Are there any VC-10's still flying
Discussion
Either Military or Commercial?.
Being a bit of a doofus when it comes to stuff about average aircraft life etc, do they reach a time when they are effectively taken out of commission due to reaching a finite amount of flying hours?.(once this time is reached, is there no way one could ever be certificated to fly again?)
Also, in some countries where aircraft safety is seen as "advisory" (Africa for example) would it be possible one or two are still flying in such a Country?.
If any are still being used in the UK, i'd just love the chance to see one airborne and hear those Conways making a row...
Being a bit of a doofus when it comes to stuff about average aircraft life etc, do they reach a time when they are effectively taken out of commission due to reaching a finite amount of flying hours?.(once this time is reached, is there no way one could ever be certificated to fly again?)
Also, in some countries where aircraft safety is seen as "advisory" (Africa for example) would it be possible one or two are still flying in such a Country?.
If any are still being used in the UK, i'd just love the chance to see one airborne and hear those Conways making a row...
texaxile said:
Being a bit of a doofus when it comes to stuff about average aircraft life etc, do they reach a time when they are effectively taken out of commission due to reaching a finite amount of flying hours?.(once this time is reached, is there no way one could ever be certificated to fly again?)
Aircraft components are given a calculated safe working lifetime based upon the properties of the material it is constructed from, the design of the aircraft, and the anticipated loads the airframe will have to deal with. Aluminium will fatigue whenever it is subjected to cyclic loads, and the nature of flight means that is exactly the type of load an airframe is exposed to. The size of the load affects how many cycles it can deal with before failure occurs, which is why aircraft have g-limits. Exceeding the design load can drastically reduce the lifetime of an airframe even if it doesn't cause immediate damage.Managing fatigue is really about managing crack propagation. It is impossible to avoid (tiny) cracks forming since they can occur during casting, as a result of machining or other forming processes, so the key is to ensure that they don't grow to the extent that in normal service they result in failure or reduce the safety margin to an unacceptable level.
A component can be examined using ultrasound or x-ray to measure the size of any cracks, and their growth monitored over time. If that growth remains very slow or static then the component can be recertified for another period of time. If it is excessive, the component has to be replaced or repaired. If that component happens to be something like a wing spar, that is a major task and very expensive.
Ultimately it comes down to cost. The older an aircraft gets the more expensive it is to keep flying, since more and more components will need monitoring and replacing. Eventually the maintenance demands will mean that the aircraft will spend more and more time out of service and cost more and more money, and it's simply cheaper to buy a new one.
I was back home in Brize last week, and was surprised that I couldn't hear any of them flying around. All I heard and saw were C-130's and C-17's.
I mentioned it to my dad (an ex-VC-10 tech) and he said he rarely sees them too, and he lives under the flight path. A few have recently been scrapped, and the couple that are left have their days numbered.
I hope at least one is preserved though, quite a part of RAF history now those old girls.
I mentioned it to my dad (an ex-VC-10 tech) and he said he rarely sees them too, and he lives under the flight path. A few have recently been scrapped, and the couple that are left have their days numbered.
I hope at least one is preserved though, quite a part of RAF history now those old girls.
I can't comment on military VC-10s, but I know a bit about commercial aviation.
VC-10s use 4 x Rolls-Royce Conway turbofan engines. These are compact and powerful, and provided the VC-10 with excellent performance, even by today's standards.
They are, however, 1960's technology and are unacceptably noisy and dirty by modern standards. They are also much less efficient than modern high-bypass engines, making the VC-10 completely uneconomic for any commercial airline to operate in the 21st century.
VC-10s use 4 x Rolls-Royce Conway turbofan engines. These are compact and powerful, and provided the VC-10 with excellent performance, even by today's standards.
They are, however, 1960's technology and are unacceptably noisy and dirty by modern standards. They are also much less efficient than modern high-bypass engines, making the VC-10 completely uneconomic for any commercial airline to operate in the 21st century.
A few weeks ago one flew out of Newcastle.
It was low cloud and where I am at the coast, I couldn't see it, but the whole world could hear it. So loud, people out in the road were talking about it.
Fantastic machines, and lovely to fly in, facing bacwards, engines aft quiet and refined inside, loud and beautiful outside.
The other week was probably the last time I will hear Conways.
It was low cloud and where I am at the coast, I couldn't see it, but the whole world could hear it. So loud, people out in the road were talking about it.
Fantastic machines, and lovely to fly in, facing bacwards, engines aft quiet and refined inside, loud and beautiful outside.
The other week was probably the last time I will hear Conways.
texaxile said:
Either Military or Commercial?.
8 left with the RAF. Due out of RAF service in March 2013 (at the moment)Brigand said:
Once Concorde was taken out of service the VC-10 was the fastest airliner in the world, and probably still is.
That might have been the case a few years ago but not now sadly. High cruise speed is now restricted across the fleet.tank slapper said:
A component can be examined using ultrasound or x-ray to measure the size of any cracks, and their growth monitored over time.
Part of my job is servicing and calibrating X-ray and Mag Particle equipment used to inspect airframe and engine parts (amongst other things). Our clients include BA, KLM, Lufthansa, Pratt & Whitney, the RAF, Royal Navy, Rolls-Royce, Martin-Baker ejection systems, AE Turbines, Bombardier Short Brothers etc etc.They all find lots of cracks
Brigand said:
8 left with the RAF. Due out of RAF service in March 2013 (at the moment)
I was at Brize last week and when I asked the question, "The end of this year if they're lucky and none fall out of the sky" was the answer. "If they were civvies they wouldn't be still flying" was another.Wedg1e said:
I was at Brize last week and when I asked the question, "The end of this year if they're lucky and none fall out of the sky" was the answer. "If they were civvies they wouldn't be still flying" was another.
Of course they wouldnt be flying if they were civvy jets - they are too expensive, difficult and time consuming to maintain. A business flying 10's would never generate any profit. "Falling out of the sky" - Who said that?! The RAF have never lost one in 50 years of flying and they won't in the future either IMHO. It's a superb aircraft maintained to the highest standards.If there was any doubt over its safety then it would not fly. Especially in the era of the new MAA, and the fallout from the Haddon-Cave report etc.
Due to CAA regulations over survival eqiupment, emergency cabin lights and stuff like that they dont carry passengers for the RAF anymore. They are used as tankers for AAR and they currently do a much better job than the FSTA/Voyager white elephant. The 10 contributes directly to operations every day, FSTA doesn't.
Not sure who told you they'd cease flying by the end this year as I haven't seen/heard anything to reflect that but I'll bet you they are still in the air in 2013. They will carry until at least March, with a possible extension for some of them to fly a little further into 2013 until the new Airbus gets its act together.
Wedg1e said:
Brigand said:
8 left with the RAF. Due out of RAF service in March 2013 (at the moment)
I was at Brize last week and when I asked the question, "The end of this year if they're lucky and none fall out of the sky" was the answer. "If they were civvies they wouldn't be still flying" was another.
Talk about putting words in my mouth! lol
DuraAce said:
The RAF have never lost one in 50 years of flying and they won't in the future either IMHO. It's a superb aircraft maintained to the highest standards.
I'll grant you that XR806 wasn't flying when the RAF lost it, but lose it they certainly did 
http://rafforum.activeboard.com/t48240428/18th-dec...
testament to their strength here, esp G-ARVB
http://www.vc10.net/History/incidents_and_accident...
Gassing Station | Boats, Planes & Trains | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff