This title presents the definitive history of the largest civil jet transport to be designed, built and enter service in the UK. It also covers all variants such as the V1000, VC11 and VC10 Superb, and includes a close-up-detail section for modellers.

The VC10 was designed to operate in the difficult and demanding environment of the _Empire_ routes, which combined tropical conditions with often limited facilities. It was a tremendous success with its excellent payload, range, and performance, and was heralded by passengers and crew alike. Its length of service, the variants produced, and its development as an RAF transport all confirm the basic excellence of its design. Lance Cole tells the full story of its design and development. Using original Vickers documentation and interviews with the design and flight team, he has amassed a wealth of material, from its roots in the stillborn V1000 through to its current use with the RAF. Hdbd., 8 3/4_x 11_, 174 pgs., 148 b&w ill., 29 color.

Designed in the 1950s to operate on long-distance routes, the four-jet Vickers VC10 saw service with BOAC and a number of other airlines from the 1960s to 1981. It enjoyed a further career with the RAF as a strategic transport and later as an aerial refuelling aircraft. The last VC10 K3 tanker was retired by the RAF in 2013. Keith Wilson examines the design, construction and use of the VC10, using as his centrepiece ex-RAF VC10 C1K (XR808) and VC10 K3 (ZA147) tankers at Bruntingthorpe, Leicestershire.

“An excellent account of the political battles and the commercial skulduggery . . . and its outstanding service as a transport and tanker with the RAF.” —Firetrench The VC10 was the nation’s biggest jet airliner of its age and regarded as the world’s best-looking airliner. It was safe, fast, and designed to take off from short runways in Africa and Asia, at the request of its main operator BOAC—the airline that would later go on to become today’s British Airways. The VC10 and the larger Super VC10 were beloved by pilots and passengers alike and became icons of the 1960s. They were hugely popular all over the world. Yet the VC10 was eclipsed by Boeing’s 707 which sold by the hundreds, despite the fact that the 707 was less capable and could not initially operate from the runways of the Commonwealth and old British Empire routes, as the VC10 undoubtedly could. This book blends the story of VC10 development with a well-researched tale of corporate and political power play. It asks; just what lay behind the sales failure of the VC1O? Politics played an important part of course, as did BOACs tactics, and a whodunnit cast of politico-corporate events and machinations at the highest level of society during the dying days of Empire in 1960s Britain. Key players in the story, from Tony Benn to famous test pilot Brian Trubshaw (Concorde), are cited and quoted. By exploring this historical period in depth and highlighting all the various impediments that stood in the way of success for the VC10, Lance Cole adds an important layer to our understanding of twentieth century history.

Boeing claimed the 707 as the airplane that made the world smaller and horizons larger. The DC-8 was developed a little later than the 707 and as a result was always playing catch up. Despite being a fine aircraft, the VC10 was too late to seriously challenge the 707 and DC-8, but today soldiers on in military service with the RAF as tankers and transports. This detailed work is filled with highlights of each aircrafts development plus a broad overview of its operational history. Legends of the Air 6. Sftbd., 8 1/4x 11, 186 pgs., 225 bandw ill., 60 color.

A “well-done” pictorial history of the legendary fighter plane “that both enthusiasts and modelers alike will enjoy”(ModelingMadness). If ever there was a real pilot’s airplane it was the Hunter: an outstanding multipurpose aircraft which excelled in the roles of interceptor fighter, ground attack, reconnaissance, research vehicle, and two-seater trainer, not forgetting its dramatic formation aerobatic performances. For decades, pilots have enthused about the Hunter, extolling the virtues of its smooth, aerodynamic lines, 4 x 30mm cannon, the Rolls-Royce Avon engine, and its outstandingly honest handling characteristics combined with a lively performance. It saw operational deployment in Europe with Fighter Command and 2nd TAF, in Cyprus, the Middle East, and the Far East, operating in the ground-attack role against rebels in Aden and Malaysia respectively. The Hunter was a classic thoroughbred of its time, from the stables of one of the finest fighter manufacturers in the world and, for fifty years, its adaptability was rarely challenged. Although the last example was retired in July 2001, the Hunter legend undoubtedly lives on, with 114 potentially air-worthy airframes located in fourteen countries around the world. Here, the legendary tale of the Hunter is told in words and images.