VC10 Airliners To Enter Service Soon

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30284, 9 November 1963, Page 16

VC10 Airliners To Enter Service Soon

The designets of the Vickers VCIO have overcome its early drag problems, and the first ot 12 standard VCWs will be delivered early next year to the British Overseas Airways Corporation. With modifications to the wing-tips, slats and engine fairings, but also with a 13XKXHb increase in maximum gross take-off weight, giving the aircraft a much improved range and payload performance. The long-range version—the Super VClo—of which 8.0-A.C. has ordered 30, will have other modifications from the planned original, but it has been promised that this version will more than meet the airline’s minimum requirements. At present 8.0.A.C. is busyon a pilot and flight engineer conversion programme for the VClO—-a programme which over the next three years will involve a minimum of 2000 members of the corporation's flying, engineering and maintenance staff. Sir Basil Smallpiece, man-ag'ing-director of 8.0.A.C.. has said Vickers expects that the standard VCIO will get its full certificate of airworthiness in January. 1964. That being so, the first aircraft will be officially delivered to 8.0.A.C. in February.

Service in April Ahead of that, however. Vickers will have made some aircraft available for route proving, development flying and flying training. This will allow passenger services to begin early in April and will ensure maximum build-up of services in the summer season. The standard VCIO, as distinct from the Super VCIO. was designed primarily for operation to and from hot or high airfields. This governs policy for its Use in service, which will be mainly on African routes. It will be put into service first qn routes to Nigeria and Ghana—initially at a fre-

quency of seven a week, rising to 10 a week in May. Next, it waU be introduced to transattootac passengers in June on the United KingdomOanada route to Montreal and Toronto—reaching a daily frequency by the end of that month. In July, standard VClOs will take over B.O.AC.’s East, Central and South African services, operating seven times a week to Johannesburg wath the addition ot a weekly service to Der-es* SaCssxn and another to Mauritius. By August the corporation expects VCICs to be aUe to take over from Comets the operation of twice-weekly South American services to Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina and Chile. Cn African routes, the aircraft will be fitted with 16 first-class and 93 economyclass seats: on South American (east coast) route, with 20 and 87 respectively. Sir Basil Smallpiece said.

Faster Than 707 “The VCIO has a faster speed for long-range operations than our 707. At the same time, its landing speed is around 20 miles an hour slower. It handles very well near the ground. It takes off and lands in less distance, so that it fits more comfortably into many airfields. “In fact, the VCIO has been designed with safety predominantly in mind. The ‘fail safe’ principle also extends to the whole ot the aircraft structure and systems. The latest engineering knowledge has been employed in the design of the airframe and in the choice of materials, to ensure that the VCIO has a long life free from any major structural problem. Flight control and other systems are duplicated, and even triplicated in manycases. “AH systems are ’live,’ that is to say the duplicates also operate continuously, so that in case of emergency you do not have to call up a ‘dormant’ system. Moreover, this whole basic engineering philosophy has been tested and developed to a very higtr degree. Reliability and regularity ot operation should therefore be outstandingly good.”