May 1953 to December 1956
Air France
F-BGNK - c/n 8 - a V.708 series Viscount
France registered
March 1951
An order was placed by Air France for twelve Type 708 aircraft. This was the first one built.
Production Aircraft No. 5 - the 5th production Type 700 series Viscount built,
was the 7th Viscount fuselage assembled at Weybridge, Surrey, England,
and the 5th Viscount assembled at Weybridge, Surrey, England.
Production Order No. F01/708. Sales Order No. F01/85A. Stock Order No. F05/10B.
17 July 1952
Fuselage assembly commenced at Weybridge, Surrey, England.
15 September 1952
Fuselage to Erecting Shop 'E' at Weybridge, Surrey, England.
24 February 1953
Engine ground running commenced.
11 March 1953
First flight from Brooklands Airfield, Weybridge, Surrey, England.
It landed at Wisley Airfield, Surrey, England for fitting out and test flying.
18 May 1953
Delivered to Air France fitted with Rolls-Royce Dart RDa3 Mark 505 engines.
June 1953
Put on static display at the Paris Salon, which was held at Le Bourget Airport for the first time, replacing Orly Airport. Viscount F-BGNL (C/N 10) took part in the flying display while still airtesting with Vickers.
4 August 1953
Registered to Air France.
1954 to c1959
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.
circa 1955
Larger Air France titles applied.
12 December 1956
Crashed during a crew training flight at Milly-la-Foret, Dannemois, France.
The aircraft departed Orly Airport, Paris, France at 08:49 for a crew training flight to Reims Airport, France. The aircraft climbed to an altitude of about 3000 feet, just above the cloud layer and continued VFR to Reims. At 08:58 clearance was requested and given to climb to 5000 feet in order to remain VFR above the cloud layer. A little later an eyewitnesses saw the aircraft crash at a steep angle of descent. All 5 crew members were killed.
PROBABLE CAUSE: A loss of control in flight, the initial cause of which it has not been possible to establish.
Total time 4,869 hours and 3,346 total landings.
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