Will a Viscount ever fly again?
 

Hi,

I love the vickers Viscount and wondered whether one would ever fly again. Its seems such a shame that such a lovely aircraft is no longer flying. I just wondered how difficult it would be to get one flying again?

thanks

Flyerjoe

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A rather simplistic reply from me.
Int hese days of modern engineering it is probably possible to rebuild anything.
First and foremost will be the condition of the wreck/preserved airframe etc.,. then the willingness of people to do it, and, the most important of course, a vast amount of money, I shouldn't wonder. Probably feasable, given those conditions, but don't hold your breath!!.

When our Valiants were scrapped in 1964 we were told that the Viscount had a similar problem because they used similar alloys in their main spars. As the spar failures were age related I would imagine that any remaining Viscount spars would have deteriorated beyond redemption.

Any erstwhile aeroplane could fly again, technically (legally is something else). It was done once, it can be done again. Question is, who would fund it, and why?

Door Seals for Pressurization were the reason I was told as the single item that would end the flying life of the aircraft.

The seals are only used on this aircraft - both front and read door I believe are the same. The manufacturer long ago got rid of the machinery to make them - but I was told at the time that they would remake them - First one will cost you about $30,000.00 - after that quite a bit cheaper.:rolleyes:

I do know that the Viscount used to transport entertainers (US Registered) a number of years back got our rear door seal for a spare sometime in the late 90's. It was at the time an instructional airframe and now resides in the museum in Victoria B.C.

I suppose you could fly the aircraft unpressurized - but I would think the fuel burn would be pretty severe at low altitudes - probably to the point where it would be not economically feasible??

Are there any 4 howling Dart powered aircraft left flying???

That's what I was told - always stand to be corrected by someone who knows more than I do!!:)

Mx

Last one I flew on was the BAF service Gatwick - Rotterdam. Sitting in my seat I thought 'isn't it wonderful to have such huge windows'.
Previously I did the Shetland run from Glasgow. I wasn't allowed to sit in my allocated seat, in fact I had to stand most of the way as being an ATCO, my presence was required on the flight deck, squeezing behind the captain's seat for takeoff and landing. Mind you, scurrying across Scapa Flow at 500ft was great fun!! I dare say the fuel burn at non-pressurised altitude was pretty high, but after we cleared the mainland at Wick, the highest we got to was about 1000ft.
I also did the GB Airways flight in 'Yogi' from Tangier to Gib a few times; once again we never seemed to climb very high.

My one and only Viscount flight was BAF, Manchester to Jersey. I asked for the jump seat, proffering my PPL, and was told "no jumpseat fitted, but you can stand up behind the P2 if you want". So I did - including the T/O and landing!

My first flight in 1972 was in a BMA Viscount from Hurn to Jersey. I'd certainly pay my subs to any group that allowed me to hear 4 Dart engines aloft once again.

Re...that allowed me to hear 4 Dart engines aloft once again.

EH?? WHAT??

You can always pick the old F-27 drivers at an 'Older Pilots' Meeting.

They're the ones with the hearing aids turned right up....

Cheers:p

I know for a fact all BEA 700 series lower inner spars were changed in the late 50s early 60s, as I was on the gang that did them but cannot remember if any of the 800 series were changed, all the top spar web bolt holes were checked for cracking and new bolts fitted because another company found cracks in theirs in the late 60s
As for getting one flying again unless the airframe was kept in a hanger I imagine the fuselage will have corrosion somewhere given the time the aircraft if open to the elements and unless we go down the Vulcan road it will cost a kings ransom to get one in the air again let alone pressurise it.
sorry to be a pessimist yes I am slightly deaf but the old "Whistlers"were nothing compaired to the Comets and Tridents on ground runs.

Ah, but that's the F27. We returned from that Channel Isles holiday on BMAP, even than an aging old Fokker, and again I was up front for the entire flight.

I still don't know how an aeroplane with half as many Darts as the Viscount can be ten times as noisy!

Sorry if this is thread drift, but...

This to me sums up why, in my opinion, the Vulcan project was such a huge waste of money. The amount of cash sunk into that project could have restored any number of classic British airliners to airworthy standards, or kept others flying. (HS748 / Andover, Viscount, VC10, Comet / BAC 1-11, and so on), with the added advantage that tickets could be sold for passenger / enthusiast trips, corporate sponsorship could be easier to get from some of the various airlines that used to operate these types, they are already in many cases certified for civilian ops and don't need a massive recertification procedure, and so on.

Sadly, I feel that the Vulcan operation, and the mismanagement or miscalculation has spoiled people's (especially those with serious money) attitudes towards aviation restoration. I can't see the lottery fund getting involved in a "Viscount to the sky" programme now.

Sorry to bring up the "V" word (I know it tends to keep cropping up in threads on this board, but I really think that it was the right idea with the wrong aircraft at its heart.

Rant over

TTR

I do believe that airworthy HS748/Andover's are based at Boscombe Down, airworthy VC10's are based at Brize Norton, there's a Comet at Bruntingthorpe in need of an CoA to, perhaps, see it flying again and so on.

I guess the problem is that the British military never operated VC8's?

The Royal Aircraft Establishment and the Empire Test Pilots School did - all with RAF serials.

Also, didn't Boscombe Down dispose of their last Andover last month?

TTR, there are a number of reasons why an ex military bomber is totally different to operate than a commercial passenger / pleasure flying airliner. I also doubt very much that any old airliner would attract public donations or funding in quite the same way as the "V bomber" has done. I mean is joe public really going to pack out an airshow just to see an Andover flying?

So why not stop bashing the Vulcan, and instead just enjoy it while we can before we all start winging again that theres nothing exciting left to watch!


Rob

To restore any extinct airliner to flying condition and get it cleared for pax flying would probably cost at least as much as the Vulcan has cost. And you can dream, but there isn't an airliner (except maybe Concorde but that's an impossible machine to return to flight) that would have attracted a fraction of the public's money, not to mention lottery money, that the Vulcan has. So it just wouldn't happen.

I think we have to be practical. To get a Viscount back into flying condition would cost millions and I doubt that anyone would be prepared to take on the design authority. Who would fork out for the project and, if so, why?

I flew the Viscount (802/806) in 1964 and I loved it but, let's face it, that was nearly 50 years ago and it was not exactly new then.

I'm not "bashing" the Vulcan (oo-er), I think it's a great achievement to get it flying. I just think that the money would have been more productively used on an airliner, that it would have made more business sense (and romance aside, aircraft restoration projects of this size are businesses) to have got an airliner (or kept an airliner) flying.

I think the paying public, if you have an old aircraft displayed suitably loudly and aggressively at low level, coupled with an appropriate PR campaign, they would be prepared to get behind the programme. I know my parents flew on honeymoon on a Comet with DanAir, I remember spotting BAC1-11s etc as a kid, perhaps we could harness those memories?

I agree as well that it probably won't happen, which is sad. And as I said, it is a great achievement to have got the Vulcan flying, it would have just been nice if that could have been a bit of a springboard to get more large classic aircraft in the air.

TTR

Thanks for all the great responses, I think there is still hope for the viscount, as stated before I think that a good pr campaign with low flyovers etc. could do the trick :ok: