Your Favourite Control Column Stick/Yoke/Grip!

Read the forum code of contact

Member for

13 years 1 month

Posts: 524

F.B.

I fully agree with your observations regarding yoke 'centre caps' and the repro's out there. I have been after one for my B57 yoke for a while now. I think I will have to succumb to making/turning a plain one down myself and making a decal to fill the void!

You have a nice collection of yokes by the way!

Cheers,

Martyn

GYD

Member for

19 years 2 months

Posts: 5,196

I bid up to £160 - could not justify anymore.....my VC10 yoke will have to wait another day!

Member for

12 years

Posts: 87

I threw my hat in the ring for the VC10 centre cap too and similarly baled before it went outside of the toy budget. Shame as VB was part of the development fleet.

Member for

16 years 7 months

Posts: 10,647

I was watching the centre cap with a view to bidding, I genuinely couldn't believe how much it went for. With prices like this being commanded it will just push people with lesser means out of the collection market.

Member for

19 years 2 months

Posts: 5,196

I honestly thought it would peak at about £100....hey ho! I only wanted the cap!!

Member for

17 years 5 months

Posts: 8,980

You barstewards, no wonder the price went high :D

Incidentally they used to give them to some people in the RAF as leaving gifts before they left, it was only when they priced them that the practice ceased, there was a query as to why we were using so many column centres as they were costing the RAF £650 each if my memory is correct and that was in the 80's! I never got one :mad: though I do have a nice set of VC Ten engine data plates that are unissued... Cough cough...
They also used to make some nice canon out of a engine cowling fastener, two linvar wheels and a torch igniter.

:D

As for the given advice on the value of the VC 10 yoke, well the fact it went in under 24 hours suggests the price suggested to him was low.

Member for

12 years

Posts: 87

I'd heard scary figures for the cost of the centres so suspected it was going to make circa £250 especially as the frames which have been scrapped to date have had the centres removed prior to their final flights. Presumably they "fell" off and were removed as a FOD risk ;-)

Collecting Vicky 10 bits is starting to get more expensive glad I bagged my section of XR807 when I did.

Member for

19 years 9 months

Posts: 1,424

We are all aware that prices are dictated by "supply and demand". The first batch of yokes of any newly decommissioned aircraft type always fetch a high price as initially many collectors are after them. As people gradually acquire yokes the bidding competition slowly decreases and the prices obviously go down. I have recently seen this with the Nimrod yokes over the past 12 months. However I would expect the VC10 yokes to hold their price, although yoke collecting is a small field I suspect that there won't be enough to go around for every collector. Anyone know how many of these ships are left both on the ground and flying ?? The VC10 was an admired aircraft both to those who like civilian and military aircraft therefore making it doubly popular with collectors. Well done to who ever purchased the recent yoke and centre cap, nice acquisitions to a collection.
Whilst on the story of centre caps, aircraft have been known to have been delivered fresh from the factory to the new airline with the yoke caps being liberated en route! That's how popular they can be.

Member for

17 years 5 months

Posts: 8,980

Your other problem being that looking at the pictures of them being broken, the cockpits appeared to have been saved as there is more awareness that they are collected, each one reduces the supply by two.

Member for

19 years 9 months

Posts: 1,424

Would love a HP 42 wheel, the ultimate for me!

Member for

19 years 2 months

Posts: 5,196

Pity about the mod to the gun button, otherwise early...should have dunlop patent appl on top of stock

Member for

19 years 9 months

Posts: 1,424

Your other problem being that looking at the pictures of them being broken, the cockpits appeared to have been saved as there is more awareness that they are collected, each one reduces the supply by two.

One has to wonder if there are any NOS (new old stock) VC10 yokes languishing in the RAF stores? If so these must surely make their way onto the market at some stage through the MOD outlets once the VC10 has retired?

Member for

13 years 1 month

Posts: 524

Probably more than were ever needed in service if you compare with the amount of Canberra B(I)8 yokes that still seem to be available!!

Martyn

GYD

Member for

17 years 5 months

Posts: 8,980

A lot of VC10 spares went up in smoke in the late 80's when a depot went up, we had to go rob a hull at Abingdon to get a fuel pump housing as at the time there simply was no spares left, god knows what they had to remanufacture after that.

Member for

19 years 2 months

Posts: 5,196

doubt any NOS ones out there! Wasnt for Victors - those VC10 columns were made to be recycled and items/switches changed

Member for

16 years 2 months

Posts: 348

Talking of Victors ... thought I'd post a few pics of some of mine that I have on display in my study..... Think Ian has seen these in person, but I tend to keep them hidden from 'normal' people as they don't understand the attraction!

My Victor yoke was a rare auction find at a local auction house. The only Victor yoke I have ever seen available for sale for some reason. Behind is a 'raw and rough' Valiant yoke.

I also have one of the rare Lightning P1 grips :D Somewhat different to the usual F.6 grips, and bought it many years ago for a song from eBay before it got stupid for prices.

The Victor Throttle Box is my latest acquisition from Graham A (off ebay) ... anyone got any of the brown lever handles, please let me know. And sorry for the slightly poor quality of the photo's, but snapped with my phone camera.

Attachments

Member for

13 years 1 month

Posts: 524

XF940,

What a splendid collection! With perhaps a more than obvious 'triangular' interest?? Could you please expand on the identification of the grip on the extreme right of the bottom right hand picture, the grip looks familiar but the base is a puzzle - early Bucc???

Martyn

GYD

P.S. we are normal, its the others you have to worry about!!!

Member for

16 years 7 months

Posts: 10,647

Should recognise that Martyn, looks like Vixen complete with the top of the pedastool

Member for

13 years 1 month

Posts: 524

Told you it looked familiar! Doh!!

M

Note to self: get better spectacles!