25 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.

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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 25

Operational Record

Photo of Viscount c/n 25
British European Airways Corporation (BEA)


England flag England

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

It first flew on Tuesday, 8 December 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 25
Cambrian Airways


Wales flag Wales

Its final owner/operator was
Cambrian Airways as G-AMOL.

Its fate:-
Crashed during a radar assisted approach to runway 26 at Speke Airport, Liverpool, England in poor weather during an empty positioning flight from Ronaldsway, Isle of Man on the 20 July 1965.

The aircraft went out of control during the final stage of the approach to land. It rolled over onto its back and crashed inverted through the Thompson & Capper 'Mothak's Ltd' factory roof and caught fire. Little remained of the aircraft which was recovered in a Queen Mary articulated truck back to the airport for investigation.


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

Country of Registration United Kingdom

May 1952 to December 1953

Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd

G-AMOL - c/n 25 - 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 17th Type 701 Viscount ordered by British European Airways Corporation (BEA).

Production Aircraft No. 23 - the 23rd production Type 700 series Viscount built,
was the 24th Viscount fuselage assembled at Weybridge, Surrey, England,
and the 22nd Viscount assembled at Weybridge, Surrey, England.

Production Order No. F17/701. Sales Order No. F17/84A. Stock Order No. F22/10B.

5 July 1953
Fuselage assembly commenced at Weybridge, Surrey, England.

27 August 1953
Fuselage to Erecting Shop 'E' at Weybridge, Surrey, England.

27 November 1953
Engine ground running commenced.

8 December 1953
First flight from Brooklands Airfield, Weybridge, Surrey, England.

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

8 December 1953
Registration to Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd cancelled.

12 December 1953
Registered to British European Airways Corporation (BEA).


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

Country of Registration United Kingdom

December 1953 to April 1963

British European Airways Corporation (BEA)

G-AMOL - c/n 25 - a V.701 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

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

31 December 1953
Certificate of Airworthiness issued.

1 January 1954
Delivered to British European Airways (BEA) named as 'R M A David Livingstone'.

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

The cabin was fitted out as a 47 seat all-tourist class layout.

2 January 1954
Operated the first Viscount service from London Airport (Heathrow), Middlesex, England to Barajas Airport, Madrid, Spain route replacing a Vickers Viking.

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.

25 March 1955
Hit a snow bank during a landing at Kastrup Airport, Copenhagen, Denmark in a strong crosswind.

It collapsed on its belly on the runway, curling the propellers and shockloading the Rolls-Royce Dart engines.

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

G-AMOM crash landed at Kastrup Airport, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Repaired locally including replacement engines and propellers.

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.

21 March 1957
Noted at Teversham Airport, Cambridge, England undergoing wing flap modifications with Marshall's which were introduced after the accident to G-ALWE (C/N 4).

circa September 1958
Noted at London Airport (Heathrow), Middlesex, England with an experimental 'Red Square' logo on the tail, which is smaller than the one applied to G-AMOH (C/N 21) in October 1955.

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

Painted in the BEA 'Red Square' livery.
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
BEA annual report quotes a total time of 9,975 hours.

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

1 April 1963
Registration to BEA cancelled.

1 April 1963
Sold to Cambrian Airways.

FURTHER READING: Books about BEA - British European Airways



Photo of Cambrian Airways Viscount G-AMOL

Country of Registration United Kingdom

April 1963 to July 1965

Cambrian Airways

G-AMOL - c/n 25 - a V.701 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

1 April 1963
Purchased from British European Airways (BEA).

1 April 1963
Registered to Cambrian Airways.

8 April 1963
Delivered from Teversham Airport, Cambridge, England to Rhoose Airport, Cardiff, South Glamorgan, Wales.

28 April 1964
Noted at Speke Airport, Liverpool, England taking the Everton Football team to London Airport to connect with a trans-continental service to Australia as part of their pre-season tour.

The aircraft was still fitted with integral front 'airsteps', which were installed by BEA.

Written off at Speke Airport, Liverpool, England.
Written off at
Speke, Liverpool, England

20 July 1965
Crashed during a radar assisted approach to runway 26 at Speke Airport, Liverpool, England during an empty positioning flight from Ronaldsway, Isle of Man.

There was rain at the time with broken cloud at various levels, with the lowest level being at 1,500 feet.

The aircraft had earlier in the day operated a passenger service from Liverpool to Guernsey, then Jersey, Channel Islands before returning to Liverpool at about 1300 hours.

The passenger seats were then removed and a full cargo load was placed on board for delivery to Ronaldsway Airport, Isle of Man.

The empty aircraft departed Ronaldsway Airport, Isle of Man at 16:49 and flew at flight level 70. At 17:08 hours it was identified by Liverpool radar over Wallasey and then positioned for a PPI continuous descent radar approach to runway 26. Half a mile from touchdown the radar approach was completed and the aircraft was seen on radar to be slightly to the right of the runway centre line. No radio messages were received from the crew after the start of the talk-down which was a standard procedure.

Crashed inverted through the Thompson & Capper 'Mothak's Ltd' factory roof and caught fire.
Crashed inverted through
Mothak's factory roof

At 600 yards from the runway threshold, the aircraft was estimated to be at a height of between 100 and 200 feet and about 40 yards to the right of the runway centre line. At this point witnesses saw it bank and turn to the right. The fuselage was level but the wings were banked almost vertically for part of the turn. When heading in approximately the opposite direction to the runway it rolled over onto its back and crashed inverted through the Thompson & Capper 'Mothak's Ltd' factory roof and caught fire, about 400 yards to the right of the extended centre line of the runway and about 600 yards from the runway threshold.

The two crew on board, Captain Michael V Warrington and First Officer Peter J Kenny were sadly killed along with two female factory workers.

The badly burnt remains of the aircraft were recovered in a Queen Mary articulated truck and taken away for investigation.

CAUSE:The official Board of Trade Accident Report C.A.P. 288 issued in June 1967 stated that the cause of the accident was not positively identified.

Any conclusions from any other source is therefore pure speculation.

Remains scrapped.

Total time 20,533 hours and 14,606 total landings.


Photo of BEA - British European Airways Viscount G-AOJC

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