23 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 382

Operational Record

Photo of Viscount c/n 382
British European Airways Corporation (BEA)


England flag England

This V.806 series Viscount was built for
British European Airways Corporation (BEA) as G-APEY

It first flew on Monday, 7 July 1958 at Weybridge, Surrey, England powered by Rolls-Royce Dart 520 engines.


During its life this aircraft was also owned and/or operated by
BKS Air Transport Ltd, Northeast Airlines (UK), Cambrian Airways, British Airways (BA), British Air Ferries (BAF), Oasis Oil Company, Air Algerie, Sirte Oil Company, Virgin Atlantic Airways, British World Airlines (BWA), Heli-Jet Aviation Ltd, SAFT Gabon, Interflight, Air Zimbabwe and Air Ogooue


Photo of Viscount c/n 382
Global Airways (Swaziland)


Swaziland flag Swaziland

Its final owner/operator was
Global Airways (Swaziland) as 9Q-CON.

Its fate:-
This was the last airworthy Viscount in the UK in 1997.

Noted still active in Africa in 2005 and noted in storage at Ndjili International Airport, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo 2 March 2008. Put up for sale in 2008 for an unknown price. No further sightings including Google Earth so presumed scrapped.


Operational record
Photo of British European Airways Corporation (BEA) Viscount G-APEY

Country of Registration United Kingdom

July 1958 to April 1968

British European Airways Corporation (BEA)

G-APEY - c/n 382 - a V.806 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

January 1956
An order for eighteen Type 806 was placed by British European Airways Corporation (BEA).

The first (C/N 255) was not delivered as it was loaned to Vickers-Armstrongs for Type 810 development work.

15 August 1957
Registered to British European Airways Corporation (BEA).

7 July 1958
First flight from Brooklands Airfield, Weybridge, Surrey, England.

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

18 July 1958
Delivered to British European Airways Corporation (BEA) named as 'R M A William Murdoch'.

20 July 1958
Noted at Blackbushe Airport, Hampshire, England.

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

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

29 January 1959
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England due to a London Airport (Heathrow) weather diversion.

16 February 1959
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England due to a London Airport (Heathrow) weather diversion.

17 February 1959
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England due to a London Airport (Heathrow) weather diversion.

A new BEA ‘Red Square‘ livery was adopted.
BEA
‘Red Square‘ livery

March 1959
A new BEA 'Red Square' livery was adopted and aircraft were repainted during the early 1960s when they next went in for overhaul.

Sadly, after repainting, the aircraft no longer carried a name including the nameplate on the forward cabin bulkhead.

15 October 1961
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England due to a London Airport (Heathrow) weather diversion.

15 April 1963
Total time 9,449:53 hours.

1964
Converted to V.806X standard by Marshall's at Teversham Airport, Cambridge, England.

This involved replacing the Dart RDa7 Mark 520 engines with RDa6 Mark 510 engines and installing a V.802 style cabin.

The RDa7 Mark 520 engines were returned to Rolls-Royce where some of them were converted to Mark 526 standard for use on the BEA Armstrong Whitworth 650 Argosy.

26 November 1965
Due to strong and gusting winds at Jersey Airport, Channel Island the Captain elected to land the aircraft more firmly than normal.

During the landing run the nose undercarriage leg collapsed resulting in curled propellers and shock-load damage to the Rolls-Royce Dart engines.

There were no reported injuries to the 5 crew and 75 passengers on board.

Repaired locally and returned to service.

21 September 1966
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England due to a Heathrow Airport weather diversion.

9 December 1967
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England due to a Heathrow Airport weather diversion.

2 April 1968
Sold to BKS Air Transport Ltd.

FURTHER READING: Books about BEA - British European Airways



Photo of BKS Air Transport Ltd Viscount G-APEY

Country of Registration United Kingdom

April 1968 to November 1970

BKS Air Transport Ltd

G-APEY - c/n 382 - a V.806 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

2 April 1968
Purchased from British European Airways Corporation (BEA).

BKS relates to the surnames of three company directors: - James W Barnby, Thomas D Keegan, and Cyril Stevens.

29 August 1968
Noted with a small 'BAS' logo on the rear cabin door on the port side.

circa June 1969
Noted with British Air Services titles.

