British Aerospace (Vickers Armstrong) BAC VC10. GAV 2166-230
The Vickers Type 1100, the VC10 prototype G-ARTA, made its maiden flight on 29 June 1962. This aircraft originally had a small wing of 140 ft 2 in ( m) span and thrust reversers on all four engines. Development flying showed that cruise drag was slightly higher than estimated and a number of aerodynamic tweaks were progressively introduced into the design. Most notably, these included a beaver-tail extension fairing between the jet pipes of each engine pair, and a rearward extension of the engine pylon fairing. Certification was achieved on 23 April 1964, and BOAC introduced the Type 1101 VC10 into service on its London to Lagos route just six days later. This model introduced graceful curved wing tips which increased the wing area and reduced cruise drag. Subsequently, Vickers delivered two Type/Model 1102s to Ghana Airways. These aircraft introduced a 4 per cent chord extension to the wing leading edge, between the root and mid-span. The wing also featured a large new fence near the root and a modified tip with slightly drooped leading edge. Another new feature was the addition of a large hydraulically powered side cargo door, 11 ft 8in ( m) wide on the left side ahead of the wing on the second aircraft. Three similar aircraft were supplied to British United Airways (BUA) as the Type 1103. In the meantime airports around the world had been busy extending their runways for Boeing 707/DC-8 operations, and the VC10s special capabilities were much less in demand. BOAC now wanted its initial order reduced and a stretched longer-range version introduced. The Super VC10s was a development which traded take-off performance against the ability to carry a much heavier payload. The fuselage was lengthened by 13 ft 0 in ( m) and an internal fuel tank was fitted in the fin. Uprated Conway RCo 43 engines installed in nacelles angled 3 degrees nose-up and a strengthened structure were also a feature. The Super VC10 was originally planned as a 212-seater, but this wa
Size: 3975px × 6128px
Location: RAF Fairford. Gloucestershire. England. United Kingdom
Photo credit: © David Gowans / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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