This a truly magic thread as it brings back all the happy memories of operating my first airline aircraft.

After a short service military career, I was working as an Instructor at one of the airline training schools. It didn’t take long to realise that my studes were taking up jobs that were paying a good bit more than I was earning !

After a bit of negotiation, I managed to avoid having to start on a Herald or an F27 and was put on a Viscount. As it carried more passengers, it paid better than the others !

I ended up with a few thousand hours on the aeroplane and it was the best training I could ever have had for my future career. My first command on it came after a mere four years.

In my opinion, the Viscount was one of the most reliable, easy to operate aeroplanes one could have chosen. There was stacks of power even at MTOW. If it was hot, just preselect the water meth.
The cockpit was indeed a bit cramped, dark and an ergonomic nightmare of analogue instruments. For night flying these were illuminated by red floods, not the backlit convenience of even an Apache or a Twin Comm.
However I still regard this as character-building stuff though ; not the fancy glass expectations of the current bunch of computer whizz-kids ! Nah, I don’t really mean that. Just jealous that that was all coming in as I approached retirement !

Another perspective was the attitude that, if conditions were getting a bit tedious, then you were expected to hand-fly the aeroplane; much smoother than using the auto pilot and indeed more responsive in the event of a bilious crosswind on a wet night into JER.
Hand flown approaches were also 'de rigeur' for places like IOM on a wet winter’s night in a SW gale onto 21, which was a bit short. Even then we would be stopped by the intersection. Outboard power was needed to turn onto the taxiway and then getting to the lee side of the piers was difficult ; this was a necessity in that you weren’t allowed to open the pax doors if the wind was in excess of 40 knots.
Oh, and I’ve just remembered from those wet nights how you could tell who was the Captain on a VC8 !
The two windscreen wiper motors were hydraulic and used to leak right onto your legs ! - the Captain’s right trouser leg and the FO’s left leg !

Yep, I think I learned a bit about flying from that old girl.

The Smiths SEP 2, glass domed brain, = Autopilot.

Were the main spar(s) a fatigue weak spot on the Viscount? I seem to recall re-sparing was common.

(and did you own a Triumph 500 circa 1979? Fields' place was close to my dad's BMA MT workshop, and I recall a very tidy one passing daily)

Or, to give it its full name: the Smiths Electric Pilot.

I had the pleasure of flying the Viscount for around 3k hours as a 21 to 25 year old co-pilot. As previously mentioned the cockpit (black hole of Calcutta) was an ergonomic nightmare! Initially we had 4 different marks of 700, most of which were the 700D from the US market. The only thing in the same place were the throttles and HP cocks. Then we hired an early 702 with the slitty DV windows and no Collins FD101 flight director and on one memorable occasion I was let loose on an ex Aer Lingus 707 after a briefing from the base Captain, flying 4 sectors with him and the zero reader I never did understand. Then a couple of years later we got half a dozen 806x’s from BEA. These were a massive step backwards. They had the same Dart 510 engines as the 700s but of course were heavier so the performance was worse. They had no heated windscreens relying on drip fed de-icer to keep the windscreens clear and one had to select the engine de-icers from fast to slow at an ioat of -10C the 700s had been delivered with Janitrol cabin heaters and Freon air conditioners which the CAA wouldn’t wear and they had to be deactivated. Likewise a couple of them had auxiliary slipper tanks which weren’t allowed. Of course the 800s had the Smiths flight system which having been ordered by BEA were subsequently put it in the Vanguard and the Comet 4B for commonality.

Someone asked about the range, the longest sector I remember doing completing was NCL - PSA which must have been close to 4 hours, for reasons previously mentioned this was on a 700. It was however a brilliant aircraft to fly and operate and I still remember it with affection.

My very first flight was on a Viscount from either Teesside or Newcastle to Heathrow in 1968, then we got a taxi to Gatwick to catch a BUA VC10 to start a new life in Zambia. I must confess that I’m not sure the Viscount made a big impression on me, but the VC10 certainly did. It fired a strong drive to become a pilot.

Maybe someone could shed some light on which airline the Viscount would have belonged to, possibly BMA which I’m guessing flew from both Newcastle and Teesside?

