British European Airways Corporation (BEA)

2 January 1953
Registered to British European Airways Corporation (BEA), Keyline House, Ruislip, Middlesex.

19 January 1953
Noted at Christchurch Airfield, Hampshire, England having diverted from Hurn for some reason.

9 February 1953
Certificate of Airworthiness issued by the Air Registration Board.

13 February 1953
Delivered to British European Airways (BEA) named as 'R M A Sir John Franklin'.

It was delivered fitted with Rolls-Royce Dart RDa3 Mark 505 engines with serial numbers: 1016 and 1006 on the port side and 1004 and 1007 on the starboard side.

The cabin was originally fitted out with 40 seats in a four-abreast (2 + 2) all-first class interior, but it was re-configured as a 47 seat all-tourist class layout before it entered service.

It was initially used for crew training and route proving flights.

Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd, Invoice C/VW/46457, Dated 13 February 1953,
Amount £183,666 2s 11d + £101 7s 5d (delivery fuel + 3% fuel handling charge + oil).

15 March 1953
First noted at Blackbushe Airport, Hampshire, England.

17 April 1953
Full commercial type certification issued to BEA for the V.701 series.

17 April 1953
Ferried to Wisley Airfield, Surrey, England for modification work with Vickers.

19 April 1953
Returned to BEA at London Airport (Heathow), Middlesex, England.

18 April 1953
First Type 701 service commenced from London Airport (Heathow), Middlesex, England to Nicosia Airport, Cyprus via Ciampino Airport, Rome, Italy and Ellinikon Airport, Athens, Greece and was operated by sister Viscount G-AMNY (C/N 6). The Athens - Nicosia leg was operated by Cyprus Airways under a charter agreement with British European Airways (BEA). This was the world’s first regular scheduled service using a turboprop aircraft, and the second one was operated by G-ALWF.

19 April 1953
First V.701 service commenced from London Airport (Heathow), Middlesex, England to Yesilkoy Airport, Istanbul, Turkey.

1953
BRITISH PATHE FILM ARCHIVE
BEA Viscount G-ALWF (c/n 5) arriving at Ciampino Airport, Rome, Italy and G-ALWE (c/n 4) departing.

British Pathe Film Archive

14 July 1953
Ferried to Wisley Airfield, Surrey, England for modification work with Vickers.

21 August 1953
Returned to BEA at London Airport (Heathrow), Middlesex, England.

1954 to 1962
The original ‘cutlass’ design propeller blades were gradually replaced by new symmetrical ‘needle’ blade propeller sets.

From photographic evidence, both propeller types were fitted to Rolls-Royce Dart RDa3, Mark 505 and Mark 506 engines and many aircraft flew with an ‘intermix’ of both types of propeller blades.

10 May 1954
Ferried to Wisley Airfield, Surrey, England for modification work with Vickers.

24 May 1954
Returned to BEA at London Airport (Heathrow), Middlesex, England.

12 December 1954
Suffered a partial starboard undercarriage collapse during a crew training landing at Blackbushe Airport, Hampshire, England.

The starboard undercarriage back-stay bracket had failed due to chronic metal fatigue of the bottom attachment bolts.

19 January 1955
The aircraft was dismantled by Eagle Airways Ltd and trucked by road to the Marshall's facility at Teversham Airport, Cambridge, England for repairs.

19 May 1955
Returned to BEA at London Airport (Heathrow), Middlesex, England after the completion of repairs.

May 1955 to December 1956
All BEA V.701 aircraft were gradually retrofitted with Rolls-Royce Dart RDa3 Mark 506 engines which were upgraded using modified Mark 505 engines.

Aircraft are known to have flown with an ‘intermix’ of both engine marks between these dates.

When completely retro-fitted with Mark 506 engines, the Type 701A designation was applied to these aircraft although this has not been seen widely used or quoted.

28 July 1955
After departing from Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam's runway 24 on a flight to London Airport (Heathow), Middlesex, England a bird strike was reported by the flight crew and they elected to return to Schiphol for an inspection, where they found that they had struck a flock of small ducks. Ingestion of birds into the Dart engine can cause a loss of power and blockage of the air fed oil seals.

