'Victoria Lynne' Ownership Changes
Work started over the winter to make the cockpit more complete.
Update by Martin Garrett
The first big news is the slight change in the ownership of the Viscount. For those fearing the worst there is
nothing to worry about and her future remains safely assured. Due to work and other commitments Rob MacSkimming
made the hard decision to say that he wasn’t in a position to be able to commit long term to the project and as
a result elected to allow me to purchase his shares in the airframe, an option I very quickly decided to take
him up on.
One of F-BGNR's Rolls-Royce Dart RDa3 Mark 506 engines.
Rob will continue to be an asset to the project and remains committed to helping the restoration as and when he
can. In all honesty he will most probably be doing the work at height which I’m not a fan of, as I’m sure he
will tell anyone who asks.
While I still wish to see the Viscount run an engine I am aware that this is a huge, huge undertaking for a
sole owner. The desire is still there to see this happen but now more than ever we are reliant on what good
fortune comes our way regarding sponsorship opportunities. So if the dream doesn’t happen overnight please
bear with the team. If we don’t manage to achieve it I assure you it’s not because of a lack of effort. Please
just remember that achieving this can’t and will not happen overnight.
Work over the winter period on the actual airframe slowed somewhat due to the cold weather conditions. Work
undertaken during the winter period has therefore concentrated upon smaller parts of the aircraft which we
were able to work on indoors at the museum or even at home.
The Radio Operators position has been stripped.
The cockpit was stripped of the various black boxes in the Radio Operators position and many of these have
been cosmetically restored. Whilst mentioning the cockpit if any one has or knows of the location of a Radio
Operators seat and desk we are in desperate need of these items to make the cockpit look more complete and busy.
We have also started the restoration of the co-pilots seat. This is presently in store offsite awaiting final
painting. I will provide some pictures of it in a before and after state once the work has been done. It will
make an interesting comparison I assure you.
Other minor parts we have started work on include the restoration of the Jet Pipe blanks for the exhausts of
the Dart engines. Two of the blanks require very little work while the other pair have required rather more
effort. The two requiring the more effort feature a lot of new timber but where possible original material has
been reused for originalities sake. These items are awaiting a final coat of paint and they are then ready to
be installed on the aircraft once she is back together.
Work has commenced on the root areas of the main planes.
With the better weather approaching we have once more started work on the airframe in preparation for her
reassembly. The aircraft has been stored externally unassembled for nearly 11 years. Considering that, she is
in remarkable condition and the work that is required although not small could be a lot worse. We have
commenced work on the root areas of the main planes and also the area on which the main planes meet on the
fuselage. We have treated the minor corrosion that was present and by the time we post again we will have
painted these areas to prevent future corrosion. Remember this is our only opportunity to work on these areas.
Once she is reassembled we won’t ever see these areas again. By the next post we will also have completed the
same kind of work in the areas where the tail plane and fin meets the fuselage.
The winter period has also seen many people stepping forward and donating time and parts. A special mention
has to go to Vickers Viscount Network very own Brian Burrage. Brian negotiated a donation which saw us take
delivery of four Dart engine stands and also a Dart engine sling that will allow us to lift our Darts in the
way designed by Rolls-Royce. A big thank you to H+S Aviation Ltd and to Brian for his continued Dart engine
support.
At the present I’m unable to mention some of the other help that has been offered although I will be in a
position to tell you more in the next update, that I promise will be a bit sooner than 6 months. All I will
say for now is we have a sponsor on board to assemble the aircraft and there are a few other very nice
surprises to unveil shortly which will without doubt give Vicky a rejuvenated look.
For more information about this project please e-mail
the 'Viscount
35 Association' , or visit the
Viscount 35 Association’s web site
.
F-BGNR while with Air France showing the original design propeller blades
