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

See and hear a Viscount

Newsletters

Flight Magazine Reports

Aircraft operational
records and photos

Viscount illustrations
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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Our 'Live Magazine' is used by members and non-members to share their Viscount photos and stories with fellow enthusiasts located throughout the world in real time.

You are able to send in your photos, stories and comments by Facebook, Twitter or email and we will post them for all to enjoy.

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information@VickersViscount.net



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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 44

Operational Record

Photo of Viscount c/n 44
Trans-Australia Airlines (TAA)


Australia flag Australia

This V.720 series Viscount was built for
Trans-Australia Airlines (TAA) as VH-TVA

It first flew on Sunday, 29 August 1954 at Hurn, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England powered by Rolls-Royce Dart 506 engines.

Photo of Viscount c/n 44
Trans-Australia Airlines (TAA)


Australia flag Australia

Its final owner/operator was
Trans-Australia Airlines (TAA) as VH-TVA.

Its fate:-
Destroyed during a three engine takeoff while training at Mangalore Airport, Victoria, Australia 31 October 1954.

The aircraft crashed and burnt approximately one-third of a mile west of the airport.

The cause of the accident was an error of judgement on the part of the pilot-in-command in that he took the aircraft into the air at a speed below the minimum control speed, following loss of directional control during the ground run.


Operational record
Photo of Trans-Australia Airlines (TAA) Viscount VH-TVA

Country of Registration Australia

October 1954 to October 1954

Trans-Australia Airlines (TAA)

VH-TVA - c/n 44 - a V.720 series Viscount
Australia registered

June 1952
This was the first Type 720 of six ordered by Trans-Australia Airlines (TAA).

The total value of the order was £1,934,000 including spare parts.

Production Aircraft No. 37 - the 37th production Type 700 series Viscount built,
was the 6th Viscount fuselage assembled at Hurn, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England,
and the 13th Viscount assembled at Hurn, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England.

Production Order No. F01/720. Sales Order No. F01/88A. Stock Order No. F13/21B.

Late July 1954 on the production line.

1 February 1954
Fuselage assembly commenced at Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England.

22 March 1954
Fuselage to Erecting Shop 'E' at Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England.

22 June 1954
Registered to Australian National Airlines Commission trading as Trans-Australia Airlines (TAA).

22 July 1954
Named as 'John Batman' by Sir Thomas White, the High Commissioner for Australia outside at Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England.

The ceremony was also attended by Mr G P N Watt, the Chairman of TAA and George Edwards, Managing Director of Vickers Aircraft Division. The aircraft was christened with a bottle of Australian Champagne.

Taking off on its first flight.

29 August 1954
First flight from Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England.

Exhibited at the Society of British Aircraft Constructors (SBAC) air show at Farnborough.

September 1954
Exhibited at the Society of British Aircraft Constructors (SBAC) air show at Farnborough Airfield, Hampshire, England including participation in the daily flying display. It was flown by Vickers Test Pilot Gabriel (Gabe) Robb 'Jock' Bryce.

6 October 1954
Departed from Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England on delivery to Trans-Australia Airlines (TAA) crewed by Captain F Fischer, Captain J A P Boyd, Captain D Winch, Navigator Locke and Radio Operator Roberts.

It was fitted with Rolls-Royce Dart RDa3 Mark 505 engines. These would have been upgraded to Mark 506 standard in 1956, if the aircraft had not been destroyed.

Arrived at Essendon Airport, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

13 October 1954
Arrived at Essendon Airport, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Flight Magazine report - 31 December 1954



21 October 1954
Operated a route familiarisation flight from Melbourne, Victoria to Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

The aircraft was destroyed on take-off.

31 October 1954
The aircraft was destroyed on take-off during a routine conversion training flight at Mangalore Airport, Victoria, 65 miles north of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Three crew members - Captain in command Douglas K MacDonald and Captains R D Fisher and J W Nickells were all sadly killed.

Three cabin occupants including supernumerary Captain McDougall and Engineer Alfred Harder received serious injuries.

The remaining two occupants in the cabin escaped unharmed.

Alfred was standing in the cockpit as the control of the aircraft was lost and ran back into the cabin. When the aircraft crashed he was thrown outside and regained conciousness lying on the ground.

He spent six months in the Royal Melbourne Hospital recovering from his injuries and went on to complete 40 years service with TAA as a licensed engineer.

Total time 100 hours and 120 total landings.

The aircraft was destroyed on take-off.

Vickers Test Pilot Gabriel (Gabe) Robb 'Jock' Bryce flew out to Australia to assist in the crash investigation.

Briefly, the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) conclusions into the accident are shown below in this extract from the official investigation report.

At 15:07 hours local time the Viscount, owned by Commonwealth of Australia, Australian National Airlines Commission, and operated by Trans Australia Airlines (TAA), crashed and burnt approximately one-third of a mile west of the airport.

The accident occurred when the aircraft veered off the runway and became airborne during a practice three-engine takeoff.

The cause of the accident was an error of judgement on the part of the pilot-in-command in that he took the aircraft into the air at a speed below the minimum control speed, following loss of directional control during the ground run.'

This type of accident was to happen many times during simulated engine failure training flights around the world as operators learnt to fly their newly acquired Viscounts.

31 October 1954
Registration cancelled as aircraft destroyed.


The aircraft was destroyed on take-off during a routine conversion training flight.


The aircraft was destroyed on take-off during a routine conversion training flight.


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.


Click here for more details about the Vickers Viscount Network

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