operations the VC10 was carrying out,
especially in Africa, there was always the
chance of a turbojet failure away from
base. To help insure against this, Vickers
came up with a design whereby a complete
spare powerplant could be carried in a
pod pylon mounted on the starboard wing.
The major drawbacks were the increased
weight that added to the fuel consumption
and the loss of standard aerodynamics.
That said, it was in nitely preferable, in
terms of cost, to chartering a dedicated
cargo aircraft to transport a replacement
Conway engine.
In addition to the ability to carry a spare
engine, the VC10 had several features not
found on many commercial airliners. One
of these was the provision of periscopes.
There were two observation points in the
rear fuselage, just forward of the toilets,
into which the periscope could be inserted.
The VC10’s high ‘T’ tail left it susceptible to
icing around the leading edges and it was
useful for the crews to be able to check
whether there was a signi cant build-up of
ice in that area.
A second periscope was carried in
the rear galley area, where the ooring
had been designed so that by lifting a
ap, a small prism- tted tube could be
lowered into the aft cargo hold. A re-
detection system was tted and the holdwas sealed so that oxygen could not enter
in ight. Should a re warning appear
on the instrument panel, there was the
capability to assess whether the warning
was spurious, the blaze had extinguished
itself, or whether an immediate landing
was required.
Although the later arrival of Boeing
707s into the BCal eet brought about the
end of the VC10s in its service, there is no
doubt the type was extremely successful
in opening new routes and improving
passenger loads on existing ones during
its service. It is fondly remembered by all
those who were involved with it and heard
the British Caledonian ‘lion’ roar.BCAL VC10 HISTORIES
G-ARTA Loch Ness served just a year with
BCal, having been damaged beyond repair
following a heavy landing at Gatwick during
a positioning ight from Heathrow in January- The aircraft was something of a hybrid,
having begun life as a prototype and given the
designation series 1100, but was later converted
to a series 1109 to prepare it for airline service.
Tango-Alpha was originally rolled out in BOAC
colours and was exhibited in its livery at
Farnborough Air Show, although it never ew for
them in revenue service.
G-ASIW Loch Lomond was used for
demonstration and route-proving ights,
especially through Africa prior to delivery to its
original owners, BUA. It joined BCal in 1970
and two years later it operated the airline’s rst
ight to the Seychelles.
In 1974 it was sold to Air Malawi with BCal
continuing to provide maintenance. India-
Whiskey was withdrawn from service in
September 1979 and own to Bournemouth
with the prospect of selling it to the RAF. BCal
sold the aircraft to Air Malawi in 1974. BCal
already operated into the capital, Blantyre
using the aircraft on both their own and Air
Malawi’s ights, but following the political
turmoil in nearby Southern Rhodesia (now
Zimbabwe), Malawi was assuming greater
importance in the region and wanted its own
airline. This led to the sale of the aircraft
and it was poainted in Air Malawi colours at
Gatwick and given the registration 7Q-YKH.
It then operated the twice-weekly schedule
to Gatwick, with BCal performing both line
maintenance checks throughout the network
and the heavier work at Gatwick. Air Malawi
added Amsterdam as an en-route destination
in 1977, arguably making it the shortest VC-10
scheduled ight ever operated. It also ew
their routes to the Seychelles in co-operation
with BCal and several other of their own
destinations within Africa. The aircraft was
withdrawn from service in 1979 and scrapped
at Blantyre in 1995.
G-ASIX Loch Maree had perhaps the most
eventful life with BCal. It frequently operated
the South American routes and became the
victim of an incidence of clear air turbulence
at a time when much less was known about
the phenomenon. It is not always appreciated
that in parts of the southern Andes, the peaks
are almost as high as those in the Himalayas.
During a ight between Buenos Aires and
Santiago, the aircraft was thrown up and onto
its side at a bank angle of more than 90° and
then forced nose down, towards the peaks
just a few thousand feet below, reaching
speeds approaching Mach 1 during this time.
Fine work by the crew enabled the situationto be recovered and the aircraft landed safely
in Santiago.
A ground check was carried out and it was
deemed t to y. However, during a ight from
Freetown, Sierra Leone, on the nal leg into
Gatwick, an unusual vibration was noticed
in the airframe, which began to increase in
severity. On landing it became clear that a
considerable amount of damage had occurred;
the wing torsion box was distorted, and the
wingtips were bent upwards some 4ft (1.2m).
The combined damage required several
months in the hangar before G-ASIX could y
again, but the incident proved the resilience of
the VC10’s airframe. The aircraft continued in
BCal service until 1974, when it was converted
into a VVIP con guration for the Sultan of
Oman, who upon retiring the aircraft from
service, donated it to Brooklands Museum in
Surrey, where it is now exhibited.
G-ATDJ Loch Fyne was the newest of the
eet and was transferred to BCal in 1970.
This aircraft was frequently used on trooping
charters to the Middle East and also on the
South American routes. It was chosen to
operate on the rst of BCal’s inaugural services
to Africa into Kano, Accra and Lagos in April- It was disposed of in 1973 to the Royal
Aircraft Establishment, where it continued to
operate until 1983.
http://www.aviation-news.co.uk 41
Vickers VC10, G-ASIX, looking pristine
and gleaming in the sunshine in 1973.
AirTeamImages.com/The Samba Collection