Vickers Viking

[PaperTiger]

Stumbled across this photo:
http://www.landair.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/SASVIK.JPG

Is that a real extension to the fin, or has the photo been diddled with ? I have never seen this before, perhaps it was a Danish CAA requirement.

[Cornish Jack]

At a guess, someone has fiddled the photo. There were some odd things done to the Viking including fitting a pair of (?) Nenes, but I've never seen one with that sort of fin extension. Looking at the rest of the aircraft, I can't see anything which would suggest a need for such a 'mod'.

[etsd0001]

I agree that it is a doctored photo.

Here's couple of pics of the Nene Viking at Wisley

Photos: Vickers

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/paul.robinson16/Viking.jpg

[Aerohack]

It looks to be an obvious piece of fakery, and pretty inept at that. I've seen other photos of DDL Vikings and they had the standard fin/rudder. Which begs the question, why would anyone want to retouch the photo in that way?

[Kolibear]

Anyone care to hazard a guess as to the original owner of the mystery tail-fin?

To me, it looks as though it came from a Wellington, (which is logical) or from a Brabazon, (which isn't!)

[Aerohack]

Wellington didn't have a horn-balanced rudder. Not a real fin at all, I reckon, but an unconvincing retouching job on the photo. The leading-edge (sans the usual dorsal fillet) and tip of the fin look distinctly 'drawn in' to me. And the separation line between rudder horn balance and fin disappears just where the original Viking fin's leading-edge would have been.

[newswatcher]

The aircraft did exist, OY-DLO was with Scandinavian from 1947-49, when it passed to Misrair in Egypt. No further reference found as to its fate, or further photos found.

[PaperTiger]

Thanks all. I felt it was a retouch job, having seen many Vikings in the flesh and in photos, and none looked like that !

As to why, the photo is a scan of some old unidentified print (notice the border creeping in top right), maybe a damaged original 'fixed' by someone who guessed at the outline.

Pity nobody seems to have a better SAS shot.