Popular commercial airliner with four rear-mounted jet engines remembered for the BOAC advertising slogan ‘Try a little VC-Tenderness’.
The last of the Vickers Armstrong built designs was the Type 1101 VC10, the first of which (G-ARTA) flew for the first time from Weybridge on 29th June 1962. By this time and despite being named 'Vickers VC10', Vickers-Armstrong themselves had already amalgamated to form part the Commercial Aircraft sector of the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC).
The Vickers VC10 was closely constrained by its BOAC specification which required operation from short airfields in Africa at both high altitudes and temperatures (hot and high). This suited a number of African and Middle Eastern operators but restricted its appeal worldwide. The high performance of the Vickers VC10 was such that it achieved the sub-sonic record for a Trans-Atlantic crossing of just 5 hours 1 minute, a record which it still holds today.
The Vickers VC10 was characterised by its soaring T-tail and four rear-mounted Conway engines which provided a quiet passenger cabin and was exploited in the contemporary BOAC advertising with the slogan ‘Try a little VC-Tenderness’.
Despite consistent popularity with its passengers, the VC10 only saw service with BOAC from April 1964 to 1975 with just 12 examples reaching completion. Other operators included British United Airways (subsequently British Caledonian), East African Airways, Ghana Airways, Air Malawi and the Royal Air Force.
Nigerian Airways had planned to order a pair of VC10's but eventually cancelled the order due to financial difficulties.
The Type 1151 / Super VC10 was developed to offer lower seat-per-mile costs on trans-Atlantic services and it featured an increased fuselage length, take-off weight and passenger capacity, all combined with increased thrust Conway engines.
On 7th May 1964, the first Vickers Super VC10 (G-ASGA) flew for the first time, entering airline service with BOAC in April of the following year.
BUA ordered the Vickers VC10, specifying a large forward cargo door, resulting in additional sales to Ghana Airways, East African Airways and significantly, 14 aircraft for the RAF for use by Transport Command as the Vickers VC10 C.1 (later designated Vickers C.1K).
The RAF aircraft were later augmented by additional examples (of both the Vickers VC10 and Vickers Super VC10) purchased from civil operators, the type being re-fitted to support air-to-air refuelling operations as the VC10 K.2 and K.3. The Vickers VC10 tankers continued to serve the RAF operating from Brize Norton until the the last official RAF flight of Vickers VC10 K.3 (ZA147) No 101 Squadron, which landed at Bruntingthorpe on 20th September 2013.
A short transfer flight occurred on 24th September when she was flown to Dunsfold on 24th September 2013, bringing to an end 51 years of VC10 service.
Source: https://www.baesystems.com/en/heritage/vickers-vc10
