19 April 2024
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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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Established 2005
Vickers Viscount Network
A Virtual Museum dedicated to the Vickers-Armstrongs VC2 Viscount
   

Viscount c/n 72

Operational Record

Photo of Viscount c/n 72
BOAC Associated Companies Ltd


England flag England

This V.702 series Viscount was built for
BOAC Associated Companies Ltd as VP-TBL

It first flew on Saturday, 6 August 1955 at Hurn, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England powered by Rolls-Royce Dart 505 engines.


During its life this aircraft was also owned and/or operated by
British West Indian Airways (BWIA), Kuwait Airways and Bahamas Airways


Photo of Viscount c/n 72
Field Aircraft Services Ltd


England flag England

Its final owner/operator was
Field Aircraft Services Ltd as G-APOW.

Its fate:-
Ferried to East Midlands Airport, Castle Donington, Leicestershire, England and robbed of all useful parts in May 1969.

Remains broken up for scrap circa late 1970.
The actual date is not yet known. Details please to information@vickersviscount.net


Operational record
Photo of BOAC Associated Companies Ltd Viscount VP-TBL

Country of Registration Trinidad & Tobago

January 1954 to September 1955

BOAC Associated Companies Ltd

VP-TBL - c/n 72 - a V.702 series Viscount
Trinidad & Tobago registered

June 1953
BOAC Associated Companies Ltd placed an order for four Type 702 for use by British West Indian Overseas Airways (BWIA).

Production Aircraft No. 69 - the 69th production Type 700 series Viscount built,
was the 30th Viscount fuselage assembled at Hurn, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England,
and the 38th Viscount assembled at Hurn, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England.

Production Order No. F02/702. Sales Order No. F02/53B. Stock Order No. F17/22B.

5 October 1954
Fuselage assembly commenced at Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England.

16 November 1954
Fuselage to Erecting Shop 'E' at Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England.

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

25 August 1955
Delivered to BOAC Associated Companies Ltd at London Airport (Heathrow), Middlesex, England.

Radio equipment was then fitted by British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC).

12 September 1955
Dry leased to British West Indian Airways (BWIA) in a modified BOAC livery.


Photo of British West Indian Airways (BWIA) Viscount VP-TBL

Country of Registration Trinidad & Tobago

September 1955 to September 1958

British West Indian Airways (BWIA)

VP-TBL - c/n 72 - a V.702 series Viscount
Trinidad & Tobago registered

12 September 1955
Dry leased from BOAC Associated Companies Ltd and departed from London Airport (Heathrow), Middlesex, England on delivery.

It stopped at Prestwick Airport, Ayrshire, Scotland to refuel.

2 September 1958
Returned to BOAC Associated Companies Ltd.


Photo of BOAC Associated Companies Ltd Viscount G-APOW

Country of Registration United Kingdom

September 1958 to September 1958

BOAC Associated Companies Ltd

G-APOW - c/n 72 - a V.702 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

2 September 1958
Returned from British West Indian Airways (BWIA) lease.

5 September 1958
Registered to Kuwait Airways.

16 September 1958
UK Certificate of Airworthiness (CofA) issued.

18 September 1958
Leased to Kuwait Airways.


Photo of Kuwait Airways Viscount G-APOW

Country of Registration United Kingdom

September 1958 to November 1963

Kuwait Airways

G-APOW - c/n 72 - a V.702 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

18 September 1958
Dry leased from BOAC Associated Companies Ltd and delivered from London Airport (Heathrow), Middlesex, England to Kuwait.

It was initially delivered in a modified BOAC livery.

8 May 1959
After leaving the stand at Santa Cruz Airport, Bombay, India at 1705Z Captain Thomas Waller and First Officer Wilkinson carried out the pre-flight checks with no reported snags.

After taking off they noticed that the cabin pressure safety valve was not closing. At about 2,000 feet the First Officer went back into the cabin to close it manually.

Soon after, all the lights started to dim and after a couple of minutes there was just a dim glow.

