Vanguard

[Proplinerman]

I've always thought it was a Viscount on the Beatles "Back in the USSR." Too high-pitched to be a Vanguard in my opinion.

I have very fond memories of BEA's Vanguards from the 1960s, when I did quite a few flights on them from Manchester to London and back. I've worked out that my first flight must have been on a BEA Vanguard in August 1962, when we flew from Manchester to London (to pick up an Air France L1049G to La Baule). I say "worked out," because sad to say, as I was only four at the time, I've no recall of the flight or that on the L1049G (I know we flew on that because my father filmed it from the ground and I've still got the film), but I'm pretty certain that all BEA's Manchester to London flights in those days were operated by Vanguards.

I do however remember subsequent flights on Vanguards over the Manchester-London route. What a beautiful, smooth and powerful aircraft it seemed to me as a kid. And for a small child, those huge windows were marvellous.

Also, the Vanguard had a very distinctive-and to my ears very pleasant-sound; it purred, like a giant cat. I probably had my last flight in one in 1969, because I've learnt that Tridents replaced them on the Manchester-London run in December of that year.

Loved Viscounts too, but because of that first flight connection, I rate the Vanguard as my favourite classic turboprop. I was lucky enough to visit Brooklands on 13th June, when they ran up two of G-APEP's engines for about twenty minutes. Captured it all on video and I'll be posting about a three minute segment (including the start up) on Youtube as soon as I can work out how to download it and chop it into segments. Will also post the L1049G film if I can ever work out how to get that from a videotape into my computer. I'll post links here when I do this.

The Electra was a classic airliner too, but its sound just did not compare for pleasantness with the Vanguard, in my view.