Elegance

The Vickers VC-10. So elegant, form and function intertwined.

It was designed to take off from shorter runways than the Boeing 707. It was immensely popular with passengers because it was so quiet. And (personal note) I used to see it regularly at Lusaka airport, where the runway was long enough for the VC-10 but not the 707. The plane was flown by British United Airways, which became British Caledonian which was eventually swallowed up by British Airways, the successor to B.O.A.C.

The airport was always a place of romance and excitement for me.  A place where I could imagine a world far away from Mopani and Jacaranda trees, Bougainvillea and bignonia creepers,  and misery at school.  I remember that they had no terminal buildings like we have now.  Just some Nissen huts made of corrugated iron, covered with Bougainvilleas, and an outdoor beer garden right next to the planes, so close you could see the rivets holding the sheets of metal to the frame.   Minimal security.

Not everything has changed for the better.

A boy's view of romance

When I was an innocent laddie, growing up in Lusaka many years ago, I was fascinated by planes. It was the usual combination of a boy's obsession with powerful machines, but also a romantic view of travel. From our back veranda you could see the British United Airways (later called British Caledonian) Vickers VC-10 taking off for London or Johannesburg. How I wished I was on it, heading off for exotic (to me) places! Of course, I never realised that where I lived would have been exotic and romantic  to Londoners, with leopards at the bottom of the garden, snakes in the house, and our Chinyanja servants.  I wanted to see London, which I imagined far more beautiful than it actually is.  I wanted to see the world!  Glamour and excitement lived out there, I thought, not here! Ah well.  We live and learn.

Here are some pics of the BOAC VC-10, one of the quietest jet planes of the time (at least, for the passengers).  Not a great commercial success, but very popular with passengers, and capable of taking off from shortish runways (like Lusaka then)