
July 1958 to September 1969
British European Airways Corporation (BEA)
G-APKF - c/n 396 - 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.
28 January 1958
Registered to British European Airways Corporation (BEA).
3 July 1958
First flight from Brooklands Airfield, Weybridge, Surrey, England.
It landed at Wisley Airfield, Surrey, England for fitting out and test flying.
11 July 1958
UK Certificate of Airworthiness (CofA) issued.
12 July 1958
Delivered to British European Airways (BEA) named as 'R M A Michael Faraday'.
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.
7 January 1960
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England due to a London Airport (Heathrow) weather diversion.
3 September 1960
During the start of the takeoff run at London Airport (Heathrow), Middlesex, England on service BE190 to Linate Airport, Milan, Italy there was a fire warning for the No.3 (starboard inner) Rolls-Royce Dart engine.
The Captain elected to abandon the takeoff, fired off the extinguisher bottle for that engine and shut it down.
After returning to the terminal it was discovered that there was a fault in the Graviner firewire system caused by chafing which resulted in a false alarm.
The passengers were transferred to another aircraft and continued their journey.
7 September 1960
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England due to a London Airport (Heathrow) weather diversion.
8 December 1960
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England due to a London Airport (Heathrow) weather diversion.
31 August 1962
R-R Dart RDa7 Mark 520-3 engine S/N 7173 installed in the No.3 (starboard inner) position at 8920 hours total airframe time.
20 January 1964
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England due to a London Airport (Heathrow) weather diversion.
9 July 1965
Noted at Leeds / Bradford Airport, Yeadon, Yorkshire, England operating UK services on behalf of BKS Air Transport Ltd.
14 December 1965
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England due to a London Airport (Heathrow) weather diversion.
31 January 1966
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England due to a London Airport (Heathrow) weather diversion.
3 July 1968
Damaged at Heathrow Airport, London, England after BKS Air Transport Airspeed AS.57 Ambassador G-AMAD lost control during the final approach to runway 28R, and during an attempted go-around it veered across the airport and collided with this aircraft and two BEA de Havilland Tridents, one of which, G-ARPT was written off.
Sadly, all six on board the Ambassador were killed as well as eight race horses.
Repaired and returned to service. This aircraft was not repainted in the new ‘Flying Union Jack‘ livery.
24 February 1969
Withdrawn from service and ferried to Teversham Airport, Cambridge, England under the care of Marshall's.
September 1969
Sold to Lao Air Lines.
FURTHER READING: Books about BEA - British European Airways
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