By some margin the most successful British medium-range airliner ever produced, the world-beating Viscount was a sublime combination of Vickers state-of-the-art postwar design and Rolls-Royces cutting-edge power-plant technology, both companies being at the very peak of their powers during the types genesis and evolution.Tracing its origins back to the wartime Brabazon Committee, the Viscount was one of several designs from various British aircraft manufacturers produced to fulfill the committees specifications for a fast, economical short- to medium-range airliner to satisfy the demands of the burgeoning postwar civil aviation market, which was predicted to grow at a healthy rate over the following decades. Vickers chief designer and Managing Director George Edwards was quick to respond, the result being the Dart turboprop-powered Vickers V.630, which made its first flight in July 1948, despite its future looking uncertain after British European Airways having twenty examples of ordered its chief rival, Airspeeds Ambassador, six months before. The Viscount nevertheless entered full service with BEA in 1953, much to the relief of its manufacturer, orders flooding in thereafter from numerous airlines and air forces all over the world. Ultimately, some 200 individual airlines, companies and organizations in more than eighty countries operated the dependable and, crucially, development-friendly Viscount over its long and distinguished career.This book tells the full story of the worlds first turboprop airliner, from its Brabazon Committee beginnings, through its early flight trials program and entry into service, to its almost unassailable position as the worlds number one medium-haul turboprop, including its astonishing breakthrough in the USA, where it single-handedly broke the big American manufacturers stranglehold on the airliner market. The types military career is also covered, as is its construction; also included in this volume are details of the numerous variants produced and those of the 444 built still surviving as exhibits today, along with twenty-four superb artworks by world-renowned aviation illustrator Juanita Franzi.

By some margin the most successful British medium-range airliner ever produced, the world-beating Viscount was a sublime combination of Vickers' state-of-the-art postwar design and Rolls-Royce's cutting-edge power-plant technology, both companies being at the very peak of their powers during the type's genesis and evolution. Tracing its origins back to the wartime Brabazon Committee, the Viscount was one of several designs from various British aircraft manufacturers produced to fulfill the committee's specifications for a fast, economical short- to medium-range airliner to satisfy the demands of the burgeoning postwar civil aviation market, which was predicted to grow at a healthy rate over the following decades. Vickers' chief designer and Managing Director George Edwards was quick to respond, the result being the Dart turboprop-powered Vickers V.630, which made its first flight in July 1948, despite its future looking uncertain after British European Airways having twenty examples of ordered its chief rival, Airspeed's Ambassador, six months before. The Viscount nevertheless entered full service with BEA in 1953, much to the relief of its manufacturer, orders flooding in thereafter from numerous airlines -- and air forces -- all over the world. Ultimately, some 200 individual airlines, companies and organizations in more than eighty countries operated the dependable and, crucially, development-friendly Viscount over its long and distinguished career. This book tells the full story of the world's first turboprop airliner, from its Brabazon Committee beginnings, through its early flight trials program and entry into service, to its almost unassailable position as the world's number one medium-haul turboprop, including its astonishing breakthrough in the USA, where it single-handedly broke the big American manufacturers' stranglehold on the airliner market. The type's military career is also covered, as is its construction; also included in this volume are details of the numerous variants produced and those of the 444 built still surviving as exhibits today, along with twenty-four superb artworks by world-renowned aviation illustrator Juanita Franzi.

Built in response to the famous Brabazon Committee's requirements for an aircraft to replace the Douglas DC-3 on European and Empire routes, the Viscount became the world's first turboprop-powered airliner, and the most successful British airliner of all. Operated initially by BEA, the Viscount soon became a favorite of passengers, pilots and aircraft enthusiasts alike. Its heyday was brief, as the advent of the jet airliner soon relegated it to second-line service, in which it remains - just- to this day. This book presents the complete design, development and operational history of the Viscount and its bigger sibling, the Vanguard.

Introduced in 1948, the Vickers Viscount became Great Britain's most successful airliner by the late '50s, as well as the most widely used turbine-powered air transport in the world. Its huge windows and quiet, comfortable ride made it a favorite with passengers, and airlines found it to be a reliable, inexpensive plane to operate. In fact, in 1955, Flight magazines referred to the Viscount as ..." a machine so patently superior to its rivals that it has set in its field wholly new standards of comfort, performance and ... reliability." In this book, author Robin MacRae Dunn covers the entire Viscount history, from the development of turboprop engines in England after World War II, on through the plane's 50-year service history. In addition to a step-by-step look at the Viscount's major systems and components, this comprehensive book details its development, certification, variations, accident record, and worldwide service record. Appendices include significant dates, specifications, and the disposition of those Viscounts still in existence.

This gem of a gift book focuses on the first in the British Airways fleet to fly commerically, and is told through quotes from staff and passengers.