18 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 58

Operational Record

Photo of Viscount c/n 58
Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA)


Canada flag Canada

This V.724 series Viscount was built for
Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA) as CF-TGU

It first flew on Wednesday, 10 August 1955 at Hurn, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England powered by Rolls-Royce Dart 506 engines.

During its life this aircraft was also owned and/or operated by
Air Canada

Photo of Viscount c/n 58
Chisick Metals Ltd


Canada flag Canada

Its final owner/operator was
Chisick Metals Ltd as CF-TGU.

Its fate:-
Flown to Winnipeg Airport, Manitoba, Canada and withdrawn from service by Air Canada and stored 24 March 1970.

Remains purchased by Chisick Metals Ltd for metal salvage in June 1973.

Broken up for scrap circa July 1973.

The actual date is not known. Details please to information@vickersviscount.net


Operational record
Photo of Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA) Viscount CF-TGU

Country of Registration Canada

August 1955 to June 1964

Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA)

CF-TGU - c/n 58 - a V.724 series Viscount
Canada registered

November 1952
An order was placed by Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA) for fifteen Type 724 aircraft at a total cost of Can$11,500,000. This was the thirteenth one built.

Production Aircraft No. 70 - the 70th production Type 700 series Viscount built,
was the 36th Viscount fuselage assembled at Hurn, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England,
and the 39th Viscount assembled at Hurn, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England.

Production Order No. F13/724. Sales Order No. F13/51B. Stock Order No. F07/22B.

4 January 1955
Fuselage assembly commenced at Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England.

21 March 1955
TCA issued technical instruction V-05.04-1/1 to apply the word 'Viscount' to the tail section in 8.5 inch high red letters edged in white at the first opportunity.

4 April 1955
Fuselage to Erecting Shop 'E' at Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England.

2 June 1955
TCA issued technical instruction V-31.02-2/5 to apply the word 'Viscount' to the inside of the passenger loading door in 4 inch high red letters edged in white at the first opportunity.

10 August 1955
First flight from Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England.

It was fitted with Rolls-Royce Dart RDa3 Mark 506 engines.

17 August 1955
Aircraft passed off by TCA inspectors as completed and ready for delivery.

The word 'Viscount' had not been added to the tail at this stage.

18 August 1955
Departed from Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England on delivery to Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA) with fleet number '613'.

After arriving at Prestwick Airport, Ayrshire, Scotland to refuel it departed to Keflavik Airport, Iceland (743 nautical miles) where it stopped for nine hours.

Departed from Keflavik Airport, Iceland to Bluie West One (BW1) Airfield, Narsarsuaq, Southern Greenland (804 nautical miles).

BW1 was built during WWII to assist the transfer of military aircraft from North America to Europe and was opened in January 1942.

It then departed to Goose Bay Airport, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada (672 nautical miles) where it stopped for six hours.

19 August 1955
Arrived at Dorval International Airport, Montreal, Province of Quebec, Canada (810 nautical miles).

The cabin seating was installed in Canada, as the seats used by TCA were of American manufacture.

The cabin was fitted out with 40 seats which was a reduction from the original 48 seat specification and provided more leg room.

This was heavily marketed and resulted in a high load factor compared to the 18 seat Douglas DC-3 that it replaced on some routes.

July 1956
Cabin interior changed to a two class 44 seat arrangement.

10 July 1957
TCA issued instructions that all Viscounts would be repainted in a 'White Top' livery when a suitable maintenance period became available.

31 August 1960
Total time 13,246 hours and 10,177 total landings.

8 December 1960
Took part in a photo lineup along with Douglas DC8 CF-TJB at Dorval International Airport, Montreal, Province of Quebec, Canada to celebrate the arrival of the first Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA) Vanguard CF-TKD.

1 June 1964
Transferred to Air Canada due to a corporate name change.


Photo of Air Canada Viscount CF-TGU

Country of Registration Canada

June 1964 to June 1973

Air Canada

CF-TGU - c/n 58 - a V.724 series Viscount
Canada registered

1 June 1964
Transferred from Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA) due to a corporate name change retaining fleet number '613'.

Only the main undercarriage legs came down.

11 October 1964
After taking off from Winnipeg Airport, Manitoba at 07:00 on flight number 50 to Toronto Captain Ron Chadwick and First Officer Bill Woodburne noticed that there was a problem with the nose undercarriage leg. It had retracted but the hook missed the door retraction catch, which left them open. This caused a vibration as the speed increased and there was a risk of the doors breaking off and hitting the propellers. The crew elected to dump fuel and return to Winnipeg but only the main undercarriage legs came down so they made an emergency landing with subsequent damage to the nose area and curled propeller blades which resulted in shock loading to the Rolls-Royce Dart engine and associated bearings and casings.

There were two other known instances of this happening with one on exactly the same flight but nine months earlier to Viscount c/n 269 CF-THH.

The aircraft had not yet been painted in Air Canada livery when this accident occurred as it took several years to repaint the fleet.

Repaired and returned to service.

24 March 1970
Flown to Winnipeg Airport, Manitoba, Canada and withdrawn from service and stored.

Total time 32,940 hours and 31,196 total landings.

It was then robbed of all useful parts.

June 1973
Remains sold to Chisick Metals Ltd of Logan Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada for metal salvage.


Photo of Chisick Metals Ltd Viscount CF-TGU

Country of Registration Canada

June 1973 to September 1973

Chisick Metals Ltd

CF-TGU - c/n 58 - a V.724 series Viscount
Canada registered

June 1973
Remains purchased from Air Canada for metal salvage.

circa July 1973
Broken up for scrap at Winnipeg Airport, Manitoba, Canada. The actual date is not known. Details please to information@vickersviscount.net

circa August 1973
Fuselage noted stacked up in a metal smelting yard at Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada awaiting processing along with several others including CF-TGS (C/N 56), CF-TGV (C/N 59), CF-TGW (C/N 60) and CF-TIA (C/N 309). More details please to information@vickersviscount.net


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.