
June 1953 to March 1964
British European Airways Corporation (BEA)
G-AMOE - c/n 17 - a V.701 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered
25 June 1953
Re-registered to British European Airways Corporation (BEA), Keyline House, Ruislip, Middlesex.
26 June 1953
First flight from Brooklands Airfield, Weybridge, Surrey, England.
It landed at Wisley Airfield, Surrey, England for fitting out and test flying.
8 July 1953
Certificate of Airworthiness issued.
13 July 1953
Delivered to British European Airways (BEA) named as 'R M A Sir Edward Parry'.
It was fitted with Rolls-Royce Dart RDa3 Mark 505 engines.
The cabin was fitted out with a 47 seat all-tourist class layout.
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.
May 1955 to December 1956
All BEA Type 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.
27 January 1957
Noted at Blackbushe Airport, Hampshire, England due to a London Airport (Heathrow) weather diversion.
March - April 1957
To Wisley Airfield, Surrey, England for flap modifications.
25 November 1958
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England due to a London Airport (Heathrow) weather diversion.
6 December 1958
Noted at Blackbushe Airport, Hampshire, England due to a London Airport (Heathrow) weather diversion.
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.
22 March 1959
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England due to a London Airport (Heathrow) weather diversion.
2 April 1959
Operated the first Viscount service from Gibraltar to Tangier, Morocco, which was operated on behalf of Gibraltar Airways, flown by Captain J Cooper.
15 October 1961
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England due to a London Airport (Heathrow) weather diversion.
22 December 1962
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England due to a Elmdon Airport, Birmingham weather diversion.
13 March 1964
Registration to BEA cancelled.
13 March 1964
Sold to Channel Airways.
FURTHER READING: Books about BEA - British European Airways
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