Probably Northeast Airlines...?

Pic here on Air Britain's site.

The Northeast Viscounts carried off that yellow livery beautifully, especially with the sun shining on them.

Is BKS/Northeast your heritage, Flightwatch ?

Midland 331.

The wing spars on the Viscount were not a fatigue weak point but were designed under the "safe life" criteria which means they were subject to a service life limit in flight cycles before they had to be removed and replaced. Vickers had developed a cost effective technical solution to allow the spars to be replaced which was taken up by a number of operators.

I recall that another ageing aircraft issue on the Viscount was with the Pren wiring. The rubber insulation on the wires would age harden and when a loom was disturbed the insulation would crack resulting in some major rewiring.

I had left FAS in 1978 for pastures new so no it was not me riding the Triumph 500. I do now venture out on a Hinckley Triumph Thunderbird in the warmer weather!

When I joined Sleeve Wing and the merry band I was slightly mystified by the need to take the Pneumatics General CAA exam...all was explained by Pete Hill. And a remarkable explanation it was. IF you happened to have a total electrical failure there was a big red guarded button on the OHP. What it did was to activate a pneumatic ram which forced the main cb closed and prevented it from opening......short circuit or not! Anyone remember the starting technique of pulling CB133A and turning all the air relights on? I was threatened by the late Norman Brewitt with loss of vital organs for simply knowing of the technique. The fun we had.......

Someone mentioned range - from my fathers log books - his longest three V800 flights were all listed at 4 hrs 25 minutes - Athens/Geneva; Naples/London and London-Gibraltar.

Great windows - remember a seemingly low level flight Inverness - Stornoway - Benbecula and then Benbecula - Glasgow - Heathrow in 1975

Last flew HV GLA-BFS-GLA 16 Sep 1979. On duty 0820, back by 1145, take the rest of the day off :ok:
The next four days weren't quite as gentle.

Yes, I was in BKS. Northeast and the yellow livery was after I left in mid 1970. BKS stopped serving MME in 66 or 67 and it was a 748 route to LHR so the Viscount ride in 68 must have been BMA.

I thought as much. I have clear memories of Northeast at LBA although I was minus 2 months at their inception and barely 5 years when the name disappeared. For a spell in 1976 we had ex-BEA V802s operating, complete with newly-added BA titles and the red and white tailfin logo. I guess the Northeast V806s were largely away at the paint shop at the time.

Is it true that the 802 and 806 aircraft were fitted with the same variant of Dart engine ? I may have read on this site that the Argosy swapped engines with the 806 some time in the 1960s.

Thanks Flightwatch.:ok:

In the salad days of my career, I had the pleasure of flying with an ex-Cubana captain whose career extended through the Britannia…to include the Viscount. A true old world gentleman. His stories were pure gold.

What I remember of his comments on flying the Viscount is that making a bad landing was difficult. Is that the recollection of those of you who also flew the airplane ?

Two bad landings were made by BMA Viscounts at LBA in the space of one year. Somebody obviously knew the secret !

Yes, the 806 and the 802 both had the mk 510 dart as did the 700Ds. The 806s were the last batch ordered by BEA and came with more powerful engines (mk 525s?). Then, as you say, along came the Argosy which needed all the help it could get so BEA whipped out the 806 engines and substituted the mk 510 which were obviously more readily available and probably used less fuel. The aircraft were then officially known as type 806x.

It was the 806 which usually operated the services to KWI, BAH and DOH which I guess needed all the power they could get in the summer.

I thought so, Flightwatch. Thanks for confirming.

I was fortunate to be based at Heathrow Central Area, with BEA 'flight engineering' looking after preflight and turnround defects. Also spent some time with 'project and developement' which gave me the opportunity for test flights. A remarkable aircraft - all of our fleet had Decca Navigator fitted which was a major navaid at the time. I was due to fly on a night freighter to Copenhagen, but missed out due to my ancient car breaking down on route to Heathrow. The Viscount (800 series) suffered complete engine failure on the approach and the crew managed to land in a field without injury, but I think the a/c was a 'write off'. The capt. was a keen member of the Silver Wing gliding club which probably helped!.