Vickers-Armstrongs

27 July 2024

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Viscount Survivors

59 of the 444 Viscounts built survive as complete airframes or major components. Some are in very good condition and are looked after by museums while others are just wrecks. They can be found in 24 countries.

Viscount history

Letter from HRH Prince Philip

See and hear a Viscount

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Flight Magazine Reports

Aircraft operational
records and photos

Viscount illustrations
by David Carter

Discover the history of the Viscount with film, video, contemporary reports from the pages of Flight Magazine, our newsletters, and aircraft operational records and photos from our database.

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Featured pages

Our website contains over 20,000 pages of photos and information that can all be accessed from the menu at the top of every page. Here are a few to get you started.

In the Beginning

The Turboprop World-Beater

Sir George Edwards

The Rolls-Royce Dart

c/n 1 G-AHRF V.630
The Prototype Viscount

c/n 2 VX217 V.663
The Tay powered Viscount

c/n 3 G-AMAV V.700
The V.700 series prototype

c/n 4 G-ALWE V.701
The first BEA Viscount

c/n 5 G-ALWF V.701
The oldest surviving Viscount

c/n 8 F-BGNK V.708
The first Air France Viscount

c/n 30 EI-AFV V.707
The first Aer Lingus Viscount

c/n 40 CF-TGI V.724
The first TCA Viscount

c/n 44 VH-TVA V.720
The first TAA Viscount

c/n 67 YI-ACK V.735
The first Iraqi Airways Viscount

c/n 70 CF-GXK V.737
The first Canadian DoT Viscount

c/n 71 VP-TBK V.702
The first BOAC Associated
Companies Viscount

c/n 74 G-ANRR V.732
The first Hunting-Clan Viscount

c/n 77 LN-FOF V.736
The first Fred Olsen Viscount

c/n 79 IU-683 V.723
The first Indian Air Force Viscount

c/n 88 N7402 V.744
The first Capital Airlines Viscount

c/n 97 VH-BAT V.747
The first Butler Air
Transport Viscount

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Magazine Report
22 July 1948

Discover the history of the Viscount with these contemporary reports from the pages of Flight Magazine

Another British first

Initial flight of Vickers Viscount with transport turboprop

The Viscount prototype, showing the slim nacelles for the Rolls-Royce Dart turboprops

A remark by Captain J. Summers, Vickers' chief test pilot, that the new Viscount transport, powered by four Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop units, is "the smoothest and best" machine he has ever flown, can well be believed. He commented in this vein after landing from the initial flight of the Viscount prototype on July 16th, having been airborne for some 20 minutes.

Features of the Viscount - the world's first airliner to be driven by turboprops - were discussed in Flight of November 20th, 1947, and the latest technical data, relative to both the Dart and Naiad-powered versions, appear on this page. Planned from the outset as a successor to the Viking, the Viscount can be arranged as a 32 - or 36 - seater. In the former case the cabin is divided into two saloons, the forward seating 12, and the aft seating 20, passengers. Between the saloons is the pantry. A large door is provided at each end of the cabin, and adjacent to each door is a cloakroom for clothing and hand baggage. There are two toilet compartments, one at each end of the cabin. Provision is made for a crew of four, including a steward, and for full radio and navigational aids.

With the exception of the extreme tail and nose-wheel housing the entire fuselage is pressurized to a differential of 6½ lb/sq in. This pressure maintains ground level conditions up to a height of 15,000 ft.

It will be seen in the accompanying photograph that the cabin has large elliptical windows, the Vickers technical staff having found that an elliptical hole requires the smallest weight replacement to make an effective seal for a pressurized fuselage. A single reinforced member around each window has proved adequate. Another unusual feature, considering the civil nature of the aircraft, is the form of the pilot's cockpit enclosure, resulting in an unusually wide field of view, despite pressurizing.

In the Viscount Great Britain possesses a medium airliner of exceptional promise. Due to the adoption of the Ambassador by BEA, however, no decision has yet been made concerning production.

The Viscount is one of a number of new civil aircraft scheduled to appear at Farnborough during September.

VICKERS VISCOUNT DATA

Dimensions	Power Plant Dart	Power Plant Naiad
Span	89ft 0in	89ft 0in
Length	74ft 6in	74ft 6in
Height	26ft 3in	26ft 3in
Wing area	885 sq ft	885 sq ft
Weights
Normal all-up weight	40,500 lb	43,500 lb
Empty or basic	27,450 lb	27,700 lb
Disposable load	13,050 lb	15,800 lb
Landing weight (maximum)	39,000 lb	39,000 lb
Loadings
Wing loading	45.75 lb/sq ft	49.10 lb/sq ft
Capacitics
Fuel	1,200 gal.	1,200 gal.
Oil	14 gal.	14 gal.
Performance
Maximum speed	331 m.p.h.	370 m.p.h.
...............at heights	20,000 ft	25,000 ft
Recommended crusing	276 m.p.h.	316 m.p.h.
...............at heights	20,000 ft	25,000 ft
Rate of climb at sea level	1,675 ft/min.	1,850 ft/min.
Rate of climb at sea level (one engine stopped)	950 ft/min.	1,150 ft/min.
Service ceiling	30,000 ft	30,000 ft
Take-off to 50 ft (minimum) at maximum weight	950 yds	950 yds
Landing from 50 ft (minimum) at maximum weight	900 yds	900 yds
Still-air range	1,725 miles	1,725 miles
...............at height of	20,000 ft	25,000 ft
Fuel Consumption
Cruising consumption	192 gal./hr	220 gal./hr.

History and photos of Viscount c/n 1 G-AHRF

Photo of BEA - British European Airways Viscount G-AOJC

The Vickers Viscount Network is always interested to hear from anyone who has information or photographs to help complete the story of the Viscount. If you can help please contact us at
Information@VickersViscount.net.

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