Vickers/BAC VC10 Manual: All models and variants (Haynes Manuals)

This book is very comprehensive and is the only one I know of that was written post-retirement of all VC-10 aircraft. It is clearly a labor of love for the author. There is a point of confusion concerning the K.4 series tankers: throughout the text they are described as two-point and three-point tanker versions. This must be a typo. The photos clearly show the three-point system and the text refers to the lack of main-deck fuel tanks, so that should settle the matter. Was the aircraft plumbed to dispense fuel through to the center HDU?

The most aesthetic airliner ever built. So graceful from any angle, and British built (like a tank). The VC10 holds a special place in my heart, since it's the first airplane I ever flew on (a BUA example, Gatwick to Palma). This book has many illustrations and photos that I haven't seen before, I I probably own every book ever written about this jet.

Superb book about this superb airliner!

Haynes' 2016 entries in their "Workshop Manual" series have been fairly solid. I'm starting to get the feeling they could hammer these things out in their sleep by now. I enjoyed their De Havilland Comet manual quite a bit, and was happy to see another "manual" on an iconic British jetliner. Keith Wilson takes a different tack from the established Haynes format; there aren't quite as many detailed technical diagrams or systems descriptions this time around, which was somewhat disappointing at first. Instead, there's plenty of excellent history, lots of superb photographs, and some excellent insights into the VC10 from those who were intimately familiar with it.Considering that only 54 VC10s were built, it's rather incredible the huge number of roles it served in the 51 years the aircraft were flying. The majority of the book focuses on their service with the RAF as in-flight refueling tankers. In the second half, we get lengthy sections written by a former VC10 pilot, flight engineer, and "sumpie" (propulsion systems mechanic). The chapter on flying the VC10 is particularly impressive, walking the reader through a typical refueling sortie, from pre-start to shutdown, with detailed checklists and control panel close-ups. Sgt Ollie Pallett discusses some of the "joys" of maintenance, including engine changing, defueling, and life on the line at RAF Brize Norton. Finally, John B Williamson describes some of the finer points of being a flight engineer, including his lengthy training, standard operating procedures, and the importance of crew co-ordination.There's a lot of "good stuff" here, including descriptions of all surviving VC10s, a production list which includes the fate of each aircraft, and fairly decent histories of the type's development, and civilian and military careers. There's even a chapter devoted to some of the unbuilt designs put forward by Vickers-Armstrong, including a double-decker passenger variant, and a long-range bomber armed with multiple Skybolt missiles! Unfortunately, the relatively small number of diagrams is a bit of a letdown. The included schematics are pretty decent, but none are anywhere near as detailed as Frank Munger's spectacular cutaway of the aircraft from 1962.Again, Haynes has delivered a solid work, with a few minor but somewhat irritating flaws. It's an excellent history, and a fairly detailed retrospective, but as a "workshop manual," it falls a little short in places. Still, if you're a fan of classic jetliners, or have an interest in how they worked, it's worth a look.

This book is formatted like other volumes in this series. In summation: it is well-illustrated, highly readable, and is a definite must for anyone interested in this elegant aircraft.

I only wish that Haynes (an otherwise reputable publisher) was honest about this being a book about the development, deployment and history of this airplane and not lie about it being a manual.