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C/n 801/2 - Test Specimen
C/n 803 - G-ARTA
C/n 804 - G-ARVA - 5N-ABD
C/n 805 - G-ARVB
C/n 806 - G-ARVC - ZA144
C/n 807 - G-ARVE
C/n 808 - G-ARVF
C/n 809 - G-ARVG - ZA141
C/n 810 - G-ARVH
C/n 811 - G-ARVI - ZA142
C/n 812 - G-ARVJ - ZD493
C/n 813 - G-ARVK - ZA143
C/n 814 - G-ARVL - ZA140
C/n 815 - G-ARVM
C/n 819 - G-ASIW - 7Q-YKH
C/n 820 - G-ASIX - A4O-AB
C/n 823 - 9G-ABO
C/n 824 - 9G-ABP
C/n 825 - G-ATDJ - XX914
C/n 826 - XR806
C/n 827 - XR807
C/n 828 - XR808
C/n 829 - XR809
C/n 830 - XR810
C/n 831 - XV101
C/n 832 - XV102
C/n 833 - XV103
C/n 834 - XV104
C/n 835 - XV105
C/n 836 - XV106
C/n 837 - XV107
C/n 838 - XV108
C/n 839 - XV109
C/n 851 - G-ASGA - ZD230
C/n 852 - G-ASGB
C/n 853 - G-ASGC
C/n 854 - G-ASGD
C/n 855 - G-ASGE
C/n 856 - G-ASGF
C/n 857 - G-ASGG - ZD235
C/n 858 - G-ASGH
C/n 859 - G-ASGI
C/n 860 - G-ASGJ
C/n 861 - G-ASGK
C/n 862 - G-ASGL - ZD240
C/n 863 - G-ASGM - ZD241
C/n 864 - G-ASGN
C/n 865 - G-ASGO
C/n 866 - G-ASGP - ZD242
C/n 867 - G-ASGR
C/n 881 - 5X-UVA
C/n 882 - 5H-MMT - ZA147
C/n 883 - 5Y-ADA - ZA148
C/n 884 - 5X-UVJ - ZA149
C/n 885 - 5H-MOG - ZA150

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C/n 885 - 5H-MOG - ZA150

Timeline

Date  

16 February 1970

First flight from Brooklands to Wisley at 12:10, flown by Bill Cairns and Brian Trubshaw.
27 February 1970

Official handover to EAA at Wisley as 5H-MOG (registered in Tanzania). Left Wisley and flew via London Heathrow to Nairobi.

