25 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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Live Magazine


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 271

Operational Record

Photo of Viscount c/n 271
Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA)


Canada flag Canada

This V.757 series Viscount was built for
Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA) as CF-THK

It first flew on Tuesday, 28 May 1957 at Hurn, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England powered by Rolls-Royce Dart 506 engines.

Photo of Viscount c/n 271
Air Canada


Canada flag Canada

Its final owner/operator was
Air Canada as CF-THK.

Its fate:-
Made an emergency landing at Sept-Îles Airport, Quebec, Canada 7 April 1969 due to a fire in the No.2 engine nacelle area. The aircraft was written off due to extensive fire damage to the fuselage and port wing. Only the fuselage rear section, tail and starboard wing complete with the Rolls-Royce Dart engines remained relatively unaffected.


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

Country of Registration Canada

June 1957 to June 1964

Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA)

CF-THK - c/n 271 - a V.757 series Viscount
Canada registered

September 1955
An order was placed by Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA) for a third batch of eleven Type 757 aircraft as a follow on from the previous Type 724 and Type 757 orders.

This was the thirteenth one built.

The total order for Type 757 aircraft reached thirty six in May 1957.

Production Order No. F13/757. Sales Order No. F13/76B. Stock Order No……...

28 May 1957
First flight from Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England.

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

30 May 1957
Aircraft passed off by TCA inspectors as completed and ready for delivery.

3 June 1957
Departed from Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England on delivery to Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA) with fleet number '629'.

After refuelling at Prestwick Airport, Ayrshire, Scotland it then flew on to Keflavik Airport, Iceland (743 nautical miles), Bluie West 8 (BW8) Airfield, Sondre Stromfjord, Western Greenland (804 nautical miles) where it stopped overnight.

BW8 was built during WWII to assist the transfer of military aircraft from North America to Europe and was opened in October 1941.

4 June 1957
Departed from Bluie West 8 (BW8) Airfield, Sondre Stromfjord, Western Greenland to Goose Bay Airport, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada (872 nautical miles), 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 44 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.

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

circa 1958 the top of the fuselage and fin was painted white.

31 August 1960
Total time 8,534 hours and 7,178 total landings.

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


Photo of Air Canada Viscount CF-THK

Country of Registration Canada

June 1964 to April 1969

Air Canada

CF-THK - c/n 271 - a V.757 series Viscount
Canada registered

1 June 1964
Transferred from Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA) due to a corporate name change retaining fleet number '629'.

30 January 1965
Noted still operating in Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA) livery. It took several years to repaint the fleet in Air Canada livery.

The ground equipment such as Steps, Ground Power Unit, Tug, Baggage Trollies etc were all in Air Canada livery.

7 April 1969
Made an emergency landing at Sept-Îles Airport, Province of Quebec, Canada due to a fire in the No.2 engine nacelle area.

After departing from Sept-Îles Airport on a domestic scheduled service, a fire warning in the No.2 port inner engine area was observed by the flight crew.

Unknown to them this was caused by a fire in the port main undercarriage bay. The crew elected to shut down the No.2 engine and set off the localised fire extinguisher for that area and then jetisoned fuel prior to returning to the airport for an emergency landing.

After a successful landing and coming to a halt on the runway the crew discovered that they could not shut down the No.1 port outer engine.

The loss of the port main undercarriage brakes caused the aircraft to slowly circle to the right during the subsquent evacuation.

Of the 4 crew and 16 passengers on board sadly one passenger collapsed and died.

PROBABLE CAUSE
It was suspected that overheating of the starter selector relay located in the port main undercarriage bay during starting of the No.1 and No.2 engines caused a fire in the bundle of wires close to the relay. Extensive fire damage to this area prevented a positive conclusion.

The aircraft was written off due to extensive fire damage to the fuselage and port wing. Only the fuselage rear section, tail and starboard wing complete with the Rolls-Royce Dart engines remained relatively unaffected.

Total time 26,975 hours and 26,579 total landings.


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.