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Aviation Books
These books have been chosen for their Viscount content,
and for the people and events that made the Viscount so enduring
1. Sir George Edwards - the father of the Viscount
George Edwards (later Sir George Edwards), was for a quarter of a century from 1950, the dominant figure in
British aviation, both civil and military. His name is synonymous with the Viscount, the world's first gas turbine-powered aircraft to carry fare-paying passengers on a
scheduled service, and Concorde, for which he led the British team throughout its formative period to customer delivery.
Vickers
Beginning as a design draughtsman in 1935, George Edwards was promoted in 1940 to Experimental Department Manager and in 1945 he became the Chief Designer of the Vickers-Armstrongs
team that produced the Viking airliner, Valetta military transport, Varsity trainer, Viscount airliners and Valiant strategic bomber. He later became managing director of the company,
supervising the development of the Vanguard, VC10 and (post-merger) BAC TSR-2 strike bomber. He was knighted in 1957. He was President of the Royal Aeronautical Society in 1957-58.
BAC (British Aircraft Corporation)
When Vickers was merged into the newly created British Aircraft Corporation, he became Executive Director. During this period, he initiated the BAC One-Eleven (initially a Hunting
Aircraft design). BAC was also a partner in the international projects for Concorde (for which he led the British team), Anglo-French SEPECAT Jaguar and the Panavia Tornado.
He was awarded the Daniel Guggenheim Medal in 1959. He won the Air League Founders Medal in 1969. He was made a member of the Order of Merit in 1971 and was awarded the Royal Medal
in 1974 for his distinguished contributions in the applied sciences. He retired from BAC, as chairman, in 1975. In 1989 he was invested in the International Aerospace Hall of Fame.
Books about Sir George Edwards, and Vickers-Armstrongs and BAC aircraft
Sir George Edwards 1908 - 2003 - obituary
2. The Vickers Viscount - Books about the Viscount, its development, and its career
Introduced in 1948, the Vickers Viscount became Great Britain's most successful airliner by the late '50s, as well as the most widely used turbine-powered air transport in the world.
Its huge windows and quiet, comfortable ride made it a favorite with passengers, and airlines found it to be a reliable, inexpensive plane to operate. In fact, in 1955 Flight magazine
referred to the Viscount as, 'a machine so patently superior to its rivals that it has set in its field wholly new standards of comfort, performance and reliability'.
These books cover the Viscount history, from the development of turboprop engines in England after World War II, on through the plane's 50-year
service history.
Books about the Viscount, its development, and its career
3. Accidents - Books about Viscount accidents
Books about Viscount accidents
4. Viscount owners and operators
Books about Aer Lingus
Books about BA - British Airways
Books about BEA - British European Airways
Books about New Zealand National Airways Corporation
Books about Silver City Airways
5. Generic aviation books
Books about general aviation
6. Books about aircraft accidents
Books about aircraft accident
Sorted into five categories the books detailed above have all been recommended by Vickers Viscount Network followers. If you can
add to these lists please contact us with the details.
Viscount Mugs
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