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Fittingly, I traveled around 35,000 miles in the making of it, from Osaka, Japan to Punta del Este, Uruguay.

The VC10 was characterized by its soaring T-tail and four rear-mounted Conway engines which provided a quiet passenger cabin and was exploited in the contemporary BOAC advertising with the slogan ‘Try a little VC-Tenderness’.

Despite consistent popularity with its passengers the VC10 saw service with BOAC from April 1964 to 1975 with just 12 examples reaching completion. Other operators included British United Airways (subsequently British Caledonian), East African Airways, Ghana Airways, Air Malawi and the Royal air Force.  Nigerian Airways had planned to order a pair of VC10’s but cancelled the order due to financial difficulties.

The Type 1151 / Super VC10 was developed to offer lower seat per mile costs on Trans-Atlantic services and featured an increase in fuselage length, take-off weight and passenger capacity, combined with increased thrust Conway engines.

On 7th May 1964, the first Super VC10 (G-ASGA) flew for the first time before entering airline service with BOAC in April the following year.

BUA ordered the VC10, specifying a large forward cargo door, resulting in additional sales to Ghana Airways, East African Airways and, significantly, 14 aircraft for the RAF for use by Transport Command as the VC10 C.1 (later C.1K).

The RAF aircraft were later augmented by additional examples (of both the VC10 and Super VC10) purchased from civil operators, the type being re-fitted to support air-to-air refuelling operations as the VC10 K.2 and K.3.  The VC10 tankers continued to serve the RAF operating from Brize Norton until 20th September 2013 although the last recorded flight was that of ZA147 which landed at Bruntingthorpe on 25th September 2013, bring to an end 51 years of VC10 service.