
December 1955 to June 1961
Capital Airlines (USA)
N7407 - c/n 105 - a V.745 series Viscount
United States registered
June 1954
This was the third of thirty Type 745 ordered by Capital Airlines.
Production Order No. F03/745. Sales Order No. F03/68B. Stock Order No. F03/27B.
The first nine aircraft (C/N 103 to 111) were built as Type 745 aircraft with Rolls-Royce Dart RDa3 Mark 506 engines.
All subsequent aircraft in the order were built as Type 745D with Rolls-Royce Dart RDa6 Mark 510 engines.
December 1954
An additional order for 20 Type 745D aircraft was placed by Capital Airlines.
Altogether, the total order was worth $67,000,000 US. This was the highest ever US Dollar export order for the UK at the time.
24 August 1955
A drawing showing the cabin seating arrangement was approved and issued.by Capital Airlines and showed 11 rows of 2 + 2 seats with two toilets at the front, one on each side and a large galley at the rear.
1 December 1955
First flight from Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England.
7 December 1955
Departed from Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England on delivery to Capital Airlines with fleet number ‘326’ fitted with integral front 'airsteps'.
Although powered by Rolls-Royce Dart RDa3 Mark 506 engines, this aircraft was fitted with the square tipped propeller type more associated with Dart RDa6 Mark 510 engines.
This was the first Viscount operator in the USA, preceded by Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA) as the first North American operator with routes into the USA.
circa 1958
Large registrations on the rear fuselage appeared after the use of small registrations on the tail were banned by the newly formed Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Also by this time weather radar had been fitted resulting in a change to the nose cone.
May 1960
Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd filed a foreclosure suit on the entire Viscount fleet of Capital Airlines as the overdue payments now totalled $34,000,000.
4 April 1961
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officially gave permission for United Air Lines to acquire Capital Airlines.
1 June 1961
Transferred to United Air Lines due to a corporate merger.
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