02 December 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 413

Operational Record

Photo of Viscount c/n 413
British European Airways Corporation (BEA)


England flag England

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

It first flew on Monday, 21 July 1958 at Weybridge, Surrey, England powered by Rolls-Royce Dart 520 engines.


Photo of Viscount c/n 413
Mandala Airlines


Indonesia flag Indonesia

Its final owner/operator was
Mandala Airlines as PK-RVM.

Its fate:-
Damaged beyond repair after overrunning the runway on landing at Taipei Airport, Taiwan and ending up in a paddy field 1 February 1975. Remains broken up for scrap.


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

Country of Registration United Kingdom

August 1958 to January 1969

British European Airways Corporation (BEA)

G-APJU - c/n 413 - a V.806 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

30 December 1957
Registered to British European Airways Corporation (BEA).

It was purchased as a Type 806 to replace the crashed Viscount G-AOHP (C/N 165) under BEA sales order 39C.

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

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

30 July 1958
Certificate of Airworthiness (CofA) issued.

2 August 1958
Delivered to British European Airways (BEA) named as 'R M A Sir Gilbert Blane'.

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

16 November 1958
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England due to a London Airport (Heathrow) weather diversion.

2 December 1958
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.

BEA ‘Red Square‘ livery.
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.

31 March 1959
BEA annual report quotes a total time of 1,182 hours.

1 April 1960
Noted at Bahrein International Airport, Al Muharraq, Persian Gulf with Cyprus Airways sub-titles.

3 July 1968
Received minor damage from the aftermath of the BKS Airspeed AS.57 Ambassador G-AMAD accident which lost control on the final approach to runway 27R at Heathrow Airport, London, England.

20 January 1969
Trans-Peruana S.A. (TP) titles applied to the basic BEA livery but the sale was not completed.


Photo of Trans-Peruana S.A. (TP) Viscount G-APJU

Country of Registration United Kingdom

January 1969 to October 1969

Trans-Peruana S.A. (TP)

G-APJU - c/n 413 - a V.806 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

20 January 1969
Trans-Peruana S.A. (TP) titles applied to the basic BEA livery but the sale was not completed.

9 February 1969
Noted still at Heathrow Airport, London, England in the modified BEA 'Red Square' livery.


Photo of British European Airways Corporation (BEA) Viscount G-APJU

Country of Registration United Kingdom

October 1969 to August 1970

British European Airways Corporation (BEA)

G-APJU - c/n 413 - a V.806 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

circa October 1969
Ferried to Teversham Airport, Cambridge, England for storage under the care of Marshall's as the proposed sale to Trans-Peruana S.A. (TP) was not completed.

July 1970
Noted at Prestwick Airport, Ayrshire, Scotland after a repaint in Mandala Airlines livery by Scottish Aviation Ltd (SAL).

1 August 1970
Sold to Mandala Airlines.

Total time 20,407 hours and 18,346 total landings.

FURTHER READING: Books about British European Airways



Photo of Mandala Airlines Viscount PK-RVM

Country of Registration Indonesia

August 1970 to January 1971

Mandala Airlines

PK-RVM - c/n 413 - a V.806 series Viscount
Indonesia registered

1 August 1970
Purchased from British European Airways Corporation (BEA).

Initially named as 'Enam Djam Di Jogja', after a patriotic film about a battle which lead to the end of Dutch colonial rule in Indonesia.

8 August 1970
Delivered to Mandala Airlines with the UK registration still applied.

14 August 1970
UK registration cancelled.

Later renamed as 'Garuda Mataran'. The actual date is not known. Details please to information@vickersviscount.net

July 1971
Merged with Seulawah Air Services and became Seulawah-Mandala Airlines.


Photo of Seulawah-Mandala Airlines Viscount PK-RVM

Country of Registration Indonesia

January 1971 to July 1973

Seulawah-Mandala Airlines

PK-RVM - c/n 413 - a V.806 series Viscount
Indonesia registered

July 1971
Merged with Seulawah Air Service and became Seulawah-Mandala Airlines.

July 1973
Operating name changed back to Mandala Airlines.


Photo of Mandala Airlines Viscount PK-RVM

Country of Registration Indonesia

July 1973 to February 1975

Mandala Airlines

PK-RVM - c/n 413 - a V.806 series Viscount
Indonesia registered

July 1973
Operating name changed from Seulawah-Mandala Airlines.

1 February 1975
Damaged beyond repair after overrunning the runway on landing at Songshan Airport, Taipei, Taiwan and ending up in a paddy field. All five crew on board survived.

Remains broken up for scrap.


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.