Help us identify these Viscounts?

From time to time we receive photos of aircraft that we cannot identify. These important images often point to a missing part of Viscount histories and need to be solved. If you can help please contact us at Information@VickersViscount.net.

Puembo, Ecuador Viscount

Ed Jones has asked if we can identify this Viscount? These four photos by Stefano Rota, were taken on the 1st May 2004 at Puembo, Ecuador. Stefano says that the aircraft is complete, is stored in a private garden, used to belong to a rich man in the Air Force, and carries the false registration HC-CAG that may be derived from the owners initails. Details please to Information@VickersViscount.net.

ANSWER - Geoff Blampied has noted that the new Air Britain book 'The Vickers Viscount' says 'A Viscount with the false registration HC-CAG was noted preserved in a garden in Puembo, Ecuador in May 2004 - may be c/n 204 although other Ecuadorian Viscounts were damaged/crashed so are also possibilities.' The book also states that Viscount c/n 204 was broken up in Ecuador in February 1980!

Montréal Viscount

Aad van der Voet has asked if we can identify this Viscount? These two photos by Bill Blanchard, were taken on the 1st October 1995 during the 'Plein Vol' exhibition at the Marché Bonsecours market building in Montréal, Canada. Understood to be an ex Air Canada aircraft the second photo shows a small Air Canada logo on the rudder. Details please to Information@VickersViscount.net.

ANSWER - Simon Ellwood has noted that OldProps.net has recently updated its Viscount page and reports that this aircraft is c/n 385 CF-TIE.

Geoff Blampied has noted that the new Air Britain book 'The Vickers Viscount' states that Viscount c/n 385 CF-TIE suffered extensive interior fire damage on 12 April 1980 while on display at the Western Canada Aviation Museum, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It was later noted in a derelict condition at Winnipeg in October 1987. Later some sections were transferred to a shopping mall in Montréal, Quebec, Canada.

Roy Blewett is not convinced about the Viscount being c/n 385 CF-TIE, largely since its seems quite gap in years between the last report at Winnipeg and it's exhibition in Montreal. He thinks a more likely candidate is c/n 308 CF-THZ/C-FTHZ which was noted stored at Dorval in April 1993, and cancelled from the Canadian register in November 1996. Checking against the photo of c/n 308 while owned by Aeroleasing & Sales shows that there are similarities with the colours too. White upper-side, white fin, silver underside, with the red emergency markings. The Air Canada logo was almost certainly added for display as it is non-standard in that location (perhaps to acknowledge some role the airline played in transporting the aircraft), so this is probably a red herring.

Geoff Blampied notes that the 'The Vickers Viscount' book says of c/n 308 - 'Nose and tail sections may have been attached to Bonescourse Market in Montréal circa June 1995'.

Brian Burrage say that the only thing he knows against this aircraft being c/n 308 is that there is a report of it still being in storage at Dorval, Montréal, Canada in March 1997.

Harare Viscount is VP-WJI/Z-WJI c/n 241

Brian Burrage asks which Viscount is this at Harare, Zimbabwe in Feburary 1991 parked amongst the Air Zimbabwe fleet and seems to have been used as a spares source for quite some time.
Details please to Information@VickersViscount.net.

ANSWER - Peter Upton believes that this aircraft is VP-WJI c/n 241. He says that it was re-registered Z-WJI and withdrawn from use and stored June 1984, possibly still in two tone blue scheme and possibly later over-painted grey? Apparently it was seen in September 1991 with no tail or registration.

Rob Rickards who flew Viscounts in Zimbabwe between 1982 and 1986, and again between 1988 and 1990, says that all of the 700 series Viscounts had been retired by August 1986 and feels that this aircraft must be VP-YNC c/n 100 or VP-WAR c/n 240. He has come to this conclusion by the elimination of the others, and as these two aircraft were not flown after 1983 and were, he believes, the first to be used for spares.

Tony Ward hazards a guess that this Viscount would be either [1] Z-YNI c/n 374, which in 1984 suffered some structural damage when the undercarriage nose wheel collapsed and never flew again. It was apparently donated to the Harare Airport Fire service. Or [2] Z-WJI c/n 241, which was withdrawn in 1984 and he doesn’t know what happened to it after that. His reason for identifying it as one of these two, is that the aircraft in the photo appears to retain the cheat line markings that were used by Air Zimbabwe and Air Rhodesia prior to the current "Flying Deckchair" colour scheme. The other Air Zimbabwe Viscounts that were still flying were repainted in the new colours.

