Vickers-Armstrongs

25 August 2025

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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.

Viscount history

Letter from HRH Prince Philip

See and hear a Viscount

Newsletters

Flight Magazine Reports

Aircraft operational
records and photos

Viscount illustrations
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.

Share your photos and stories

Live Magazine

Our 'Live Magazine' is used by members and non-members to share their Viscount photos and stories with fellow enthusiasts located throughout the world in real time.

You are able to send in your photos, stories and comments by Facebook, Twitter or email and we will post them for all to enjoy.

Contact us

information@VickersViscount.net

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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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Aircraft operational records

Viscount c/n 435 had a
long and varied career

Records for all 445 aircraft built are available

The story of each Viscount is as varied as the number of aircraft built. Some like c/n 248 G-AOXU and c/n 435 G-BFZL had long and varied careers. Others like c/n 84 VH-TVG and c/n 447 D-ANAF had loyal careers with only one owner. Some however had very short careers like c/n 337 AP-AJE that crashed after only 5 months service.

To retrieve an aircraft's operational record enter either its construction number (1-459) or one of the registrations it used during its life. Note that some registrations were allocated to more than one Viscount and are marked (*).

Enter the construction number Construction number must be between 1 and 459

or registration

Displayed will be all the information that we have on file for that aircraft. However the history may be incomplete, so any help you can give in completing it will be appreciated.

Featured aircraft - c/n 89 - XR801

Photo of Empire Test Pilots School (ETPS) Viscount XR801 c/n 89

England

XR801 - Empire Test Pilots School (ETPS) - January 1962 to May 1972

Purchased from Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd. Taken at Farnborough Airfield, Hampshire, England in September 1962 with sister Viscount XR802 (C/N 198) on the right.

In the foreground is English Electric Canberra T.4 WH854 with code '30'.

Photo source - Alf Jefferies via Lynn Ballard

Aircraft Summary

Capital Airlines (USA)

This aircraft c/n 89, a V.744, was built for Capital Airlines (USA) as N7403 and first flew on Thursday, 30 June 1955 at Hurn, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England.

During its life it was also owned and/or operated by Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd, Linea Aeropostal Venezolana (LAV), All Nippon Airways (ANA) and the Empire Test Pilots School (ETPS)

Its final owner/operator was Shackleton Aviation Ltd as XR801.

Its fate:-

Withdrawn from service by Empire Test Pilots School (ETPS) and ferried to Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England for storage 25 October 1971.

Purchased from the Ministry of Defence by Shackleton Aviation Ltd and ferried to Baginton Airport, Coventry, England 18 May 1972 where it was robbed of all useful spares.

Remains moved to Shirebrook, Derbyshire, England on the B6407 north of Mansfield, Derbyshire circa June 1973.

Remains moved to Bolsover, Derbyshire, England on the A619 east of Chesterfield, Derbyshire to be used as a Café circa September 1973.

Café project abandoned and aircraft broken up for scrap circa January 1975. Can anyone give us better dates? Details please to information@vickersviscount.net

History and photos of Viscount c/n 89 XR801
Empire Test Pilots School (ETPS) Viscount fleet list and photos
United Kingdom issued Viscount registrations
Photos contributed by Alf Jefferies via Lynn Ballard

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