Work is underway to restore '625' to her former glory
British Columbia Aviation Museum Viscount '625' CF-THG.
CF-THG being foamed down by the Vancouver Airport Fire Service in 2000
The British Columbia Aviation Museum acquired ex Air Canada Viscount '625' CF-THG c/n 224 from
the Pacific Vocational Institute Maintenance School at Vancouver International Airport in 2005.
The aircraft had been used as an instructional airframe since 1980 and in 1995 it was retired
and used by the Airport Fire Service, luckily in a non-destructive way.
The port main undercarriage needed repairs before the aircraft could be moved
BCAM bought it for one dollar and moved it in one piece during April 2005, which must be unique
for a preserved Viscount. A lot of preparation work was required before the aircraft could be
moved; including pumping up the tyres on the undercarriage and freeing the brakes.
'625' on the barge
The aircraft was moved by road to a suitable jetty so that it could be loaded onto a large barge
that also had a house on it. Moving it across the water between Vancouver and Victoria had to be
done when the weather was calm as towed barges are hard to control in rough seas. The aircraft
was landed at the Patricia Bay Coast Guard Station and transferred from there to the Museum.
The interior is in reasonable condition
Now that the aircraft has been rescued, a team of volunteers has started to begin what will be
a long process of restoring her back to her former glory. The interior is in reasonable condition
with typical pastel colours of the period and the cockpit is also fairly complete but needs
putting back together. A garish pink toilet is not something you see nowadays but as a
time-capsule it is priceless.
The garish pink toilet
Several items are missing and the details of these requirements will appear on the website when
known so that hopefully they can be found elsewhere in the Viscount world. For more information
about this project and the
British Columbia Aviation Museum, visit their
web site and watch the news pages here at the Vickers Viscount Network.
The Museum is open daily except for Christmas and New Year's Day and can be found at 1910
Norseman Road, Sidney, British Columbia, Canada.
Telephone: (250) 655-3300
The cockpit is fairly complete but needs putting back together.
