12 October 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

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records and photos

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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 438

Operational Record

Photo of Viscount c/n 438
Austrian Airlines (AUA)


Austria flag Austria

This V.837 series Viscount was built for
Austrian Airlines (AUA) as OE-LAG

It first flew on Wednesday, 17 February 1960 at Weybridge, Surrey, England powered by Rolls-Royce Dart 525 engines.

During its life this aircraft was also owned and/or operated by
TABSO - Bulgarian Civil Air Transport, Austrian Air Transport, Shackleton Aviation Ltd, Royal Radar & Signals Establishment (RRE), Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE), Defence Research Agency (DRA), International Turbine Service Inc (ITS) and Cockpits for Hire

Photo of Viscount c/n 438
Brooklands Museum


England flag England

Its final owner/operator was
Brooklands Museum as XT575.

Its fate:-
Withdrawn from service by the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) and stored at Thurleigh Airfield, Bedfordshire, England February 1991.

Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAR) renamed Defence Research Agency (DRA) April 1991.

Sold at a Phillips auction in London, England to International Turbine Service Inc (ITS) of Grapevine, Texas, USA for £166,750 specifically for the recovery of the Rolls-Royce Dart engines (four installed and two spares) 8 July 1993.

Airframe dismantled by Hanningfield Metals at Thurleigh, Bedfordshire, England and transferred to their yard at Templewood Industrial Estate, Stock Road, West Hanningfield, Essex, England circa August 1993.

Forward fuselage section donated by International Turbine Service Inc UK representative Phil Reid to Cockpits for Hire at Bruntingthorpe, Leicestershire, England in February 1994.

Forward fuselage section donated for preservation at the Brooklands Museum, Weybridge, Surrey, England 14 January 1996. Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) the museum closed to the general public until further notice 20 March 2020.


Operational record
Photo of Austrian Airlines (AUA) Viscount OE-LAG

Country of Registration Austria

February 1960 to May 1964

Austrian Airlines (AUA)

OE-LAG - c/n 438 - a V.837 series Viscount
Austria registered

1959
Originally laid down for ANSETT-ANA Airlines as a Type 832 but the sale was not completed.

Re-designated as a generic Type 810U by Vickers pending a sale.

It carried F01-211C in chalk on the fuselage protective coating.

Converted to Type 837 standard during final construction for Austrian Airlines (AUA).

17 February 1960
First flight from Brooklands Airfield, Weybridge, Surrey, England.

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

18 February 1960
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England carrying out a single ILS approach and overshoot.

19 February 1960
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England carrying out a single ILS approach and overshoot.

29 February 1960
Handed over to Austrian Airlines (AUA) with Austrian CAA registration reference number OZ1182.

It was fitted with integral front 'airsteps' and extended range 'slipper' fuel tanks.

29 February 1960
Departed from Wisley Airfield, Surrey, England to London Airport (Heathrow), Middlesex, England during the delivery to Austrian Airlines (AUA) at Schwechat Airport, Vienna, Austria but not yet named.

Named as 'Franz Schubert' after arrival in Austria.

The name was painted on the forward cabin door.

2 March 1960
Noted at Blackbushe Airport, Hampshire, England.

circa 1963
The name was repositioned on the lower forward fuselage after the introduction of a revised livery.

Summer 1963
Leased to Bulgarian Civil Air Transport (TABSO) probably in full Austrian Airlines (AUA) livery.


Photo of TABSO - Bulgarian Civil Air Transport Viscount LZ-BEO

Country of Registration Bulgaria

May 1963 to October 1963

TABSO - Bulgarian Civil Air Transport

LZ-BEO - c/n 438 - a V.837 series Viscount
Bulgaria registered

Summer 1963
Leased from Austrian Airlines (AUA) probably in full Austrian Airlines (AUA) livery.

Possibly registered LZ-BEO. Further details and/or photos to information@vickersviscount.net. Registration LZ-BEO was subsequently used on a TABSO - Bulgarian Civil Air Transport Ilyushin IL-18 circa 1964.

October 1963
Returned to Austrian Airlines (AUA).


Photo of Austrian Airlines (AUA) Viscount OE-LAG

Country of Registration Austria

October 1963 to May 1964

Austrian Airlines (AUA)

OE-LAG - c/n 438 - a V.837 series Viscount
Austria registered

October 1963
Returned from TABSO - Bulgarian Civil Air Transport.

15 March 1964
Noted at Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England due to a London Airport (Heathrow) weather diversion.

circa May 1964
Leased to Austrian Air Transport in full Austrian Airlines (AUA) livery.


Photo of Austrian Air Transport Viscount OE-LAG

Country of Registration Austria

May 1964 to August 1964

Austrian Air Transport

OE-LAG - c/n 438 - a V.837 series Viscount
Austria registered

circa May 1964
Leased from Austrian Airlines (AUA) in full AUA livery.

Austrian Air Transport was a subsidiary of Austrian Airlines (AUA) who held a 40% share.

August 1964
Returned to Austrian Airlines (AUA).


Photo of Austrian Airlines (AUA) Viscount OE-LAG

Country of Registration Austria

August 1964 to August 1964

Austrian Airlines (AUA)

OE-LAG - c/n 438 - a V.837 series Viscount
Austria registered

August 1964
Returned from Austrian Air Transport lease.

17 August 1964
Sold to Shackleton Aviation Ltd.


Photo of Shackleton Aviation Ltd Viscount OE-LAG

Country of Registration Austria

August 1964 to October 1964

Shackleton Aviation Ltd

OE-LAG - c/n 438 - a V.837 series Viscount
Austria registered

17 August 1964
Purchased from Austrian Airlines (AUA).

Total time 9,500 hours.