1 November 1970
Transferred to Northeast Airlines (UK) due to a corporate name change.


Photo of Northeast Airlines (UK) Viscount G-APEY

Country of Registration United Kingdom

November 1970 to April 1972

Northeast Airlines (UK)

G-APEY - c/n 382 - a V.806 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

1 November 1970
Transferred from BKS Air Transport Ltd due to a corporate name change.

April 1972
Leased to Cambrian Airways.


Photo of Cambrian Airways Viscount G-APEY

Country of Registration United Kingdom

April 1972 to September 1972

Cambrian Airways

G-APEY - c/n 382 - a V.806 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

April 1972
Leased from Northeast Airlines (UK) in full Northeast livery.

8 June 1972
Total time 25,348:10 hours and 22,017 total landings.

30 September 1972
Returned to Northeast Airlines.


Photo of Northeast Airlines (UK) Viscount G-APEY

Country of Registration United Kingdom

September 1972 to April 1974

Northeast Airlines (UK)

G-APEY - c/n 382 - a V.806 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

30 September 1972
Returned from Cambrian Airways lease.

18 May 1973
Total time 26,466:00 hours.

1 April 1974
Transferred to British Airways (BA) due to a corporate merger.


Photo of British Airways (BA) Viscount G-APEY

Country of Registration United Kingdom

April 1974 to April 1981

British Airways (BA)

G-APEY - c/n 382 - a V.806 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

1 April 1974
Transferred from Northeast Airlines (UK) due to a corporate merger.

Painted in the British Airways (BA) 'British' livery.
British Airways (BA)
'British' livery

16 April 1975
Noted at Leeds-Bradford Airport, Yeadon, England fitted with black and white striped 'high-viz propellers.

January 1981
Noted with British Airways (BA) 'British' titles.

10 April 1981
Sold to British Air Ferries (BAF).

FURTHER READING: Books about British Airways (BA)



Photo of British Air Ferries (BAF) Viscount G-APEY

Country of Registration United Kingdom

April 1981 to June 1981

British Air Ferries (BAF)

G-APEY - c/n 382 - a V.806 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

10 April 1981
Purchased from British Airways (BA).

28 June 1981
Leased to Oasis Oil Company.


Photo of Oasis Oil Company Viscount G-APEY

Country of Registration United Kingdom

June 1981 to August 1981

Oasis Oil Company

G-APEY - c/n 382 - a V.806 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

28 June 1981
Leased from British Air Ferries (BAF).

August 1981
Returned to British Air Ferries (BAF).


Photo of British Air Ferries (BAF) Viscount G-APEY

Country of Registration United Kingdom

August 1981 to October 1981

British Air Ferries (BAF)

G-APEY - c/n 382 - a V.806 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

August 1981
Returned from Oasis Oil Company lease.

5 October 1981
Leased to Air Algerie.


Photo of Air Algerie Viscount G-APEY

Country of Registration United Kingdom

October 1981 to December 1981

Air Algerie

G-APEY - c/n 382 - a V.806 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

5 October 1981
Leased from British Air Ferries (BAF) in full BAF livery.

December 1981
Returned to British Air Ferries (BAF).


Photo of British Air Ferries (BAF) Viscount G-APEY

Country of Registration United Kingdom

December 1981 to February 1982

British Air Ferries (BAF)

G-APEY - c/n 382 - a V.806 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

December 1981
Returned from Air Algerie lease.

1 February 1982
Leased to Sirte Oil Company of Libya.


Photo of Sirte Oil Company Viscount G-APEY

Country of Registration United Kingdom

February 1982 to June 1982

Sirte Oil Company

G-APEY - c/n 382 - a V.806 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

1 February 1982
Leased from British Air Ferries (BAF).

June 1982
Returned to British Air Ferries (BAF).


Photo of British Air Ferries (BAF) Viscount G-APEY

Country of Registration United Kingdom

June 1982 to January 1988

British Air Ferries (BAF)

G-APEY - c/n 382 - a V.806 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

June 1982
Returned from Sirte Oil Company lease.

Painted in the new British Air Ferries (BAF) livery.
British Air Ferries (BAF)
'New' livery

circa 1983
Painted in the new British Air Ferries (BAF) livery.

circa 1984
Painted in the new British Air Ferries (BAF) livery and named as 'Viscount Shetland'.

