The prototype Vickers VC10 rolled off the production line at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey in the United Kingdom to take to the air on 29 June 1962. A total of 54 aircraft were sold. Today in evidence of its extraordinary abilities, after 40 years 19 examples remain in service with the British Royal Air Force. This number is reducing, and by 2011 the VC10 will be retired.

Now, with the help of Microsoft Flight Simulator and David Chester's Vickers VC10 add-on you can experience what it was like to fly this beautiful piece of aviation and engineering history.

This was an aircraft that used some revolutionary concepts giving it an advantage over other aircraft: With it's clean wing and 4 powerful Rolls Royce Conway bypass engines mounted at the rear it could land slower and fly faster than any other jet airliner. It could therefore operate in places that other airliners could not.

With a Mach 0.886 cruising speed and the Super VC10's VNE of Mach 0.94 this is still, arguably,  the World's fastest production airliner with the obvious exception of Concorde which was, in any case, designed and built mostly by the same company. The most extraordinary fact is that 19 of these aircraft are still flying today, operated by the Royal Air Force as passenger transports and refuellers.


The package comprises all three versions of  the VC10 for Microsoft Flight Simulator. The Standard VC10 with it's 18 liveries, the Super VC10 which is a stretched version of the original with more powerful engines, more wing area and an additional fuel tank in the tail fin. There are also the Royal Air Force C1K and K3 refuellers.  You will also be eligible to receive free upgrades to the product in the future. There have been 6 updates in the last year with each one adding to detail accuracy.
 

The model features a highly detailed virtual cockpit as well as a bright 2d cockpit. There are many liveries to choose from including the three versions of the BOAC Speedbird livery and the British Airways "Red Tail" livery of the Seventies and early eighties.  The East African Airways livery is also included plus a special RAF "Tactical Grey" K3 model which has deployable refuelling hoses. There is also a special AI version of the K3 which deploys it's hoses automatically at altitudes between 10,000 and 25,000 feet so that you may set up AI flights for refuelling practice using third party traffic tools.  The Standard VC10 has 18 liveries and the Super has 5 (some duplicated).

 

The model features all the moving control surfaces, opening main doors and opening windows in the Virtual Cockpit. Deployable refuelling hoses in the K3 model. A realistic sound set.  Engine Smoke, Jetwash and Wing Tip Vortices effects. Great flight dynamics and a fully functioning autopilot which works in both standard FS2004 mode and also an authentic VC10 mode. 

Customers will be able to download free updates for the life of this Flight Simulator version 

For larger, more detailed screenshots please see the Screenshot selection thumbnails below.

Click on the images for a larger pop-up version.

We are able to cater for both the standard FS2004 autopilot and an authentic VC10 autopilot in one unit maintaining the look and functionality of the real VC10 autopilot.  The real VC10 has two autopilot computers AP-1 and AP-2 and now our VC10 does too!  AP-1 works as the FS2004 style default autopilot with autothrottle and AP-2 gives authentic feeling IAS and MACH Climb Modes, ALT hold and manual throttles just like the real thing! Unlike the real thing though we are able to offer some assistance in the form of secret switches and panel Icons. It is your choice which method you use at the flick of a switch! Click on the picture to the right for a large pop-up.

There is smoke from the engines (lots of it!) and a jet-wash effect.

There are also smooth wing-tip vortices at high angles of attack.

The gear has suspension arms and these and the pistons have photographic textures.

The RAF K4 model also has deployable refuelling hoses which in the AI version included in the package automatically deploy at altitudes between 10,000 and 25,000 feet. You can, with the help of third party utilities, create AI flights using our refuellers and see how hard it is for the real pilots who do this every day!  Alternatively link up with your friends on a LAN or Internet.

More detail has been added to both the 2D panel and the virtual cockpit and all gauges with working knobs can now be adjusted using the mouse wheel as well as the traditional clicking method.

The aircraft comes with the BOAC gold Speedbird livery, British Airways Red Tail East African Airways and the RAF tactical grey plus a representation of what the VC10 would look like in the current British Airways "Union Flag" livery, and a virtual airline "Trans Global Aviation" with stunning glossy metallic effects. There is also a plain white "paint kit" which you can use to create your own liveries which is available by separate download. The Standard VC10 available after Easter adds another 15 liveries to that model.

The model features all the moving control surfaces, opening main doors and opening windows in the Virtual Cockpit. Deployable refuelling hoses in the K3/K4 model. A realistic sound set.  Engine Smoke and Jet wash effects plus Wing Tip Vortices, Great flight dynamics and Autoland.

Requires Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004:  A Century of Flight or Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002

For larger, more detailed screenshots please see the Screenshot selection thumbnails below and click on the images above.