10 December 1970 Operated inaugural EAA flight to New York. Commanded by Captain George Leslie from Nairobi, via Entebbe to Zurich. Captain Reg Cartwright commanded the trans-Atlantic leg from Zurich to New York.
25 August 1971 Captain Henry Hartley's last trip in command of an EAA SVC10, Dar er Salaam to Lusaka, FO Brian Meadley flew a 'deadstick' approach from 39,000 feet down to the fence, touching down neatly on the runway. This story may have been embellished a bit in retelling according to notes in Davis' book.
3 December 1973 Left London in the evening for Frankfurt and Nairobi. High winds meant an extra stop for fuel in Tripoli but Shell would not refuel the VC10 as EAA had not paid its fuel bills. Management could not be reached at 3am. A first class passenger then offered to pay for the fuel in cash, he was president of the Bank of Abidjian.
23 February 1976 Tailplane removed during maintenance at Nairobi airport, modifications by BAC needed to be carried out.
17 October 1976 Left Heathrow for Mombasa but turned back when near Zurich. The aircraft needed to be used to cover a full service to Nairobi after 5H-MMT went tech.
21 January 1977 Left on outbound leg of last service to Bombay with Captain Ted Imison. On 28th January all credit for EAA was frozen and the outbound crew luckily got free tickets to fly back home with Air India.
3 August 1977 Reposessed by BAC. Left Nairobi for the final time, under command of Captain Arthur Ricketts together with Peter Baker, Dennis Akery and Claude Scott, at 6:30 GMT and was flown back to Filton. Stored in Driclad 'shrink fit' wrapping. 5H-MOG was the last VC10 to leave Nairobi and therefore this was the last flight of a Super VC10 in EAA colours.
30 September 1978 Sold to RAF for conversion to tanker.
19 December 1984 First flight as a VC10 K3 tanker from Filton, second ex-EAA airframe to be converted.
1 February 1985 First K3 airframe to be delivered to 101 Squadron as ZA150.
20 February 1985 Entered service with 101 Squadron, letter 'J' on fin.
21 June 1985 W/Cdr Hurrell and crew flew ZA150 to Falklands during operation Lampuca. Four 101 Squadron tankers were involved in this operation to recover two Phantoms to the UK.
3 February 1986 Left UK with W/Cdr Hurrell and two additional crews for a westward circumnavigation, routing via Wright-Patterson, McClellan, Hickham, Pago Pago, Williamstown, Darwin, Colombo, Bahrain and Akrotiri. Demonstrated Mk32 refuelling pod to Royal Australian Air Force.
January 1991 Joined all the other 101 Squadron VC10s at Riyadh when 101 Squadron became the only RAF Squadron to deploy as a complete unit during Operation Granby.
16 January 1991 At 21:42 GMT became first tanker to fly a Desert Storm mission. Commanded by Flt Lt Hewitt to provide AAR for Tornado GR1s.
13 March 1991 Returned home to RAF Brize Norton.
30 January 1992 Operated first VC10 AAR flight for the Operation Warden task at Akrotiri, refuelling RAF Jaguars, under command of Flt Lt Newton.
July 1992 While at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, crews decide to commemorate the Squadron's 75th anniversary and add special markings to ZA150's tail.
23 December 1995 First VC10 to be repainted into the final grey colourscheme (at Chateaxroux, France). Unveiled at RAF Brize Norton on this day.
October 2006 Operated from Kadena Air Base, Japan, for air sampling purposes.
November 2009 Photographed at RAF Brize Norton with air sampling pods.
April 2010 Names 'Donald Garland VC and Thomas Gray VC' transferred to ZA150 due to retirement of XR807.
December 2011 Name 'Lanoe Hawker VC' transferred to ZA150 due to retirement of XV101.
March 2013 Left UK for the Falklands, relieving ZD241 from its last deployment 'down South'.
2 August 2013 Returned to RAF Brize Norton after penultimate VC10 deployment to Falklands.
20 September 2013 Flew last operational sortie together with ZA147. Carried out flypasts at RAF Lossiemouth, RAF Leuchars and Prestwick.
23 September 2013 After several weeks of negotiations The Brooklands Museum signs the paperwork to acquire the last VC10 ever built.
24 September 2013 ZA150 performed its final landing at Dunsfold at 13:43 local time.
   
1 July 2020 Airframe sold to GJD Aerotech, who purchased it on behalf of Kepler Aerospace. The plan is to operate the airframe as a tanker in the US to support Kepler's operations.
November 2021 US registration N150ZA assigned.

Photos


Photo BAE Systems / Brooklands Museum archives

Photo BAE Systems / Brooklands Museum archives

Photo T. Belyavin

Photo T. Belyavin

1. The final VC10 built coming together in the 'Cathedral' flight hangar at Weybridge.
2. Having been completed, 5H-MOG is towed across the airfield at Brooklands on a cold wintery morning.
3. Tony Belyavin took these photos of 5H-MOG in the flight shed at Weybridge just before roll out for its first flight.
4. Compared to the earlier years of the VC10 programme the flight shed is relatively empty.


Photo T. Belyavin

Photo T. Belyavin

Photo R. Hale

Photo copyright BAE Systems

1. Dave Stalworthy, head of the flight finals section, removing the exhaust nacelle covers.
2. For the first flight the interior of 5H-MOG was completely empty to save weight.
3. In the morning the aircraft is positioned on the runway extension that leads to the runway at the factory airfield.
4. First flight of 5H-MOG from Brooklands, at 12:10 on 16 February 1970.