Painted in the British Air Ferries (BAF) 'British' livery.
British Air Ferries (BAF)
'British' livery

circa 1986
Painted in the British Air Ferries (BAF) 'British' livery but now unnamed.

10 January 1988
Leased to Virgin Atlantic Airways.


Photo of Virgin Atlantic Airways Viscount G-APEY

Country of Registration United Kingdom

January 1988 to May 1989

Virgin Atlantic Airways

G-APEY - c/n 382 - a V.806 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

10 January 1988
Leased from British Air Ferries (BAF) in full livery and named as 'Dublin Lady'.

May 1989
Returned to British Air Ferries (BAF).


Photo of British Air Ferries (BAF) Viscount G-APEY

Country of Registration United Kingdom

May 1989 to April 1993

British Air Ferries (BAF)

G-APEY - c/n 382 - a V.806 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

May 1989
Returned from Virgin Atlantic Airways lease and initially operated by BAF still in the full Virgin livery, named as 'Dublin Lady'.

28 September 1990
Total time 44,653:36 hours.

June 1992
Noted repainted in the British Air Ferries (BAF) livery.

1 August 1992
'The Friends of Viscount Stephen Piercey' organised a special flight to raise money for the restoration of the Brooklands Museum Viscount G-APIM (C/N 412). A visit to British Air Ferries (BAF) facility at Southend Airport, Rochford, Essex, England to look around their facilities and a Viscount flight to 'shoot up' Heathrow Airport, London, England had been arranged.

After holding up flights at Heathrow the Viscount flew on to overfly Brooklands Museum, Weybridge, Surrey, England where Captain Towle demonstrated his ability to fly the four engine Viscount like a single engine fighter.

Film of the visit to BAF and a flight on G-APEY



14 March 1993
Robin Pinnock filmed G-APEY during a flight test. In his film the Viscount taxis, takes off, lands, and taxis back to the BAF engineering hangar at Rochford Airport, Southend, Essex, England.

Film of the flight test of G-APEY



1 April 1993
Transferred to British World Airlines (BWA) due to a corporate name change.


Photo of British World Airlines (BWA) Viscount G-APEY

Country of Registration United Kingdom

April 1993 to December 1997

British World Airlines (BWA)

G-APEY - c/n 382 - a V.806 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

1 April 1993
Transferred from British Air Ferries (BAF) due to a corporate name change and initially entered service with BAF titles.

22 June 1995
Operated a special 'V.I.P.' flight from Southend Airport, Rochford, Essex to celebrate the operational history of the Vickers Viscount, in its twilight period.

Guest of honour was Gabe Robb 'Jock' Bryce, a former Vickers test pilot who was presented with a Viscount control 'yoke', suitably mounted. The other guests accompanying the British World Airlines Board of Directors was the Mayor of Southend, the Chairman of Rochford District Council and travel representatives from all those companies associated with the Viscount. Family members were also invited along.

They took off for a local sightseeing flight flown by Captain Colin Towle and returned for a celebratory lunch.

A local TV crew covered the whole event and an amateur film was also taken by Robin Pinnock which can be seen on YouTube under 'V.I.P. Farewell'. He also produced another six videos relating to the Southend based Viscounts, which are well worth watching on YouTube. His coverage of Southend Airport, covering numerous aircraft types and subject is nothing short of amazing.

Participated in a special retirement celebration at Heathrow, London, England.
Participated in a retirement celebration

18 April 1996
Participated in a special retirement celebration at Heathrow Airport, London, England that marked the withdrawal of the Viscount from passenger service in the United Kingdom. In attendance was Sir George Edwards, Sir Peter Masefield, Lord King, Ralph Robins (Rolls-Royce), Captain Jock Bryce (Viscount test pilot), the chairman of Vickers-Armstrongs, plus lots of invited guests. The Master of Ceremonies for the event was Raymond Baxter. The guests were then taken for a celebratory flight.

It was originally planned to use Viscount G-AOHM (C/N 162) for the celebration but one of the engineers preparing the aircraft for departure at Stansted Airport, Essex, England taxied the aircraft into a wire fence and cut the outer wing. G-APEY was brought down from Dyce Airport, Aberdeen, Scotland at short notice to participate in the celebrations.

8 June 1996
Operated a special enthusiasts farewell flight from Southend Airport, Rochford, Essex to Jersey Airport, Channel Islands and return.

