01 May 2025
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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.

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Letter from HRH Prince Philip

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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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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 249

Operational Record

Photo of Viscount c/n 249
Transair (UK) Ltd


England flag England

This V.804 series Viscount was built for
Transair (UK) Ltd as G-AOXV

It first flew on Wednesday, 18 September 1957 at Weybridge, Surrey, England powered by Rolls-Royce Dart 510 engines.

During its life this aircraft was also owned and/or operated by
British United Airways (BUA)

Photo of Viscount c/n 249
Polskie Linie Lotnicze (LOT)


Poland flag Poland

Its final owner/operator was
Polskie Linie Lotnicze (LOT) as SP-LVA.

Its fate:-
Crashed on farmland at St Trond, 26 kms west of Liege, Belgium 20 August 1965. The accident happened during a positioning flight and was thought to be as a result of a loss of control during severe local weather conditions.


Operational record
Photo of Transair (UK) Ltd Viscount G-AOXV

Country of Registration United Kingdom

September 1957 to July 1960

Transair (UK) Ltd

G-AOXV - c/n 249 - a V.804 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

24 June 1955
This was the second of two Type 804 series Viscounts ordered by Transair (UK) Ltd. The first was G-AOXU (C/N 248).

This order represented the third purchase of Viscounts by a British independent airline and had brought the total number of these aircraft sold worldwide to 229.

Transair was also the third company to select the extended fuselage 800 series Viscount; BEA - British European Airways who had inspired the development of this version, had ordered 22 Type 802s and KLM had recently announced a purchase of nine Type 803s. Seating capacity of the 800 series varied from 53 (first-class) to 70 (tourist) according to the operators requirements.

Flight Magazine report - 1 July 1955


Production Aircraft No. 33 - the 33rd production 800 series Viscount built,
was the 25th 800 series Viscount fuselage assembled at Hurn, Bournemouth, England,
and the 33rd 800 series Viscount assembled at Weybridge, Surrey, England.

Production Order No. F02/804. Sales Order No. F02/84B. Stock Order No. F07/33B.

15 February 1957
Fuselage assembly commenced at Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England.

April 1957
Fuselage transported by road from Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Hampshiret, England to Weybridge, Surrey, England.

17 April 1957
Fuselage to Erecting Shop 'E' at Weybridge, Surrey, England.

18 September 1957
First flight from Brooklands Airfield, Weybridge, Surrey, England.

It landed at Wisley Airfield, Surrey, England for fitting out and test flying.

24 September 1957
Delivered to Transair Ltd.

21 March 1958
Noted at Blackbushe Airport, Hampshire, England due to a London Airport (Heathrow) weather diversion.

May 1958
Operated services from London Airport (Heathrow), Middlesex, England to and from Paris, France on behalf of Air France as their own Viscounts were grounded having their spars replaced.

30 May 1958
Arrived at the new Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England from Luqa Airport, Malta on a trooping charter flight. This was the first day of operations from this newly rebuilt airport which cost £7.8 million to redevelop and had been closed since 1956. The main contractor was Alfred McAlpine Ltd. Part of the high cost was due to the need to divert the main A23 London to Brighton road.

9 June 1958
Gatwick Airport was officially re-opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who flew into the airport in RAF Queen's Flight de Havilland Heron C.4 XM295.

A Jersey Airlines de Havilland Heron was the first scheduled aircraft to arrive and a British European Airways Corporation (BEA) Douglas DC3 was the first scheduled aircraft to depart. BEA Viscount G-AMOG (C/N 7) was also present that day.

6 March 1959
Noted at Blackbushe Airport, Hampshire, England on a London Airport (Heathrow) weather diversion.

1 July 1960
Transferred to British United Airways (BUA) due to a corporate merger.


Photo of British United Airways (BUA) Viscount G-AOXV

Country of Registration United Kingdom

July 1960 to October 1962

British United Airways (BUA)

G-AOXV - c/n 249 - a V.804 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

1 July 1960
Transferred from Transair (UK) Ltd due to a corporate merger and painted in a new experimental BUA livery.

1 July 1960
Departed from Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England on the first day of BUA service.

The new BUA livery was not adopted and the aircraft reverted back to a version of the Transair livery.
BUA
version of the 'Transair' livery

early 1961
The new BUA livery was not adopted and the aircraft reverted back to a version of the Transair livery.

20 October 1962
Rolled out at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England in full Polskie Linie Lotnicze (LOT) livery.

24 October 1962
Sold to Polskie Linie Lotnicze (LOT).


Photo of Polskie Linie Lotnicze (LOT) Viscount SP-LVA

Country of Registration Poland

October 1962 to August 1965

Polskie Linie Lotnicze (LOT)

SP-LVA - c/n 249 - a V.804 series Viscount
Poland registered

24 October 1962
Purchased from British United Airways (BUA).

11 November 1962
Departed from Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England on delivery to Polskie Linie Lotnicze (LOT) at Warsaw, Poland.

20 August 1965
Crashed at St Trond, 26 kms west of Liege, Belgium.

The IFR positioning flight from Lille Airport, France to Wroclaw Airport, Poland departed Lille at 12:40 hours GMT and was cleared to climb to FL160 on a heading to 'Silly'. At 12:42 hours the pilot contacted Brussels ACC and reported he was at 3,000 feet, still climbing and estimating 'Silly' at 12:49 hours.

Crashed at St Trond, 26 kms west of Liege, Belgium 20 August 1965.
Crashed at St Trond,
west of Liege, Belgium

At 12:53 hours the pilot reported over 'Silly' at FL120, and was cleared to climb and maintain FL130. The flight was heading for 'Gatta', estimating to be there at 13:00. Around 12:56 a French Caravelle which had just passed 'Gatta' requested permission to make a detour to avoid an area of intense storm activity. The Viscount after passing 'Gatta', continued to 'Olno'. Before reaching that beacon, the flight suddenly descended, disintegrated and crashed on farm land.

All four crew on board sadly died and consisted of: - Captain Marian Kowalewicz, First Officer Leszek Kmin and Stewardesses Emilia Martowska and Jadwiga Kowalczuk.

PROBABLE CAUSE: No evidence was found to explain why the aircraft left its cruising altitude. The overall atmospheric conditions in the vicinity of Jeuk and the circumstances of the accident were such that it was assumed that the pilot lost control of the aircraft when entering a cumulonimbus area.

It is also possible and even highly probable that severe turbulence was a determining factor in this accident.


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.


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