Photo BAE Systems / Brooklands Museum archives

Photo BAE Systems / Brooklands Museum archives

Photo BAE Systems / Brooklands Museum archives

Photo BAE Systems / Brooklands Museum archives

1. The crew of the last VC10 delivery to Wisley, Brian Trubshaw, unknown, Roy Mole, Bill Cairns.
2. The crew of 5H-MOG at Wisley after the first flight, Roy Mole, Bill Cairns, Brian Trubshaw.
3-4. 5H-MOG taxiing at Wisley.


Photo BAE Systems / Brooklands Museum archives


Photo S. Fitzgerald

Photo Arthur Kemsley

1. Prior to the handover to EAA a group photo was taken at Wisley with the final VC10 built.
2. 5H-MOG on final approach during its service with EAA.
3. In this photo 5H-MOG is seen at the Heathrow maintenance base in 1972.
4. 'MOG being towed across London Heathrow Airport in August 1973.


Photo P. Blinkhorn

Photo A. Ricketts

Photo A. Ricketts

Photo A. Ricketts

1. 5H-MOG seen at Heathrow in 1974 carrying a fifth Conway in a transport pod.
2. Eddie McNamara and Claude Scott, this photo was taken during one of the ferry flights but it's not clear which VC10 it was.
3. 5H-MOG's office at the time of its ferry from Nairobi back to the UK.
4. After arriving at Filton, this last ferry flight from Africa drew some attention.


Photo A. Ricketts

Photo A. Ricketts

Photo via D. Williams

Photo copyright J. Kyte

1. This photo was taken at Filton by Captain Arthur Ricketts after the ferry flight from Nairobi.
2. 5H-MOG seen next to development Concorde G-BBDG at Filton after the last flight in EAA colours.
3. The ex-EAA airliner in storage at Filton prior to the conversion to K3 tanker.
4. ZA150, still uncoded, just after delivery to 101 Squadron at RAF Brize Norton in February 1985.


Photo collection J. Hieminga via C. Knott

Photo collection J. Hieminga via C. Knott

Photo collection J. Hieminga

Photo copyright J. Kyte

1. October 1985, ZA150 still looks shiny and new.
2. Taxiing in at the Abingdon airshow on 15th September 1989.
3. Together with another VC10 at a rather cold location.
4. In 1992 101 Squadron celebrated its 75th anniversary and ZA150 acquired this Stu Sedgewick designed tail art. It was painted on at Incirlik AB but upon ZA150's return to Brize, the higher ups were not a fan and the tail art was removed again.


Photo P. Frei

Photo collection J. Hieminga

1. ZA150 'J' parked in its early 'hemp' colourscheme.
2. At an airshow at Upper Heyford in September 1994.
3. This inflight shot of ZA150 shows that the hemp colourscheme seemed a bit patchy at times.
4. ZA150 seen on an approach in the later grey colourscheme, it was the first K3 to carry these colours.


Photo collection J. Hieminga via C. Knott

Photo copyright Peter R. Foster

Photo copyright Peter R. Foster

Photo G. Lakin

1. Refuelling Tornado F.3 ZA969 in April 2000.
2-3. Carrying out another towline sortie in November 2000.
4. In May 2005 ZA150 was photographed during a base visit.


Photo G. Lakin

Photo Crown copyright / 101 Sqn Association

Photo Crown copyright / 101 Sqn Association

Photo M. Birch

1. In May 2005 ZA150 was photographed during a base visit.
2. Parked in preparation for an operational sortie in May 2013.
3. Refuelling a couple of Typhoons later that same day.
4. Bashing the circuit at RAF Brize Norton on 22nd August 2013 after what was probably a towline sortie.


Photo Crown copyright / 101 Sqn Association

Photo J. Hieminga

Photo J. Hieminga

Photo J. Hieminga

1. During the last operational sortie on 20 September 2013 ZA150 carried out several flypasts, some of these together with ZA147.
2. 24th September 2013: ZA150 coming into view at Dunsfold with some local wildlife scattering.
3. Pouring on the coal for a low approach.
4. ZA150 passing over runway 07 at Dunsfold.


Photo J. Hieminga

Photo J. Hieminga

Photo J. Hieminga

Photo J. Hieminga

1. Climbing away with the gear coming up for the last time.
2. Turning crosswind with some sun on the tail.
3. Final approach for this ex-EAA airliner.
4. Touchdown, there were some photographers in the way but we'll forgive them.


Photo I. Haskell

Photo I. Haskell

Photo J. Hieminga

Photo I. Haskell

1. Last moment with the nosewheel in the air.
2. Nosewheel touchdown.
3. And all wheels are on the ground.
4. Rolling out.


Photo J. Hieminga

Photo J. Hieminga

Photo J. Hieminga

Photo J. Hieminga

1. ZA150 passes the old BAe hangars at Dunsfold.
2. Passing in front of a large crowd of enthusiasts who turned up for this momentous event.
3. ZA150 came to a stop at the end of runway 07, cleaned up the flaps, slats and speedbrakes and shut down for the last time.
4. Ex-5H-MOG back in Surrey after 43 years of loyal service.


Photo J. Hieminga

Photo J. Hieminga

Photo J. Hieminga

Photo J. Hieminga

1. Dignitiaries and crew: Chris Orlebar, Julian Temple, Karen McKenna, Valerie Mills, Alan Winn, Robin Voice, Flt Lt Shane Stiger, Sqn Ldr Tim Kemp, Flt Lt Kev Booth, Flt Lt Bruce Thompson, Penelope Keith, Lord Trefgarne, David McAllister, Jim McAllister.
2. Curves.
3. Salute from above.
4. Signatures on the flightdeck from the delivery crew and others who helped to prepare the aircraft.


Photo J. Hieminga

Photo J. Hieminga

Photo J. Hieminga

Photo J. Hieminga

1. Once the formalities were over ZA150 was towed off the runway to her parking spot.
2. At rest.
3. ZA150 seen in June 2015.
4. The aircraft is maintained in live condition at Dunsfold Aerodrome by a dedicated team of volunteers.


Photo B. Cooper

Photo B. Cooper

Photo B. Cooper

Photo B. Cooper

1. ZA150 was present again at the 2016 Wings & Wheels show at Dunsfold Aerodrome.
2. Rolls-Royce doesn't just power VC10s, they also protect volunteers from the occasional shower. The public used ZA150 as an umbrella.
3. ZA150 was taxied down runway 25 and turned around at the end for the return taxi run.
4. Before setting off again the team did a quick check of the brake temperatures.


Photo B. Cooper

Photo B. Cooper

Photo A. Lambert / Brooklands Museum
 

1. ZA150 rolling down the runway powered by its Conways. See below for a video report of the whole taxi run.
2. It should be noted that Virgin Atlantic is one of the companies that supports ZA150, in this case through the loan of a ground power unit.
3. ZA150 rolling down the Dunsfold runway on a slightly damp Saturday, during a VC10 open day at the aerodrome. See below for the full video.

 


The last low approach and landing at Dunsfold on 24th September 2013.
Video TheGeoWatcher / YouTube


Trial taxi run down the Dunsfold runway on 7th July 2015.
Video M. Chaplin


ZA150's airshow debut at the 2015 Wings and Wheels show.
Video courtesy of Andy's Video


Another great video, this time showing the 2016 taxi run at the Wings and Wheels show.
Video courtesy of Andy's Video


On 12 October 2019 ZA150 performed for a small group of enthusiasts who braved the weather for this VC10 open day at Dunsfold.
Video courtesy of Andy's Video

 

Colourschemes

EAA White fuselage top, grey tailplane and fuselage bottom. Four colour cheatline in black, red, yellow and green, broadening towards the rear. Sun logo on white fin with flags of three EAA partner nations, country of registration at top. East African in light blue above windows.
RAF First RAF 101 Sqn 'Hemp' scheme. Grey undersides with hemp colours on top and fuselage sides. Toned down markings and large letter on fin. Briefly carried '75 years' markings on the tail, showing a lion surfing on a refuelling pod.
RAF All over grey scheme with large lightning flash down the side of the fuselage. Toned down roundels and fin flashes, code letter on fin. In later years the cockpit area and fuselage spine were painted with a different, lighter coloured, undercoat, to lower the temperature inside.


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