16 October 1955
Ferried to Teversham Airport, Cambridge, England for modification work with Marshall's.

23 December 1955
Returned to BEA at London Airport (Heathrow), Middlesex, England.

21 May 1956
Undercarriage damaged during a training flight landing at Blackbushe Airport, Hampshire, England.

22 October 1956
Ferried to Wisley Airfield, Surrey, England for wing spar modification work with Vickers.

19 February 1957
Returned to BEA at London Airport (Heathrow), Middlesex, England.

21 January 1958
Noted at Blackbushe Airport, Hampshire, England carrying out crew training flights.

21 March 1958
Burst a tyre at Blackbushe Airport, Hampshire, England during a crew training landing.

BEA
‘Red Square‘ livery

March 1959
A new BEA 'Red Square' livery was adopted and aircraft were repainted during the early 1960s when they next went in for overhaul.

Sadly, after repainting, the aircraft no longer carried a name including the nameplate on the forward cabin bulkhead.

31 March 1959
Converted from 40/47 seats to 60/63 seats in a new 'high density' configuration.

This modification also entailed the installation of an 11th standard size window on the rear starboard side and a small window behind the rear entrance door on the port side.

1 May 1959
Last time it was noted at Blackbushe Airport, Hampshire, England.

1 December 1959
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England due to a London Airport (Heathrow) weather diversion.

15 October 1961
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England due to a London Airport (Heathrow) weather diversion.

31 March 1963
All BEA V.701 series Viscounts were retired by this date with a fleet total of over 6,000,000 passengers and over 3,000,000 miles.

6 December 1963
Sold to Channel Airways.

FURTHER READING: Books about BEA - British European Airways

British Eagle International Airlines Ltd

18 November 1964
Leased from Channel Airways.

Delivered to British Eagle International Airlines at Speke Airport, Liverpool, England in full British Eagle livery.

17 December 1964
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England due to a London Airport (Heathrow) weather diversion.

2 January 1965
Noted at Prestwick Airport, Ayrshire, Scotland operating a BOAC charter flight.

1965
Named as 'City of Exeter'.

26 May 1965
Returned to Channel Airways.

Cambrian Airways

15 December 1965
Purchased from Channel Airways and delivered to Marshalls at Teversham Airport, Cambridge, England for overhaul.

18 January 1966
Registered to Cambrian Airways.

13 February 1966
Delivered from Teversham Airport, Cambridge, England to Speke Airport, Liverpool, England.

Based at Rhoose Airport, Cardiff, South Glamorgan, Wales 'WF' was affectionately known at Cambrian Airways as 'Woolly Fox'.

November 1967
Cambrian Airways became a wholly owned subsidiary of British Air Services and the name was added to the aircraft.

Cambrian Airways
'White Cabin' livery

circa 1968
Painted in the Cambrian Airways 'White Cabin' livery.

Cambrian Airways
'BAS - British Air Services' livery

September 1969
Cambrian Airways became a wholly owned subsidiary of British Air Services and the name was added to the aircraft.

Cambrian Airways
'Blue Tail' livery

circa 1970
Painted in the Cambrian Airways 'Blue Tail' livery.

24 December 1971
Withdrawn from service at Rhoose Airport, Cardiff, South Glamorgan, Wales after a flight from Aldergrove Airport, Belfast, Northern Ireland via Lulsgate Airport, Bristol, England.

Now the oldest Viscount in existence efforts were made by Cambrian Airways to have it preserved. It was eventually decided that 'WF' would be sold to the Viscount Preservation Trust to be displayed to the public at Speke Airport, Liverpool, England.

12 April 1972
Purchased by the Viscount Preservation Trust.

Duxford Aviation Society (DAS)

22 May 1976
The aircraft was formerly loaned to Duxford Aviation Society (DAS) from the Viscount Preservation Trust for a period of 99 years.

1976
Re-assembly was carried out in the open as there was no suitable covered accommodation available at Duxford Airfield. Work took several years to complete as replacements for some missing components taken while the aircraft was at Speke had to be sourced and acquired. The restoration team at Duxford felt that G-ALWF must have had a reasonable amount of fatigue life left on the wing spars as she had been re-sparred twice during her life.

