Travel back in time with the Viscount
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England
G-AOHV - British European Airways Corporation (BEA) - July 1957 to July 1973
Delivered new to British European Airways (BEA) and now un-named. Taken at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England circa June 1973 with a British Caledonian Airways (BCAL) Vickers VC10 and Boeing 707 in the background.
All four Rolls-Royce Dart engines are now running and the ground engineer is waiting for the captain to confirm that the Ground Power Unit (GPU) can be disconnected.
A second engineer is crouching underneath the belly awaiting the signal to pull the plug.
Photo source - Des Pike collection
Aircraft Summary
British European Airways Corporation (BEA)
This aircraft c/n 170, a V.802, was built for British European Airways Corporation (BEA) as G-AOHV and first flew on Wednesday, 10 July 1957 at Weybridge, Surrey, England.
During its life it was also owned and/or operated by British Airways (BA), British Air Ferries (BAF), Oasis Oil Company, Esso Standard Libya Inc, Polar Airways, Euroair Transport Ltd, Tunisavia, British World Airlines (BWA), Airwing 2000 Ltd, Interflight, Transtel, Ivory Coast Government, Pegasus Aviation, Global Airways and GTRA Airways
Its final owner/operator was Ferme Hasna as 9Q-COD.Its fate:-
Withdrawn from service by Global Airways and stored at Luano Airport, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo in January 2009.
This is the last known flight of a Vickers Viscount anywhere in the world.
Sold to GTRA Airways but remained stored at Luano Airport, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo. Offered for sale in September 2012 for US $250,000 reportedly in a 'flyable' condition. Still visible on Google Earth 18 August 2014. Noted on Google Earth at Ferme Hasna, near Futuka Village, a tourist resort off the main N5 road to Mwangalala, northeast of Lubumbashi 18 October 2015.