The flight crew then noticed that the generators were showing off-line and a generator failure light was illuminated.

All attempts to get the generators on-line failed so the crew elected to return to Bombay as they had no electrical instruments, radios or lights.

A flapless landing was completed without incident and they returned to the stand.

They discussed the event and went through what happened before they left the gate. When the Ground Power Unit was disconnected after the engines were started all the lights went out until the master switch was reset. The generators were showing as on-line when they taxied away.

Indian Airlines engineers went through various checks and the only thing they found was that the aircraft batteries were completely flat.

After a recharge the aircraft returned to service without further incidents of this nature.

June 1959
Noted repainted in a later light blue and white livery.

25 August 1960
During a test flight from Beirut, Lebanon as part of the renewal of the Certificate of Airworthiness (CofA) the aircraft was put into a dive to check the aircraft's performance at the maximum permissable airspeed.

During the dive it was noted that 20 degrees of flap had been inadvertently selected and after the aircraft landed it was noted that the skins of the tailplanes and elevators were observed to be buckled.

There were no reported injuries to the 4 crew on board.

Repaired and returned to service.

29 September 1963
Noted at Prestwick Airport, Ayrshire, Scotland undergoing maintenance with Scottish Aviation Ltd.

November 1963
Returned to BOAC Associated Companies Ltd.


Photo of BOAC Associated Companies Ltd Viscount G-APOW

Country of Registration United Kingdom

November 1963 to December 1963

BOAC Associated Companies Ltd

G-APOW - c/n 72 - a V.702 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

November 1963
Returned from Kuwait Airways lease to London Airport (Heathrow), Middlesex, England.

9 December 1963
Sold to Bahamas Airways Ltd.


Photo of Bahamas Airways Viscount VP-BCD

Country of Registration Bahamas

December 1963 to December 1968

Bahamas Airways

VP-BCD - c/n 72 - a V.702 series Viscount
Bahamas registered

9 December 1963
Purchased from BOAC Associated Companies Ltd and ferried to Prestwick Airport, Ayrshire, Scotland.

9 December 1963
UK registration cancelled as aircraft sold abroad.

18 December 1963
Departed from Prestwick Airport, Ayrshire, Scotland on delivery to the Bahamas after a repaint by Scottish Aviation Ltd (SAL) in full livery.

1967
Noted at Wymeswold Airfield, Leicestershire, England undergoing maintenance with Field Aircraft Services Ltd.

It never returned to Bahamas Airways.

25 September 1968
Certificate of Airworthiness expired.

December 1968
Sold to Field Aircraft Services Ltd.


Photo of Field Aircraft Services Ltd Viscount VP-BCD

Country of Registration Bahamas

December 1968 to May 1969

Field Aircraft Services Ltd

VP-BCD - c/n 72 - a V.702 series Viscount
Bahamas registered

December 1968
Purchased from Bahamas Airways while the aircraft was at Wymeswold Airfield, Leicestershire, England.

February 1969
Bahamian registration cancelled as aircraft sold abroad.

9 May 1969
Re-registered as G-APOW.


Photo of Field Aircraft Services Ltd Viscount G-APOW

Country of Registration United Kingdom

May 1969 to December 1970

Field Aircraft Services Ltd

G-APOW - c/n 72 - a V.702 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

9 May 1969
Registered to Field Aircraft Services from VP-BCD. The registration was crudely hand painted on.

May 1969
Ferried to East Midlands Airport, Castle Donington, Leicestershire, England and gradually robbed of all useful parts.

Total time 24,507 hours and 17,342 total landings.

6 April 1970
UK registration cancelled as aircraft permanently withdrawn from use.

Lying on its belly minus outer wings, engines and rudder.
Awaiting scrapping

September 1970
Noted lying on its belly minus outer wings, engines and rudder and awaiting scrapping.

Remains finally broken up for scrap. The actual date is not known. Details please to information@vickersviscount.net


Photo of BEA - British European Airways Viscount G-AOJC

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Information@VickersViscount.net.


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