Brooklands Viscount Day
LATEST UPDATE 30 August 2011
You are invited to join the Vickers Viscount Network and the Brooklands Museum
at Weybridge, Surrey, England, the birth place of so many Viscounts,
on Saturday 1st October 2011 for 'Brooklands Viscount Day'.
Brooklands Museum Viscount G-APIM c/n 412 first flew at Weybridge in June 1958
'Brooklands Viscount Day' is a celebration of the dedicated team at
Brooklands Museum who maintain Viscount G-APIM c/n 412.
BEA - British European
Airways Viscount
c/n 1 G-AHRF
The Vickers Viscount Network and the Brooklands Museum invites everyone with an interest in the Vickers Viscount, together
with their family and friends, to 'Brooklands Viscount Day', a day where this famous aircraft will take centre stage.
The event is to be held at the Brooklands Museum, Weybridge, Surrey, England KT13 0SL on Saturday 1st October 2011.
In its day the Viscount was as much of a ground breaking aircraft as Concorde was 20 years later. The Vickers Viscount
Network has been created to preserve the memory of this, the most successful British Airliner ever built and the first
'Jet' Powered aircraft in the world to carry fare paying passengers on a scheduled service.
The 'Virtual Museum' has attracted a worldwide membership of Viscount minded people who come from all walks of life. The
membership includes air and ground crews, and engineers - past and present, aviation journalists, artists, photographers,
collectors, model makers, enthusiasts, people who make and fly computer flight simulators, and people who just enjoyed
flying on, or just watching, the Viscount.
Itinerary
Meet Brian Burrage and Geoff Blampied, co-founders of the Virtual Museum, and several members of the Vickers
Viscount Network UK research team and members of the Brooklands Museum Viscount Team, just before 11am at the Upstairs
Conference Room in the Education Centre. You will be able to identify the Vickers Viscount Network team by their gold and
green Vickers Viscount Network badges.
Starting at 11am there will be a series of presentations about the Vickers Viscount, Brooklands Museum and G-APIM, the
Rolls-Royce Dart, the Viscount Preservation Trust, the Vickers-Armstrongs archive at Brooklands, BMA - British Midland
Airways Viscounts, and the Vickers Viscount Network.
After lunch everyone will meet outside at 2pm by Viscount G-APIM to be split into 3 groups, one to visit Viscount G-APIM,
one to visit Viscount XT575, and one to hear the presentation by Brian Burrage about the Rolls-Royce Dart. The groups will
then swap twice allowing everyone to participate in each area.
The visit to the nose section of Viscount c/n 438 XT575 is a special for 'Brooklands Viscount Day' as it is not normally
open to the public.
Presentations
Hosting the event will be Julian Bourn member of the Brooklands Museum and a Vickers Viscount Network researcher,
and John Woodhouse the Brooklands Museum Viscount team leader.
Tom Singfield, of FOVSP
- Friends of Viscount Stephen Piercey - click here for details -
will talk about the history of G-APIM.
John Woodhouse, the Brooklands Museum's Viscount team leader, will talk about the work and challenges that have
been completed so far, and the work and challenges that they face in the future to keep G-APIM in good order for future
generations to enjoy.
BMA - British Midlands
Airways Viscount
c/n 77 G-AODG
George Stringer will talk about the BMA - British Midland Airways Viscounts.
Romer Adams will talk about the Viscount Preservation Trust that was created in Liverpool to save the oldest
surviving Viscount G-ALWF.
Julian Bourn and Richard Stanton, Vickers Viscount Network UK researchers and Brooklands Museum members,
will describe the work they have been doing with the Vickers-Armstrongs archive at Brooklands museum.
Brian Burrage the Vickers Viscount Network co-founder, historian, photo archivist, and Rolls-Royce Dart Engineer,
will talk about the Rolls-Royce Dart, the historic and ground breaking engine.
Questions: - The guys from the Vickers Viscount Network and the Brooklands Museum will be happy to take
questions at any time throughout the presentations.
Live Webcast
On the day of the event the Vickers Viscount Network hopes to be able to broadcast these presentations LIVE over the
Internet and across the world to people who are unable to attend.
We hope to start the Webcast just before 11am United Kingdom time and will run until the indoor presentations are
complete at approximately 1pm. After lunch at approximately 2pm the LIVE Broadcast is planned to recommence from
Viscounts G-APIM and XT575, and will include the Rolls-Royce Dart presentation by Brian Burrage.
To view this 'Webcast' and our test broadcasts just click here.
Viscount c/n 438 XT575
Informal Gatherings
During the event there will be a comfort break to allow for informal gatherings and lunch. It is suggested that you bring
your own lunch as the 'Sunbeam Café' may have difficulty catering for all participants in the half-hour available.
After the event you will invited to tour the rest of the museum including the Vanguard and the VC-10. Please note that the
museum closes at 5pm with the gates shutting at 5.15pm.
Cost
'Brooklands Viscount Day' is FREE to everyone attending apart from the normal Brooklands Museum admission fees
and lunch.
Click here for Brooklands Museum Visitor Information and Admission Prices.
A voluntary donation to help with the up-keep of the Viscount will be much appreciated - a Dart spinner converted
into a money box is just inside the entrance of the Viscount!
Help us plan
To avoid disappointment due to the popularity of this event, please send an e-mail requesting places by clicking on the
link below, and include your name and how many people will be in your party, to
Brooklands2011@vickersviscount.net.
Places will be issued on a 'first come - first served' basis.
Please re-visit this page regularly to check for any
'Brooklands Viscount Day' updates.
Join the Vickers Viscount Network
You do not have to be a member of the Vickers Viscount Network to enjoy 'Brooklands Viscount Day'. Membership of the
Virtual Museum is FREE and is open to everyone who has an interest in the Viscount. By joining our World Wide Network of
people with an interest in the Vickers Viscount you will receive regular Newsletters hot off the press and delivered
directly to your e-mail in-box. The Newsletters contain details about the Viscount, interesting items from fellow
members, and notification of the latest photos and information to be added to the Museum.
Click here for details on how to join the Vickers Viscount Network.
Whatever your interest in the Viscount you are most welcome
to join us at 'Brooklands Viscount Day'.
On 11 January 1988 at Rochford, Southend, Essex, England the Fairflight operated
Shorts SD3-30 had problems with its
hydraulic system and was prepared for a flight
to Biggin Hill, Kent for maintenance. The aircraft was taxiing with its
engines at a high
power setting, when suddenly the nose gear steering failed. The aircraft entered an
un-commanded
left turn and collided with the stationary Viscount G-APIM.