The treatment of external corrosion, a legacy from when the aircraft was exposed to the salty air of the Mersey estuary while outside at Speke Airport, was a priority. The refurbishment, both external and internal, by the aircraft’s small but dedicated team continued through the 1980s and was almost complete by mid 1986, some ten years after the aircraft arrived at Duxford Airfield.

1984 - 1985
The Cambrian Airways markings had gradually faded away so work started to repaint it in its original British European Airways (BEA) livery named 'R M A Sir John Franklin'. All the work was carried out in the open air when weather allowed it, which took a year to complete. The Union Jack flag on the tail was the only part that was poorly done.

1987
On completion of the external refurbishment, work now concentrated on the interior. The passenger compartment was fitted out in a 63 seat configuration, that necessitated the removal of what remained of the original but incomplete galley. The seats, which were not the original ones, were brought up to display standard, and a new carpet was fitted. The flight deck also received a lot of attention – it was estimated that around 70 per cent of the instruments had to be sourced and fitted, and the crew seats were renovated.

25 November 1992
Moved into Hangar 2 and jacked up to allow repair and refurbishment of the main undercarriage. Other components including the propellers, engine cowlings, panels and fairings were also removed to allow access to the main structure for some badly-needed refurbishment. Some components were replaced by spares donated by companies that included British Air Ferries (BAF) and Thameside Aero Spares Ltd.

April 1993
Started a move from Hangar 2 to Hangar 1 for another complete external repaint, this time to be done under contract by the Duxford based ARC - Aircraft Restoration Company.

18 April 1993
While on its journey from Hangar 2 to Hangar 1 'WF' was parked close to the live side of the airfield to take part in a celebration to mark the 40th anniversary of the first scheduled flight by a Viscount. British World Airlines (BWA) parked V.806 Viscount c/n 263 G-AOYN close to 'WF' for the celebrations. BWA had operated the special flight to Duxford from their base at Southend Airport, Rochford, Essex, England via the Brooklands Museum at Weybridge, Surrey, England, for a group of aircraft enthusiasts.

21 April 1993
Completed the move into Hangar 1 for repainting by the Aircraft Restoration Company (ARC) and preparation work started. While this work was progressing the DAS - Duxford Aviation Society team refurbished smaller components, repaired engine cowlings, and prepared replacement flaps that had been supplied by World Aviation Support.

1 July 1993
Re-painting began.

7 August 1993
Fuselage lettering was applied in the form of decals.

17 August 1993
Rolled out of Hangar 1 painted in British European Airways (BEA) livery named as 'RMA Sir John Franklin and positioned outside.

1993
Work continued mostly on the interior, and included repairing leaks in the structure and the flight deck and cabin windows that had allowed the ingress of rainwater. Corrosion was dealt with and preservative sprayed throughout the aircraft’s structure where necessary.

'WF' was normally opened to the public only on Duxford airshow days where the opportunity to look inside the aircraft and see the progress with its refurbishment always proved to be popular. It was surprising just how many visitors claimed to have had an association with 'WF' during its days in airline service, either by working on it or having flown on it as a passenger. Invariably people were surprised to see that it still existed and was being maintained in such good condition.

2005
Selected as one of the aircraft to be displayed inside the new 'AirSpace' hangar and work started on another lengthy refurbishment.

August 2005
Completely stripped of paint by Duxford Aviation Society (DAS) staff and volunteers, the aircraft was moved to Hangar 2 at Duxford for repainting in BEA - British European Airways livery named as 'R M A Sir John Franklin'. Many panels required a lot of attention in the Duxford Aviation Society's workshops. The work could not be completed within the allocated time in the hangar so had to be finished off outside.

July 2006
In the latter part of July the aircraft was moved into the new 'AirSpace' hangar at Duxford but was not made available for public viewing due to the continuing work on the hangar. These works also meant that G-ALWF was not available to the volunteer crew to complete their refurbishments. Because of problems in locating all of the aircraft planned for inclusion in the 'AirSpace' hangar, it was decided that ‘WF would have to be excluded. As the Duxford Aviation Society's de Havilland DH106 Comet 4 G-APDB had not yet been repainted in BOAC livery, ‘WF' was allowed to occupy its allotted space on a temporary basis until the Comet was ready.