19 August 1964
Ferried from Schwechat Airport, Vienna, Austria to Pershore Airfield, Worcestershire, England via Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England for customs clearance.

31 October 1964
Sold to the Ministry of Technology for use by the Royal Radar & Signals Establishment (RRE).


Photo of Royal Radar & Signals Establishment (RRE) Viscount XT575

Country of Registration United Kingdom

October 1964 to April 1977

Royal Radar & Signals Establishment (RRE)

XT575 - c/n 438 - a V.837 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

31 October 1964
Purchased from Shackleton Aviation Ltd by the Ministry of Technology for use by the Royal Radar & Signals Establishment (RRE) at Pershore Airfield, Worcestershire, England.

Fitted with a large belly radome forward of the wing for Nimrod ASW electronic trials.

Rolled out in a new livery with a red rear fuselage and tail section and white rudder.
RRE - Royal Radar & Signals Establishment
'Red tail' livery

9 March 1977
Rolled out in a new livery with a red rear fuselage and tail section and white rudder.

17 April 1977
Transferred to the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) at Thurleigh Airfield, Bedfordshire, England after the closure of Pershore Airfield, Worcestershire, England.


Photo of Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) Viscount XT575

Country of Registration United Kingdom

April 1977 to April 1991

Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE)

XT575 - c/n 438 - a V.837 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

17 April 1977
Transferred from the Royal Radar & Signals Establishment (RRE) after the closure of Pershore Airfield, Worcestershire, England to Thurleigh Airfield, Bedfordshire, England.

Repainted in a new livery commonly described as 'Raspberry Ripple'.
RAE
'Raspberry Ripple' livery

Repainted in a new livery commonly described as 'Raspberry Ripple'.

February 1991
Withdrawn from service and stored at Thurleigh Airfield, Bedfordshire, England. Total time 11,001 hours.

April 1991
Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) renamed Defence Research Agency (DRA) at Thurleigh Airfield, Bedfordshire, England.


Photo of Defence Research Agency (DRA) Viscount XT575

Country of Registration United Kingdom

April 1991 to July 1993

Defence Research Agency (DRA)

XT575 - c/n 438 - a V.837 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

April 1991
Renamed from Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) at Thurleigh Airfield, Bedfordshire, England.

8 July 1993
Sold at auction (Lot 19) by Phillips in London to International Turbine Service Inc (ITS) of Grapevine, Texas, USA.


Photo of International Turbine Service Inc (ITS) Viscount XT575

Country of Registration United Kingdom

July 1993 to August 1993

International Turbine Service Inc (ITS)

XT575 - c/n 438 - a V.837 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

8 July 1993
Purchased from the Ministry of Defence at a Phillips auction (Lot 19) in London, England for £166,750 (including fees) specifically for the recovery of the four installed Rolls-Royce Dart RDa7 Mark 525F engines and two more spare engines.

The Rolls-Royce Dart engines and other useful parts were removed by International Turbine Service Inc (ITS) at Thurleigh Airfield, Bedfordshire, England.

31 July 1993
Airframe sold to Hanningfield Metals for metal salvage.


Photo of Hanningfield Metals Viscount XT575

Country of Registration United Kingdom

August 1993 to February 1994

Hanningfield Metals

XT575 - c/n 438 - a V.837 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

circa August 1993
Airframe dismantled by Hanningfield Metals at Thurleigh, Bedfordshire, England and transferred to their yard at Templewood Industrial Estate, Stock Road, West Hanningfield, Essex, England.

The forward section was to be donated to a museum on the instructions of Phil Reid, the UK representative of International Turbine Service Inc (ITS).

February 1994
Forward fuselage section donated to Cockpits for Hire at Bruntingthorpe, Leicestershire, England.

November 1994
Rear fuselage section noted still lying within the scrap yard together with XT575 (C/N 438).

February 1996
Rear fuselage section finally processed for metal salvage.


Photo of Cockpits for Hire Viscount XT575

Country of Registration United Kingdom

February 1994 to January 1996

Cockpits for Hire

XT575 - c/n 438 - a V.837 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

February 1994
Forward fuselage section donated by International Turbine Service Inc (ITS) of Grapevine, Texas, USA.

14 January 1996
Forward fuselage section donated to the Brooklands Museum, Weybridge, Surrey, England.


Photo of Brooklands Museum Viscount XT575

Country of Registration United Kingdom

January 1996 to

Brooklands Museum

XT575 - c/n 438 - a V.837 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

14 January 1996
Forward fuselage section donated by Cockpits for Hire for preservation at the Brooklands Museum, Weybridge, Surrey, England.

January 2004
Noted in a new area of the museum.

Nose section noted in a new area at the museum when the sections of Concorde G-BBDG arrived at the Brooklands Museum.
Concorde G-BBDG

January 2005
Noted in a new area of the museum when the sections of Concorde G-BBDG arrived at the Museum.

May 2008
Noted next to G-ARVM, a Vickers VC10 fuselage section near the WWII Bellman hangar.

Displayed alongside the complete Viscount G-APIM (C/N 412)
Displayed with Viscount
G-APIM

25 May 2009
Moved by flatbed truck from near the WWII Bellman hangar and installed alongside the complete Viscount G-APIM (C/N 412).

The interior was not yet accessible to the general public.

2012
Noted undergoing an exterior repaint.

2013
Public access to the interior was now available.

20 January 2020
New steel fabricated fuselage support frames installed utilising the resident AEC Matador Crane Truck affectionally known as 'Millie' and members of the Viscount volunteer team.

20 March 2020
Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) the museum closed to the general public until further notice but has since reopened.

6 June 2023
The port outer wing from G-AOHT (C/N 168) was put on display next to XT575 (C/N 438) painted in RAE colours including the fitment of an extended range 'slipper' fuel tank.


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.