30 June 1996
Attended an air show at Ferryfield Airport, Lydd, Kent, England including operating pleasure flights over the English Channel. These flights proved to be very popular as a lot of people knew that this was probably their last chance to fly on a Viscount in the UK.

October / November 1997
Operated a series of enthusiasts farewell flights from various UK regional airports with the BWA name and logo painted out.

30 November 1997
Operated the last of a series of enthusiasts farewell flights from Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Dorset to Southend Airport, Rochford, Essex.

3 December 1997
Sold to Heli-Jet Aviation Ltd.


Photo of Heli-Jet Aviation Ltd Viscount G-APEY

Country of Registration United Kingdom

December 1997 to January 1998

Heli-Jet Aviation Ltd

G-APEY - c/n 382 - a V.806 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

3 December 1997
Purchased from British World Airlines (BWA) in the basic livery less titles.

January 1998
Leased to SAFT Gabon.


Photo of SAFT Gabon Viscount G-APEY

Country of Registration United Kingdom

January 1998 to February 1998

SAFT Gabon

G-APEY - c/n 382 - a V.806 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

January 1998
Leased from Heli-Jet Aviation Ltd still in the basic ex British World Airlines (BWA) livery less titles.

February 1998
Returned to Heli-Jet Aviation Ltd.


Photo of Heli-Jet Aviation Ltd Viscount G-APEY

Country of Registration United Kingdom

February 1998 to September 1999

Heli-Jet Aviation Ltd

G-APEY - c/n 382 - a V.806 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

February 1998
Returned from SAFT Gabon lease still in the basic British World Airlines (BWA) livery less titles.

Stored at Lanseria International Airport, Johannesburg, South Africa.

8 September 1999
Sold to Interflight.


Photo of Interflight Viscount 3C-PBH

Country of Registration United Kingdom

September 1999 to October 1999

Interflight

3C-PBH - c/n 382 - a V.806 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

8 September 1999
Purchased from Heli-Jet Aviation Ltd.

Painted in a basic grey and white livery without titles.

17 October 1999
Leased to Air Zimbabwe.


Photo of Air Zimbabwe Viscount 3C-PBH

Country of Registration Equatorial Guinea

October 1999 to November 1999

Air Zimbabwe

3C-PBH - c/n 382 - a V.806 series Viscount
Equatorial Guinea registered

17 October 1999
Leased from Interflight but as it was only for a short period it remained in the grey and white livery without titles.

November 1999
Returned to Interflight.


Photo of Interflight Viscount 3C-PBH

Country of Registration Equatorial Guinea

November 1999 to May 2001

Interflight

3C-PBH - c/n 382 - a V.806 series Viscount
Equatorial Guinea registered

November 1999
Returned from Air Zimbabwe lease.

May 2001
Sold to Air Ogooue.


Photo of Air Ogooue Viscount 3D-JAP

Country of Registration Swaziland

May 2001 to January 2003

Air Ogooue

3D-JAP - c/n 382 - a V.806 series Viscount
Swaziland registered

May 2001
Purchased from Interflight.

It remained in the basic grey and white livery less titles.

January 2003
Sold to Global Airways (Swaziland).


Photo of Global Airways (Swaziland) Viscount 3D-JAP

Country of Registration Swaziland

January 2003 to January 2004

Global Airways (Swaziland)

3D-JAP - c/n 382 - a V.806 series Viscount
Swaziland registered

January 2003
Purchased from Air Ogooue and titles applied to the basic grey and white livery.

January 2004
Re-registered 9Q-CON.


Photo of Global Airways (D.R. Congo) Viscount 9Q-CON

Country of Registration Democratic Republic of the Congo

January 2004 to

Global Airways (D.R. Congo)

9Q-CON - c/n 382 - a V.806 series Viscount
Democratic Republic of the Congo registered

January 2004
Re-registered from 3D-JAP.

2 March 2008
Noted stored at Ndjili International Airport, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

2008
Put up for sale with the following notes:-

Log book summary: Excellent condition.
Exterior: Excellent condition.
Interior: Must be seen.
Avionics: Excellent condition.
Equipment: Outstanding.
Remarks: The best airplane for being operated in this tricky region because it can virtually land everywhere.
Price: $ Call.

No further sightings including Google Earth so presumed as scrapped. 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.


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