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I remember these with great fondness. An elegant aircraft with its swept back wings, high tale and rear mounted Conway engines. May dad worked at the Rolls Royce flight test establishment which used a VC10 as a flying test bed. Two of the Conway engines on one side were removed and an RB2 11 engine designed for the Lockheed Tristar was bolted on in their place. It made for a strangely lopsided sight as it performed its test flights but it created a fair buzz of interest as I recall. Ultimately it was not a happy ending for RR who effectively went bust circa 1970 and had to bailed out with government money.
A fascinating bit of history; thanks for posting. 🙂
A fascinating bit of history; thanks for posting. 🙂
Quote:I remember these with great fondness. An elegant aircraft with its swept back wings, high tale and rear mounted Conway engines. May dad worked at the Rolls Royce flight test establishment which used a VC10 as a flying test bed. Two of the Conway engines on one side were removed and an RB2 11 engine designed for the Lockheed Tristar was bolted on in their place. It made for a strangely lopsided sight as it performed its test flights but it created a fair buzz of interest as I recall. Ultimately it was not a happy ending for RR who effectively went bust circa 1970 and had to bailed out with government money.
A fascinating bit of history; thanks for posting. 🙂
Thank you Eric, it's great that you have such a tangible link to the VC-10. I just can't imagine what an RB211 looked like bolted to just one side, such a massive turbofan. I have to praise the bravery of the test pilots, it's pretty much a one way ticket if things don't work out, incredible people. Thanks again Eric, great snippet of history 👏👏
I remember flying for 21 hours back from Hong Kong with screaming children (courtesy of the RAF). We were supposed to land at RAF Brize Norton but it was snow-bound (As was the whole of the country in 1981), so they diverted us to Manchester Airport, and that was when our problems really began. Immediately on landing they opened the door and all the cold air rushed in. We sat for 30 mins waiting for the unions to decide whose responsible to put a ladder at the door so we could get off. For another 2 hours, we waited for the unions to decide who and when our luggage would be taken off. Welcome to good old Blighty
Quote:I remember flying for 21 hours back from Hong Kong with screaming children (courtesy of the RAF). We were supposed to land at RAF Brize Norton but it was snow-bound (As was the whole of the country in 1981), so they diverted us to Manchester Airport, and that was when our problems really began. Immediately on landing they opened the door and all the cold air rushed in. We sat for 30 mins waiting for the unions to decide whose responsible to put a ladder at the door so we could get off. For another 2 hours, we waited for the unions to decide who and when our luggage would be taken off. Welcome to good old Blighty
😂😂😂 happy days, happy days......
