
October 1953 to December 1963
British European Airways Corporation (BEA)
G-AMOO - c/n 28 - a V.701 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered
12 October 1953
Registered to British European Airways Corporation (BEA), Keyline House, Ruislip, Middlesex.
16 November 1953
Engine ground running commenced.
1 December 1953
First flight from Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England flown by Vickers test pilot Gabriel (Gabe) Robb 'Jock' Bryce.
This was the first Viscount to be completed at Hurn.
11 December 1953
Certificate of Airworthiness issued.
19 December 1953
Delivered to British European Airways (BEA) named as 'R M A John Oxenham'.
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.
20 September 1956
During a service from London Airport (Heathrow), Middlesex, England on approach to Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, Netherlands a near miss was reported with an unknown Pan American World Airways Boeing 377 Stratocruiser quoted as 'Clipper III'.
August 1958
Severely damaged by hailstones during a flight over France in a thunderstorm and made an emergency landing at Châteaubernard Air Base near Cognac, France.
The flight was being flown by Captain Cann with Eileen McCann crewing in the cabin.
20 August 1958
Ferried back unpressurised at a low altitude from Châteaubernard Air Force Base near Cognac, France to London Airport (Heathrow), Middlesex, England for repairs.
29 December 1958
Noted at Blackbushe Airport, Hampshire, England.
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.
This aircraft was not repainted in this livery.
12 April 1959
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England carrying out multiple ILS approaches and overshoots.
18 December 1960
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England due to a London Airport (Heathrow) weather diversion.
December 1961
Damaged during a landing on a snow covered runway at Fornebu Airport, Oslo, Norway.
January 1962
Noted being repaired inside a makeshift canvas tent after its landing accident.
circa April 1962
Noted at Teversham Airport, Cambridge, England in a bare metal condition undergoing maintenance with Marshall's.
16 December 1963
Sold to Channel Airways.
FURTHER READING: Books about BEA - British European Airways
|