Aer Lingus Viking livery?

Looking on the web last night, it does seem that photos of the Vikings in Aer Lingus service are fairly rare. Was their initial scheme similar to the early post-war all silver scheme use on the DC-3s – with just thin green stripes and a small shamrock logo on the nose?

Has anyone tried asking questions on an Irish aviation forum?

They were in service for a very short time (less than a year in many cases), which explains why photos are rare. They were sold on when they proved to be very unpopular with Aer Lingus. There’s a black and white shot in A C Merton Jones’ British Indepedent Airlines Volume 1 which shows EI-ADF in the first livery carried, which was a winged shamrock logo on the nose, name on the fuselage (no fuselage stripes), and 2 green bands on the tail without a lighter outline.

I’ve tried a couple of sources in Ireland, including Aer Lingus themselves, without any success so far. If anyone can point me in the direction of a helpful forum over theer, I’d appreciate it greatly.

Simon

Looking on the web last night, it does seem that photos of the Vikings in Aer Lingus service are fairly rare. Was their initial scheme similar to the early post-war all silver scheme use on the DC-3s – with just thin green stripes and a small shamrock logo on the nose?

Has anyone tried asking questions on an Irish aviation forum?

Because, as I said in a PM to Simon who asked much the same question, I am old enough to have seen them and by the way the photo which you posted shows it in its second scheme with Aer lingus.

What evidence do you have to support that? The lettering “AER LINGUS” doesn’t look a lighter green at all, more like dark green outlined in the same lighter colour as the stripes?

It is a lighter green as in the colours of the lettering “AER Lingus” on the fuselage.

What evidence do you have to support that? The lettering “AER LINGUS” doesn’t look a lighter green at all, more like dark green outlined in the same lighter colour as the stripes?

It is a lighter green as in the colours of the lettering “AER Lingus” on the fuselage.
Their planes did not carry the national colours or combinations of them until much later. Hope that this is of some assistance.

I would agree with Eric. Here is a photo from my archives of sister ship EI-ADF and looking at the tones of the outlining stripes and knowing Ireland’s national colours, I think it’s pretty certain they’re orange.

I can’t really help on the colours of the thin stripes on the Viking in that photo. I would guess that they might be orange.

Aer Lingus seemed to change their colours very frequently during the 1950s, almost having separate schemes for individual types of aircraft.

The jpg image of the flyinginireland poster mainly shows the post 1964 livery – which was long after the Vikings had been sold off. This later scheme was used between 1964 and 1974 when the light green roof/white shamrock scheme was introduced.
The rogue aircraft on the poster is the Constellation which were operated between 1958 and 1960 up until the Boeing 720s were introduced. Technically, the Constellations were not flown by Aer Lingus, but Aerlinte Eireann – Irish International Airlines. It was a separate entity and only shared a loose management structure at that time.
In the 1960s the two operations gradually became closer until fully merging in the 1970s.

Is this link any help?

http://flyinginirelandmagazine.com/shop/images/AerLingusPoster3.jpg

Too bad it is a small image.

Unfortunately that’s the later livery, the one after this one I think (or even the one after the one after this one?).

I’ve been told the thin border is orange, but just need it confirming…

Is this link any help?

http://flyinginirelandmagazine.com/shop/images/AerLingusPoster3.jpg

Too bad it is a small image.

Sorry about that – fixed now.

There seems to be a problem with your link. I’m guessing the dots between ac and pe aren’t quite right.:rolleyes:

John