26 August 2006
The 'AirSpace' hangar was made available to visitors in preparation for Duxford’s Spitfire 70th Anniversary Airshow on 2/3 September. With the process of installing aircraft within 'AirSpace' and the first phase of the exhibitions now complete, the IWM - Imperial War Museum Duxford was delighted to announce that 'AirSpace' will remain open.

2007
G-ALWF's place in the 'AirSpace' hangar was given over to de Havilland DH106 Comet 4 G-APDB for positioning in the display area before the building was officially opened. 'WF' then spent some time outside, before being put into the conservation area at the front of the 'AirSpace' hangar, but this was not a permanent arrangement.

7 and 8 July 2007
Noted on display outside the 'AirSpace' hangar during the 'Flying Legends' Air Show.

It was intended that G-ALWF will rotate between the conservation area in 'AirSpace' hangar and the outside areas depending on the requirements of the conservation area. It was now doubtful that G-ALWF would go into 'AirSpace' hangar permanently.

October 2007
Floor covering at the rear passenger door area replaced and new passenger and crew entrance steps had been manufactured and supplied. Access to the aircraft by the general public was not possible due to on-going restoration works.

Unfortunately while the Viscount has been in the Conservation area of the Airspace museum at Duxford, the restoration team have not been allowed to work on it by the Imperial War Museum.

February 2010
G-ALWF has now been placed outside and is alongside other civil aircraft on the public side of the airfield barrier at Duxford Airfield.

16th May 2010
Opened to the public during the Duxford May air show.

Plans were made to open the aircraft during the Duxford 2010 air show season, and at times when the preservation crew were in attendance dependant on work being carried out with safety in mind.

31 July 2010
The 'Duxford Aviation Society' and the 'Vickers Viscount Network' hosted 'Duxford's Viscount Day', a tribute to 'The Turboprop World-Beater Viscount' and the worlds oldest surviving Viscount G-ALWF c/n 5. 66 delegates attended a very successful day that included talks and tours of G-ALWF.

Report of the days event

It was possible during 2010 to open the aircraft to the public at all of the Duxford air shows, which proved to be extremely popular with visitors and generated extra revenue.

November 2010
The paintwork on the propellers suffered from being outside with bare metal beginning to show through. Although conditions for re-painting them outside are particularly unfavourable at this time of the year a decision was made by the preservation crew to do the repair work throughout the winter months as the weather permits. The main aim is to give them at least some form of protection throughout the winter months with final coats being applied in better weather next year. By 7 November the blades had been rubbed down and a primer and undercoat applied.

26 April 2011
Vickers Viscount Network Website researcher Richard Stanton presented a large photograph of 'Whiskey Fox' on the production line at Weybridge to John Overhill who is part of the Duxford Aviation Society's team of volunteers that look after this Viscount at the Cambridgeshire airfield. Richard discovered the original photograph at the Brooklands Museum and gained permission to get a modern print produced to a professional standard. John intends to display the photograph inside the aircraft so that visitors can see what it looked like during its construction in 1952. Fittingly, the handover ceremony took place at Brooklands Museum in front of Viscount G-APIM (C/N 412).

Maintenance the port rear door

19 August 2011
Maintenance performed to the locking mechanism inside the port rear door and the propellers were painted ready to withstand another winter outside.

26 November 2011
A meeting at Duxford between members of the Duxford Aviation Society (DAS) board and the two original members of the Viscount Preservation Trust, namely Paul St John Turner and Romer Adams saw the official handover of the title of 'WF' to the Duxford Aviation Society (DAS). Since its arrival at Duxford in 1976 it had been on loan for a period of 99 years but both parties felt it was the right time to transfer the title over to the organisation responsible for its continued preservation.

G-ALWF anniversary cakes

3 December 2012
The Duxford Aviation Society Viscount Team celebrated the sixtieth anniversary of the first flight of this aircraft from Weybridge, Surrey, England. 36 special cakes were made and tea was appropriately served in an old BEA silver service pot.

8 January 2019
The aircraft entered the main hangar for a fresh repaint in BEA red stripe livery.

March 2020
Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) the museum closed to the general public until further notice.

19 May 2021
The museum re-opened but entries must be pre-booked. The museum is now operating normally.

DAS - Duxford Aviation Society website