day in Australia. However im led to believe its not got long left for this world!

Richard

Agrippa · January 26, 2015, 10:23:00 PM

Slightly off topic, but at airshows I always thought that a big plane flying
low and slow was more of a spectacle than a fighter taking off, eg
Nimrod, B52, KC135, VC10 with refuelling probe etc. Though not a big
machine I remember a Canberra at East Fortune doing a flypast with
bomb bay open at very low speed and altitude. Must have been
close to stalling speed, tremendous aircraft.

javlinfaw7 · January 27, 2015, 01:29:55 AM

The Vulcan at Prestwick Air Show low and slow over Ayr Beach was spectacular but I feel fighters in the 60's and 70's were more impressive. Whether a CF104's howl on start up at Prestwick or as a young air cadet watchingand hearing 24 early model Lightning taking off in pairs at RAF Coltishall it made my hair stand on end

47475 · January 27, 2015, 03:08:08 AM

Quote from: javlinfaw7 on January 24, 2015, 06:52:56 PM
First VC10 in a museum was G-ARVM at RAF Cosford in October 1979

It was a sin when G-ARVM (the only standard VC10 that made it into the then BA colours) was chopped up along with the only preserved B707-436 and Trident One. Unforgiveable.

Tom U · January 27, 2015, 03:21:45 AM

For airshow spectacular, I think one of the best was the Australian Airforce party trick of "dump & burn" with their F111.
On a low pass, they would initiate fuel jettison, then set light to the plume of vented fuel with the afterburner. The flame would be about 3 times the length of the aircraft
Can't post a pic here, but you will find it if you google F111 dump and burn.
Tom.

Chetcombe · January 27, 2015, 03:41:30 AM

Quote from: Tom U on January 27, 2015, 03:21:45 AM
For airshow spectacular, I think one of the best was the Australian Airforce party trick of "dump & burn" with their F111.
On a low pass, they would initiate fuel jettison, then set light to the plume of vented fuel with the afterburner. The flame would be about 3 times the length of the aircraft
Can't post a pic here, but you will find it if you google F111 dump and burn.
Tom.

Oooh I like that Tom. Dump and burn is a new one for me. For the initiated here is a short Youtube clip

http://youtu.be/WpPEdOMSIgQ