Tony Rickelton thinks that the Viscount is probably VP-WJI c/n 241. The other 700 series Viscounts in this fleet have been more or less accounted for, and as far as he knows, VP-WJI was never painted in the Air Zimbabwe colours. In the photo the airline name has been painted out, but if you look at a picture of VP-WJI in Air Rhodesia colours, you will see that the positions of the markings correspond.

Brian Burrage, the Vickers Viscount Network co-founder and historian, has now formally identified this Viscount as VP-WJI/Z-WJI c/n 241 from detailed research together with the above correspondence.

Where is Viscount c/n 152 G-AOJC?

Simon Ellwood, a keen diver has asked where is the ex Wales Aircraft Museum Viscount c/n 152 G-AOJC? Our must recent information states that it is believed to be used at a diving school in Leicestershire, England. Our most recent photo is of the fuselage taken at Enstone, Oxfordshire, England 26 July 1996. Details please to Information@VickersViscount.net.

ANSWER - Julian Cannon has recently been told that the fuselage was broken up for scrap at Enstone with the nose section only being sold to a diving club. But which diving club and what was the fate of the cockpit?

Royal Air Lao Viscount XW-PNJ

This photo of Royal Air Lao V.700 series Viscount XW-PNJ was supplied by Peter Upton. Question - which aircraft/construction number is XW-PNJ, and when did Royal Air Lao operate/own it? Details please to Information@VickersViscount.net.

ANSWER - Ed Jones says that this aircraft was almost certainly ex IAC - Indian Airlines Corporation, also Royal Air Lao was merged with Air Lao in 1973 so it is safe to assume it was taken pre 1973. Many Indian Airlines airframes were withdrawn from use in 1971 and there is a possibility that they may have leased this one.

Simon Ellwood has noted that ATDB.org is quoting that the obscure Royal Air Lao Viscount XW-PNJ is s/n 295 ex IAC - Indian Airlines Corporation VT-DJB, a V.768D, but notes that serial is 'to be confirmed'.

Can anyone confirm the above?

INTERESTATAL DE AVIACION Viscount XA-MIU is c/n 201

Hugo Gutierrez, a Mexican airline historian, has informed us about Viscount XA-MIU that was operated by INTERESTATAL DE AVIACION during the last three months of 1982. Operated between several cities in the Gulf of Mexico, Tampico-Poza Rica-Veracruz-Minatitlan-Ciudad del Carmen, on contract with state owned oil compapy PEMEX. Question - which aircraft/construction number is Viscount XA-MIU, and has anyone any photos of her? Details please to Information@VickersViscount.net.

ANSWER - Peter Upton tells us that XA-MIU is Viscount c/n 201 and the livery matches a photo of c/n 201 as N220RC taken at Hollywood, Florida, USA 29 July 1981.

Aerolineas Republica Viscount XA-MIJ is c/n 117

This photo of Aerorepublica V.745D Viscount XA-MIJ was taken by Captain Jesus Siller and supplied by Hugo Gutierrez, a Mexican airline historian. Aerorepublica, a small regional airline that operated between Mexico City and Morelia, Uruapan and Lazaro Cardenas in the State of Michoacan, Mexico used two Vickers Viscount V.745D's leased from Go Group in the USA. XA-MIJ operated between November 1981 and May 1982 and the second one, XA-MOS c/n 334, between March 1982 and June 1984. Question - which aircraft/construction number is XA-MIJ? Details please to Information@VickersViscount.net.

ANSWER - Peter Upton and Garry Russell have both informed us that XA-MIJ is Viscount c/n 117.

Felixstowe Viscount is D-ANIP c/n 341

This photo of a V.810 series Viscount being unloaded from a ship in Felixstowe Dock, England in the mid 1960's was given to Alex Carrie by Felixstowe Times press photographer John Kerr. Which Viscount is it and what is the story behind the picture? Details please to Information@VickersViscount.net.

ANSWER - Peter Foulger is sure that he was involved in dismantling this aircraft after it was involved in a heavy landing at Munich, Germany around November 1965. At the time of the accident the aircraft was being operated by Condor Flugdienst in their livery and leased from Lufthansa. After being dismantled it was transported to Marshall's at Cambridge, England were the starboard outer wing was replace and the inner wing repaired. The photo would have been taken in January 1966.

Simon Ellwood has narrowed the search down to four aircraft that were operated by Condor Flugdienst and leased from Lufthansa - c/n 338 D-ANUN, c/n 339 D-ANOL, c/n 341 D-ANIP and c/n 342 D-ANUR.

Marco Marcham found in the March 1966 issue of 'Air Pictorial' an item that says that Viscount D-ANIP arrived at Cambridge, England from Munich, Germany 18 January 1966.