The right job for a VC10?

[Blacksheep]

The passenger VC10s (C1) were specially made for the RAF - they were pimped up regular VC10s with better wings and more fuel capacity

Nah, they were Super VC10s with the British United freight door added, together with a stressed cabin floor machined out of solid billets, to take vehicles. The fuselage was shortened to Standard VC10 length to keep the weight down to Super VC10 level and the engines were "Military Rated" - read shorter life. They were nice and new 'Shiny Ten' when I worked on them, all the pilots were 'dashing' young Squadron Leaders and Beags still had a fine head of hair...

I heard that splendid crackle last month when a VC10 took off from Brunei International and rattled the glass loose in my office windows. Like Concorde, a VC10 makes folks stop what they're doing and look up. That never happened when one of those fat Slugs departed just a week ago.