First flown 22 February 1967, delivered to BOAC 3 March. To British Airways 1 April 1974 when BEA and BOAC merged. 14 April 1980 ferried to Prestwick for storage, sold to the RAF 3 April 1981 and allocated ZD238. 8 May 1981 ferried to RAF Abingdon. Broken up at Abingdon by 1987. Photographer unknown

First flown 1 May 1968, delivered to BOAC 7 May. Hijacked 9 September 1970 by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine after leaving Bahrain for Beirut while operating flight BA775 from Bombay to London. Flown to Dawson's Field, Jordan after refuelling at Beirut. 12 September 1970 destroyed at Dawson's Field along with Swissair DC-8-53 HB-IDD, TWA Boeing 707-331B N8715T, and Pan Am Boeing 747-121 N752PA. Seen here at Manchester-Ringway on a Heathrow diversion. Photographer unknown

First flown 14 November 1964 and delivered to Ghana Airways 27 January 1965. Last commercial flight Accra-Rome-London 12 December 1980. Ferried to Prestwick for storage 18 December 1980 and broken up there by 1983. Seen here in the original livery as delivered. Photographer unknown

Arguably the most beautiful colour scheme on a Super VC10. First flown from Brooklands to Wisely, UK 21 March 1967. Delivered to EAAC 21 March 1967 serving with the airline until it collapsed due to political interference in January 1977. Flown to the UK in May and sold to the RAF for conversion to K3 tanker in September 1977. Delivered to the RAF 4 July 1984 serving until retired in 2013 and flown to Newquay 28 August 2013 for preservation, registered as N148ZA on 1 November 2021. Broken up at Newquay in late 2023 and moved to St Athan where the forward fuselage is to be preserved at the South Wales Aviation Museum. Photographer unknown

First flown 8 November 1962 as G-ARVA, remaining with Vickers as a test aircraft until delivered to BOAC 8 Devember 1964. Leased to Nigeria Airways in BOAC livery with Nigeria Airways stickers during 1966. Returned to BOAC and sold to Nigeria Airways in September 1966. Written off 20 November 1969 when it crashed on approach to Lagos. Seen here at Heathrow being prepared for delivery to Nigeria Airways. Photographer unknown

Photographer unknown

Delivered to BOAC in 1969 and seen here between flights shortly after the merger that formed British Airways. Acquired by the Royal Air Force in 1981, the aircraft was stored at RAF Abingdon until broken up in 1987.

Ex A4O-VK.

Code 'B' allocated but not worn at the time of the photo.

Author not known. This aircraft was sold to Nigeria Airways in 1969 and then registered 5N-ABD.

Delivered to BOAC as G-ASGK in 1967 and merged into British Airways in 1974. To the RAF as ZD239 in 1981 and stored at Abingdon. Seen here in British Airways colours still carrying its civilian registration with RAF serial applied to the nose. Scrapped in 1990. Front fuselage to Manston Fire School. Unknown photographer

Official BOAC photo 25433. Original caption reads "B.O.A.C.'s NEW SILHOUETTE IN THE SKY. B.O.A.C.'s VC-10, the latest in high-speed jetliners, provides a new silhouette in the sky with its "clean" aerodynamic design, rear mounted engines and space age tail unit..." First flew 8 November 1962, delivered 8 December 1964. Nigeria Airways 29 September 1969, crashed 20 November 1969 on approach to Lagos.

Forward fuselage test section.

Photographer Massimo Gori

Photographer Alberto Storti

Negative from FNG archive. The first visit of a VC-10 at Nuremberg appeared in force carrying British officers visiting the Grafenwöhr ranges.