VC10 Tail Prop

[speedbird591]

When I joined the Classic British forum - when it was hosted somewhere else a long time ago :-({|= ...

My first post was a Thanks to David Maltby for the VC10 which he'd just upgraded with the steps and engine covers. I jokingly asked where the tail prop was, thinking everybody would know what I was talking about. I distinctly remember this very low tech piece of Heath Robinson hardware being wheeled out at outstations and parked under the tail of the aircraft - obviously to prevent it tipping back if it was loaded incorrectly.

Nobody knew what I was talking about and Tonks was quite offended that such a glorious machine would have something like that parked under it. They certainly don't use it in the RAF. I searched high and low for photographs and others dug up retired ground engineers who denied all knowledge of them and nobody could find any evidence that the bloody things existed. It went on for weeks and it was finally decided that I was a total nutter but I could stay on the forum if I never mentioned it again.

Well, I haven't forgotten it and whilst watching a VC10 DVD tonight I found this:



At last, I can sleep. I knew we used them. I'm not totally senile after all :dance:

Ian

[Garry Russell]

Wow Ian

You're getting good with the photoshop :roll:

Yes looks a bit of an after thought

Was it used often?

TBH I have never noticed that on the pics but you say out stations so I take it you didn't have them at Heathrow>

It' annoying when you know something.....I am still trying to find a pic that proves what I KNOW but is generally not believed...... Northeast Viscounts had yellow wings underneath

The number of time I have seen on other forums someone say "Oh it's a pity the Viscount wings weren't yellow like the Trident" well who says the weren't

But I can't prove it as I cant' find a pic that shows it clearly. :sad:

Garry

[DanKH]

That, my dear friend, is merely a stand for a camera, and the depth in the picture is cheating you....;-)

The photographer has just left it to take the picture you are watching....

a couple of restless years awaits....;-)

[TobyV]

I have been around here long enough to remember Ian's thread. We were probably hosted on the shackletonproject.co.za site at the time. I predate even that Whats worst of all is that its 1:17am according to my phone right now and I have just got back from the pub and I still know what he is on about

Well done for finding photographic evidence, although I'm sure we had some last time :think:

[speedbird591]

.....I am still trying to find a pic that proves what I KNOW but is generally not believed...... Northeast Viscounts had yellow wings underneath

:think: Yellow underneath? Are you sure? I hope you get closure soon!

As for the tail props - well the pic above is LHR so they must have used them there as well. I suppose I remember them at outstations because we would often arrive at the airport before the a/c landed and we would stand outside on the apron and watch the whole landing/taxi/parking procedure. Chocks would go on first and then a man would walk over pulling one of those contraptions and park it under the tail. At LHR the a/c would already be there and we'd just climb on without observing. I particularly remember them in Africa and India. It may be that as there was plenty of cheap labour it was somebody's full time responsibility, whereas in other places it depended on whether or not somebody could be arsed.

I don't know if one was ever called on to do its job, I'm not sure it would be up to it. I wonder if there's one sitting in a corner of an old hangar somewhere in Africa and nobody can work out what it is but won't scrap it in case it's important?

Ian

p.s. Dan - don't wind me up or you won't look quite so TG when I've finished with you

[VC10]

Looking at a book about the VC10 I came across this picture taken at LHR






Incidentally we used a similar one on the One-Eleven when they were jacked up in the hangar

Paul

[speedbird591]

Thanks for that, Paul. I think that clinches it! That's a lovely atmospheric picture, too.

Ian

[Garry Russell]

That VC 10 pic is familiar to me.....I've seen it before and think it was in a book I no longer have...

But I have never noticed the prop before

The mention of the RAF not using them is interesting as the use of one would have saved that VC 10 written off when the left fuel in the fin tank..I read because it was supposed to already be empty, but that would have stopped that.

So there you go.......even the VC 10 was a prop-liner when parked :roll:

You could write a book about them.....call it Vickers props of the sixties and seventies :roll:

Garry

[MALTBY D]

The famous prop. Well done Ian & Paul.
I remember the original postings about that.

Anyone got a pic of a BA VC10 with a prop? I wonder if it was just to calm BOAC nerves & maybe they grew out of it.

Very true Garry. The only ones that definiteley needed it were that RAF.
Oh dear.

[VEGAS]

The Russians chose to put a rather unusual retractable rear wheel on their machines for just such occasions. I think it looks barmy! :huf: