10 Squadron RAF VC10

10 Squadron RAF

Not officially sponsored by the MOD, 10 Squadron made use of a training sortie and entered the race privately.

Heather Robinson was selected as the runner and the rest of the crew were Sqn Ldr Tommy Thompson (Captain); Flt Lt Tony Pearce ( Co- Pilot); Sqn Ldr Pip Moules (Navigator); Fg Off J Knight (Engineer); Sgt (W) Heather Robinson (AQM); Sgt (W) Pat Howard (AQM and standby runner) and Sgt Harry Atkins (AQM).

On the 5^th May, Heather clocked out of the GPO tower and then rode pillion on an RAF police motorbike to St Pancras, where an RAF Wessex whisked her away to Wisley Airfield. Here Flight 2046, a VC10 XR810 ‘David Lord’, waited for her arrival with engines running. On arrival in New York a 72 Squadron Wessex flew Heather to a heliport in Manhattan and thereafter a sports car painted in the “stars and stripes” took her to The Empire State Building. Her time was a credible 7hours 17 minutes and 52 seconds.

The flight continued the next day to Chicago and San Francisco, with a return to New York on the 8^th May to prepare for a return attempt the next day. After clocking out the car was not available, and Heather was taken by motorbike to the heliport. She remembers that ‘the bike rider looked like a member of the Hell’s Angels and I hung on for grim death as we sped along the New York streets. Every set of traffic lights were at red so we raced between them and braked violently at each one.’

She entered the VC10 via the forward freight door and was hauled inside by George Sperring, the reserve engineer. The two of them braced themselves in the hold whilst the aircraft took off. The flight crew was ecstatic about her good ground time and the navigator calculated that they could win their category for subsonic aircraft.

With a flight time of six hours to Wisley, then the Wessex flight, a ride on the police motorcycle and lift ride up the GPO Tower Heather clocked in with the winning time of 6hours 29minutes and 11.03 seconds.

However, another competitor reported that the team had changed the type of transport used in New York without notifying the officials and Heather was disqualified. Although a bitter disappointment, Rothmans of Pall Mall who had sponsored the subsonic category recognised that the VC10 had indeed completed the crossing in a record time.

At a party held at 10 Squadron headquarters at Brize Norton they presented the squadron with a silver salver engraved “For meritorious achievement and good sportsmanship for the fastest subsonic time from the centre of New York to the heart of London”. That salver remains with the squadron silver and is a fitting reminder of the wonderful VC10.