RAF/EAST AFRICAN AIRWAYS VC10 DUNSFOLD OCTOBER 2017 (RETIRED)

RAF/EAST AFRICAN AIRWAYS VC10 DUNSFOLD OCTOBER 2017 (RETIRED) : Bob Cooper gave me permission to go up to Dunsfold for the day to see this magnificent aircraft close up. It was due to do engine test runs which I almost missed.

I did hear these lovely engines wind up and let roar. If I remember rightly we were down to do a quick taxes but for reason i cannot remember this was called of. I managed to get lots of photos and talk to Bob Cooper and a retired East African Airways pilot. I cannot remember his name but sure Bob will put it in the comments below. The pilot was talking about the flights he had on this aircraft including a engine failure out of Nairobi.

I always remember see this at Heathrow as well. I do miss the VC10 and have also been in the cockpit of a BUA/Caledonian VC10 at Gatwick in the 1960's. At Duxford been on that one too, albeit in a pretty poor state last time I saw it.

This VC10 at Dunsfold was 5H-MOG of East African Airways from 1970 to 1977. It went back to BAC and then onto the RAF. This aircraft is not open to the public as far as I am aware.

I have shared this on facebook "MY LONDON GATWICK" as well as it not to far away.

Malcolm

Airspotters.com

LONDON HEATHROW : TWO LANDOR BA B747-400, EGYPT AIR A300 & A VERY SMALL PIECE OF AN AER LINGUS AIRCRAFT

LONDON HEATHROW : TWO LANDOR BA B747-400, EGYPT AIR A300 & A VERY SMALL PIECE OF AN AER LINGUS AIRCRAFT :

Can anyone tell me the name of the church where the spier is on the right of the photo. Reminds me of Lowfield Heath at Gatwick. This photo is around the early 1990's but the exact date eludes me. I will find it once I find the correct logbook with. PLEASE COMMENT BELOW I LOVE READING THE COMMENTS Malcolm Airspotters.com . As always please like and follow us.

LOOK BACK AT PLANE SPOTTING AND HOW IT USED TO BE AT HEATHROW

I was old enough to actually see the Pan Am 747-100 at Heathrow many times. Pan Am and TWA did use a lot of 707’s but eventually got the 747 and 747SP on the routes. This was because it was the 1970’s and like today, airlines are waiting on the newer aircraft to be built. The date for this photo was August 1977, taken on my Kodak Box Brownie. I was 18 years old. I took the 727 bus up from Crawley. Had to get out at epsom as I was travel sick and then catch the next one. No M25 in those days up through Tadworth and Epsom. Just 12 photos per reel of film I had. If I was lucky my dad would give me money to buy another reel in the shop on top of the Queens building spectators. So a max of 24 photos per visit and then a long wait to see if they developed ok. Could be a few weeks as money to pay for that had to be earned in Sainsbury where I worked. I was on about £28 a week then full time. These days take as many as you like and then download them when you get home. No flight radar so you had to spot the aircraft and read the registration manually. Missed a lot of aircraft back then. Used to try and get the registration as the bus went past the hangers by hatton cross. Not easy, you had one chance in a few seconds. Only ever remember one bus driver slowed and stopped. He must have been a plane spotter himself.