27 April 2024
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Viscount Survivors

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

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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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Established 2005
Vickers Viscount Network
A Virtual Museum dedicated to the Vickers-Armstrongs VC2 Viscount
   

Viscount c/n 19

Operational Record

Photo of Viscount c/n 19
British European Airways Corporation (BEA)


England flag England

This V.701 series Viscount was built for
British European Airways Corporation (BEA) as G-AMOF

It first flew on Thursday, 23 July 1953 at Weybridge, Surrey, England powered by Rolls-Royce Dart 505 engines.

During its life this aircraft was also owned and/or operated by
British European Airways Corporation (BEA)

Photo of Viscount c/n 19
Viação Aérea São Paulo SA (VASP)


Brasil flag Brasil

Its final owner/operator was
Viação Aérea São Paulo SA (VASP) as PP-SRM.

Its fate:-
Damaged beyond ecomonic repair after overrunning the runway at Santos Dumont Airport, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil 2 November 1966. Subsequently broken up for scrap.


Operational record
Photo of Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd Viscount G-AMOF

Country of Registration United Kingdom

May 1952 to June 1953

Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd

G-AMOF - c/n 19 - a V.701 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

August 1949
Discussions concluded between Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd and British European Airways Corporation (BEA) regarding the specification for the Type 701 aircraft.

Accommodation for 47 passengers at a gross weight of 53,000 lbs was specified with Rolls-Royce Dart RDa3 Mark 505 engines.

3 August 1950
Order placed by British European Airways Corporation (BEA) for 20 Type 701 aircraft which was later increased to 26.

23 May 1952
Registered to Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd.

This was the 10th V.701 Viscount ordered by British European Airways Corporation (BEA).

Production Aircraft No. 13 - the 13th production Type 700 series Viscount built,
was the 16th Viscount fuselage assembled at Weybridge, Surrey, England,
and the 13th Viscount assembled at Weybridge, Surrey, England.

Production Order No. F10/701. Sales Order No. F10/84A. Stock Order No. F16/10B.

10 February 1953
Fuselage assembly commenced at Weybridge, Surrey, England.

16 March 1953
Fuselage to Erecting Shop 'E' at Weybridge, Surrey, England.

19 June 1953
Registration to Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd cancelled.

25 June 1953
Registered to British European Airways Corporation (BEA).


Photo of British European Airways Corporation (BEA) Viscount G-AMOF

Country of Registration United Kingdom

June 1953 to August 1962

British European Airways Corporation (BEA)

G-AMOF - c/n 19 - a V.701 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

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

17 July 1953
Engine ground running commenced.

23 July 1953
First flight from Brooklands Airfield, Weybridge, Surrey, England.

It landed at Wisley Airfield, Surrey, England for fitting out and test flying.

5 August 1953
Certificate of Airworthiness issued.

8 August 1953
Delivered to British European Airways (BEA) named as 'R M A Sir Martin Frobisher'.

It was fitted with Rolls-Royce Dart RDa3 Mark 505 engines.

The cabin was fitted out with a 47 seat all-tourist class layout. It also had the early 'cutlass' style propeller blades fitted, which were later replaced.

September 1953
BEA used this aircraft as a substitute for G-AMAV (C/N 3) to enable them to take some publicity photos relating to the New Zealand Air Race which took place in October.

G-AMAV was not available as it was appearing at the Farnborough SBAC Air Show and also having additional fuel tanks installed in the cabin.

10 January 1954
Operated the first Viscount service from London Airport (Heathrow), Middlesex, England to Son Sant Joan Airport, Palma, Mallorca, Spain non-stop with 45 passengers, flown by Captain A J Holderness.

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.

Appears in the Alfred Hitchcock remake of the film 'The Man Who Knew Too Much'.
On the steps are James 'Jimmy' Stewart and Doris Day

1956
This aircraft appeared in the Alfred Hitchcock remake of the film 'The Man Who Knew Too Much'. The films cast included Jimmy Stewart, Doris Day and Daniel Gélin.

When the aircraft arrives at London Airport it taxies to the BEA maintenance area where Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day come down the rear steps pretending that they are outside the terminal building. The film is still available on DVD.

15 December 1957
Noted at Blackbushe Airport, Hampshire, England.

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

17 February 1959
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, 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.

27 April 1959
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England carrying out multiple ILS approaches and overshoots.

3 May 1960
Noted at Blackbushe Airport, Hampshire, England.

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

circa June 1962
Offered for sale for £110,000.

30 August 1962
Sold to Viação Aérea São Paulo SA (VASP).

FURTHER READING: Books about BEA - British European Airways



Photo of Viação Aérea São Paulo SA (VASP) Viscount PP-SRM

Country of Registration Brasil

August 1962 to December 1966

Viação Aérea São Paulo SA (VASP)

PP-SRM - c/n 19 - a V.701 series Viscount
Brasil registered

30 August 1962
Purchased from British European Airways (BEA) along with nine other Type 701 from the fleet.

The package deal including spare parts came to a total of £1,550.000 with an initial deposit of £310,000 and the remainder repaid over three years at an interest rate of 6%.

These Viscounts were obtained instead of an uncompleted order for new Handley Page HPR.7 Dart Heralds due to production delays and were used to replace the Saab Scanias.

23 March 1963
Departed on delivery from London Airport (Heathrow), Middlesex, England together with Viscount PP-SRL (C/N 22) in full VASP livery.

23 March 1963
UK registration cancelled as aircraft sold abroad.

2 November 1966
Damaged beyond economic repair after overrunning the runway on landing at Santos Dumont Airport, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.

There were no reported injuries to the passengers and crew on board.

Total time 22,478 hours and 16,509 total landings.

Broken up for scrap after the removal of all useful parts.


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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This website has been designed, built and is maintained by Geoff Blampied, Norwich, Norfolk, England.