With so many restoration projects in progress, is it at all possible to get a Viscount in the air. It was such a success for the British Aviation industry and well liked and remembered by all who flew on one. It is one of the few airliners that the general public would recognize and could have appeal on the airshow circuit. I know there are those in museums but does anybody know of a possible flyer ? I applaud the effort to get the CL44 airborne and hope it is successful, but how much easier would it be to fly a Viscount. Apart from flying on many of them I have no knowledge of how difficult it would be, however I am interested to hear from those more knowledgeable than I on the practicality of doing it. Money of course would be a major problem as with all restorations.
By: Propstrike - 9th March 2018 at 21:22
Viscounts were the sound-track to my childhood. Living under the Bovingdon VOR beacon, it seemed I could always hear a those whistling Darts, as they went round and round the stack, waiting to head into Heathrow. As is the way of these things, you never imagine they won’t always be there.
Who remembers the Viscount full of passengers that ran out of fuel and belly-landed in a field at Ottery St Mary in Devon ?
https://www.facebook.com/VickersViscountNetwork/posts/1024929484189572
By: HP81 - 9th March 2018 at 21:14
If only it had delta wings, perhaps all 445 would have been preserved :dev2:
By: Sicobra - 9th March 2018 at 21:08
Probably the best resource for history and many upto date photos of the survivors how they are now.
By: Mothminor - 9th March 2018 at 20:47
Originally posted by Meddle
Yup! Even the Viscount at East Fortune has gone into hiding, and was never fully assembled on site. As per #19 it was stored outside in that blue shrink-wrap for a while, and the wings were also stored outside without any covers for a period of time. It has all gone indoors again, but isn’t part of the museum display at all.
We noticed on our last visit to EF that the Viscount was no longer on display. The wings had been moved too so hopefully it’s all gone indoors prior to restoration.
By: J Boyle - 9th March 2018 at 19:43
To illustrate my point, let’s compare large airframe.
Arvo Shackelton….185 built, 6 survivors in the UK.
Vickers Viscount….445 built, 4 survivors in the UK.
Arguably, the Viscount is the more historic type, first successful turboprop airliner, and without checking numbers, isn’t it the most successful post-war UK large transport?
By: Dave Hadfield - 9th March 2018 at 18:58
It’s money and hangar space. And a Business Plan.
Nothing major gets restored without these 3 things.
And a Viscount would take a lot of money.
By: Meddle - 9th March 2018 at 18:51
“It seems (to me at least) civil types tend to be under represented compared to less historic military types.”
Yup! Even the Viscount at East Fortune has gone into hiding, and was never fully assembled on site. As per #19 it was stored outside in that blue shrink-wrap for a while, and the wings were also stored outside without any covers for a period of time. It has all gone indoors again, but isn’t part of the museum display at all.
By: J Boyle - 9th March 2018 at 18:06
My point was, for an aircraft as historically significant as the Viscount, you’d expect more to be on display in its home country.
It seems (to me at least) civil types tend to be under represented compared to less historic military types.
By: Robert Whitton - 9th March 2018 at 15:19
“I know it’s a space issue, but UK museums don’t seem to have a good record of preserving commercial types, especially something as iconic and important as the Viscount.”
” surely BA could fund a Viscount as a flying advert”
What about the Duxford and East Fortune collections? Dont think BA’s into flying old aircraft.
By: J Boyle - 9th March 2018 at 14:05
The census is “good news-bad news”.
Most shown are nose sections or aircraft in questionable completeness or condition like ex-fire trainers.
Going by that list, the UK has about as many as the U.S., Canada or Brazil.
I know it’s a space issue, but UK museums don’t seem to have a good record of preserving commercial types, especially something as iconic and important as the Viscount.
Pity China has just the one, IIRC, they received some of the last produced and those presumably would have had lower hours than many. BAe also sold BAC 1-11s to them at around the same time. They must have had a good Chinese-speaking salesman. 🙂
By: Argonaut - 9th March 2018 at 13:00
That makes very interesting reading Fencher24, there are a lot more still around than I thought, surely with finance from BA or other airline that used the Viscount a flyer is possible. If Lufthansa can fund a JU52 and a Starliner surely BA could fund a Viscount as a flying advert.
By: Fencher24 - 9th March 2018 at 12:12
http://www.oldprops.ukhome.net/Viscount%20Census.htm
Not really up to date but still a good overview.
Canada has also C-FTID-X
https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/8061862
By: Fouga23 - 9th March 2018 at 12:06
1 in Belgium (G-AZNA)
By: Argonaut - 9th March 2018 at 09:20
Off the top of my head there are at least 4 in the UK ( 1 Duxford,1 Cosford,1 Coventry & 1 Brooklands) a well kept 1 (by Lufthansa) in Germany, 1 in Italy, 1 in Turkey, 1 in Canada, 1 in New Zealand at least 1 in the USA and some ? in the Congo. I am sure other people will know of more.
By: Brenden S - 9th March 2018 at 08:35
How many Viscounts are actually left in the world? The 2 in Australia will never fly again, 1 has no wings, the other had it’s wings gas axed off when it was moved.
By: Argonaut - 8th March 2018 at 13:49
Thank you to those that have answered some of my questions, there is obviously a great fondness for the Viscount. What put this in my mind was the CL44 thread and while I like the idea of it getting back into the air, as I once spent 3 days flying to Africa and back on one, I think getting a Viscount into the air would be much more realistic.
By: Kenneth - 7th March 2018 at 22:17
BAe revoked the type certificate for the BAC 1.11. Did they do the same for the Viscount?
By: uuoret - 7th March 2018 at 20:16
I’ve a complete instrument panel, pilot and co-pilot, engine stack, combing instruments and overheads – looking for a donor cockpit to put it in – or indeed would consider selling to a worthier cause…..
It’s all black series 700….
PM me if interested J
By: RAFRochford - 7th March 2018 at 16:38
I do miss the Viscount. Would be great to see one fly again.
Noisy so and so’s though. Having grown up and lived in Westcliff on Sea, which is not exactly next door to Southend Airport (or whatever they call it these days…Frank Butcher Spaceport?), I lost count of the amount of times I got woken during the wee hours to the sound of RR Darts winding up. Must have been fun for those right next door.
If we get a Viscount airborne, can we have a Herald too please?
By: HP111 - 7th March 2018 at 14:06
One of the factors in the withdrawal from service of aircraft such as the Viscount and the Herald was the hugh cost of overhauling a Dart. So much so that operators used to buy up withdrawn aircraft just to be able to use the unused hours on the engines after transfer to their own aircraft. It is interesting that the overhaulers mentioned above stress that they take measures to minimise the cost of an overhaul. They are a small company that does not submit full accounts and seem to have only one officer, so it is difficult to work out how much business they do.
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March 6, 2018 at 11:15 pm