I fully agree Garry. Were it not for the fact that I travel to Brize to go spotting, I'd have seen only 6 flyers in the last god-knows how many years. We had one in cct doing T&G's at Benson (the day my lawn got mowed awfully skewiff!!).. I've seen 2 while driving up the A34.. two in the Lichfield corridor while out walking the dog at my mum's in the midlands and one looking like it had flown out of Heathrow heading for the CPT VOR.
I remember as a kid seeing them come over the midlands on their way down to Heathrow saying 'Look Dad.. it's a VC10' towit we both stopped and watched the graceful little dot disappear into the distance, such was and still is many years later, the lure that is the perfect form of the VC10
I must admit that I have only ever seen one flying VC10 (RAF) & that was a couple of weeks ago (weekend of Waddington Airshow).
When sat at PC at about 10.10 am an enourmous noise - louder than the usual dross that inhabits Finningley Airport - drew my to the window when I saw what will probably my only airborne VC10 passing majestically northbound over Doncaster (home town) & making a sweeping left turn heading West.
Buggyman, They told us the BUA flight we were on to Aden was the first VC10 flight to Aden for BUA, maybe we were on the same flight, when we deplaned we went to some hotel like place to change into KD and unpack weapons then loaded up on another classic KN452 the last RAF Dakota on active service for a 20 minute flight to Habilayn.
You got it, it was my first flight although BUA were still doing the Air Trooping with Britannias at the time. That was my second treat, to come home the slow way (18 hours) on a Britannia via Sharjha and Nicosia.
23 hours before landing in Aden I was at Ascot guarding the regimental silver! Those were the days when they had oodles of spare bods waiting to for places on aircraft/ships and we all had to be 'gainfully employed'. Jammy sod that I was, I got to do Ascot whilst my mates got to clean up the garrison streets.
Not everything went smoothly on my first 24 hours in Aden - the movers sent me to Little Aden and I had to be taken back to Normandy Lines which were alongside the main runway at Khormaksa. I didn't go up country for a couple of months and when I did I seem to have had flights in all the classics; Beverley, Twinpin, Beaver, Sioux, Scout, Wessex and 4 ton truck (my least favourite).
Must batten down the hatches, feel a sandstorm coming.....
Allan, seems we may have been there at the around the same time never got to go in a Twinpin, Beaver or Sioux, one of our regimental pilots was shot down flying a sioux somewhere near silent valley I think. I do however have the Dakota flight to Habilayn Scout to Musymir Beverley to Dhala, return trip from Dhala was in the back of a Stalwart, very unpleasant.
The return to UK flight was BUA Viscount I think via Tehran and Istanbull.
I was in the Queens Dragoon Guards in Saladin armoured cars, who were you with ?
I was RAOC (Rob All Our Comrades) attached to the RCT Squadron in the guise of Combat Supplies/Support. Being 18, super fit and incredibly daft I 'volunteered' for everything that came up and got myself up to Habilayn, as a spare bod,where I ended up trudging around with 45 RM on their patrols - it kept me out of mischief. At that time I had an urge to join the 'hooligans from Hereford' and this was a way of getting it out of my system or so my Sgt thought.
When I was employed in the 'support' role I was the flying paymaster to our outstations - Dhala was usually a Beever but the rest were AAC choppers. Had a great time - got into a firefight - and did things that now scare me to death. Ended up in hospital with sun blindness at the same time as the AAC Scout night flight flew into a mountainside killing all on board.
Aden introduced me to the delights of aviation and that cannot be a bad thing.
DaveB wrote:She is, without doubt.. the 'Little Black Dress' of the aviation world :kissu:
Dave - have you not been taking your pills again?
Garry - you're very naughty posting beautiful shots of the Iron Duck when I'm away for the weekend and Dan is on holiday. We might have missed them!
...and I suppose nobody would thank me if I reminded them that I've probably flown on ALL the BOAC VC10s (lalala lalala notlistening canthearyou lalala......)
