Just Flight Standard VC10, Руководство по эксплуатации

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VC10 Professional – Operations Manual
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BOAC’s Super VC10 services operated via Calcutta twice weekly and terminated/turned around in Dacca.
Calcutta positioned a BOAC ground engineer on board the flight to handle the turnaround. On this particular day
our flight arrived a little behind schedule and was parked on the ramp area about 200 metres from the passenger
terminal (no airbridges in those days).
During the four hours the VC10 was on the ground the ramp was filling up. Immediately behind our aircraft
was a Donaldson International B707 freighter, which was parked up for a night stop, the crew having all rapidly
disappeared to their hotel in town. Our ground engineer and I were becoming increasingly concerned that there
was insufficient space for our flight to start up and taxi out safely without causing jet blast damage to other aircraft.
Finally, after some discussion with the airport authorities and our ground handling agent, it was decided that our
VC10 had to be moved into a safer parking position on a nearby taxiway. Simple solution, but how to do it? There
was no aircraft tug in the whole country! BOAC had previously positioned a VC10 tow bar in a small engineering
store at the airport but there was nothing to attach it to. The handling agent had only a few small agricultural
tractors used for towing baggage trolleys.
However, a cunning plan was being formed making use of the abundant manpower available and a decrepit
open-backed ex-army truck normally used for carrying cargo. Dozens of cargo/baggage loaders and engineering
staff were gathered together and received a quick massed briefing on the ramp; the message was simple, the
Bangladeshi equivalent of “You are all going to push/pull the BOAC aircraft forward on the count of 3.”
The towbar was attached to the nose wheel and the other end was somehow hooked onto the truck. Stout ropes
were attached to the VC10’s main undercarriage and after much shouting and commotion the VC10 began to
move slowly to a position on the taxiway, where refuelling and loading were completed. Job done!
The 1977 Silver Jubilee at White Waltham
No VC10 history would be complete without talking about the White Waltham fly-past. White Waltham is
a beautiful little grass airport just outside London. In 1977, to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen’s Silver
Jubilee, they held an airshow. Prince Charles was there to open the show. However, HRH was not the star
of the show. John Baker, a trainee ATCO, found himself on a most unusual flight back from Prestwick to
London…
G-ARVM was the training aircraft based at Prestwick. In 1977 I was a trainee ATCO on approach and noticed
a flight plan on ‘VM to EGVY (White Waltham). So, I rang Flight Clearance and told them about the incorrect
destination! They informed me that the flight plan was correct, and it was indeed going to White Waltham – but
not for a landing!
So, I asked if there were any spare seats – “Yep,” said the Captain, “Get yourself to the apron”. So, I was granted
an ‘Early Go’ and got a lift to the apron in the ATC vehicle. A group of us boarded the aircraft and were ushered
into an almost empty cabin. There was just a ‘pod’ of a few seats (10 or 15 I think) and we were told to make
ourselves comfortable. We went Airways (Amber 1 – ah, nostalgia), with a few Dutch rolls on the way. We all
visited the flight deck and chatted with the crew and the trainee pilots that were on board. ‘VM left controlled
airspace at WOD and was too early for our slot to open the air show at White Waltham.
The Captain announced that he “had a friend playing cricket nearby”, so we went off low level 2,500ft looking
for a cricket match! Apparently he found the village and the cricket team were treated to a fly-past, anyone know
where that was?
We then continued to Twyford to follow the railway line to White Waltham. At that time the airfield was inside the
London Control Zone, so we had to fly up the ‘free lane’ and comply with the level restrictions. Was that (not
above) 1,250ft? We did our fly-past just as Prince Charles was declaring the air show open. In fact, that evening it
was on the national news, with Prince Charles saying, “I declare this air show…” and the rest being drowned out
by the sound of a VC10!
After that we flew back up the free lane and rejoined controlled airspace at WOD, via the Ambers back to
Prestwick. On the way back we discussed with the crew the fly-past. I asked if the Captain had meant to do a
‘touch and go’. He replied, “No, as the wheels were up!” It certainly looked close to the ground from inside!
The return was quite leisurely, with just a few more Dutch rolls. I will always remember the galley curtains flying
across from one side of the aisle to the other, almost horizontal. We then managed a few ‘toasted sandwiches’.
On return to Prestwick ‘VM then went straight into the circuit. Unfortunately, the ‘toasties’ and the ‘Dutch rolls’
took their toll on my stomach, so the Captain agreed to do a ‘full stop’ and return to the apron to drop me and
those other passengers that didn’t want to spend some hours ‘circuit bashing’. So that is the full story of the
Saturday fly-past at White Waltham.
Thank you G-ARVM – a most memorable flight.