Flight on board Vickers Viscount 806, G-APEY from BWA - British World Airlines in Lydd 1996

Flight on board the BWA British World Airlines Vickers Viscount 806, G-APEY, in Lydd Airport in June 30th 1996.
Viscount c/n 382
Operational Record!
This V.806 series Viscount was built for
British European Airways Corporation (BEA) as G-APEY
It first flew on Monday, 7 July 1958 at Weybridge, Surrey, England powered by Rolls-Royce Dart 520 engines.
During its life this aircraft was also owned and/or operated by
BKS Air Transport Ltd, Northeast Airlines (UK), Cambrian Airways, British Airways (BA), British Air Ferries (BAF), Oasis Oil Company, Air Algerie, Sirte Oil Company, Virgin Atlantic Airways, British World Airlines (BWA), Heli-Jet Aviation Ltd, SAFT Gabon, Interflight, Air Zimbabwe and Air Ogooue
Its final owner/operator was
Global Airways (Swaziland) as 9Q-CON.
This was the last airworthy Viscount in the UK in 1997.
Noted still active in Africa in 2005 and noted in storage at Ndjili International Airport, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo 2 March 2008. Put up for sale in 2008 for an unknown price.
Operational record:
July 1958 to April 1968
British European Airways Corporation (BEA)
G-APEY - c/n 382 - a V.806 series Viscount
15 August 1957
Registered to British European Airways Corporation (BEA).
Purchased from British Airways (BA).
7 July 1958
First flight from Brooklands Airfield, Weybridge, Surrey, England.
It landed at Wisley Airfield, Surrey, England for BEA) named as 'R M A William Murdoch'.
20 July 1958
Noted at Blackbushe Airport, Hampshire, England.
29 October 1958
Noted at Blackbushe Airport, Hampshire, England due to a London Airport (
Noted at Blackbushe Airport, Hampshire, England due to a London Airport (Heathrow) w
29 January 1959
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England due to a London Airport (Heathrow) weather diversion.
16 February 1959
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England due to a London Airport (Heathrow) weather diversion.
17 February 1959
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England due to a London Airport (Heathrow) weather diversion.
A new BEA ‘Red Square‘ livery was adopted.
March 1959
A new BEA 'Red Square' livery was adopted and aircraft were repainted during the early 1960s when they next went in for overhaul.
Sadly, after repainting, the aircraft no longer carried a name including the nameplate on the forward cabin bulkhead.
15 October 1961
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England due to a London Airport (Heathrow) weather diversion.
15 April 1963
Total time 9,449:53 hours.
1964
Converted to V.806X standard by Marshall's at Teversham Airport, Cambridge, England.
This involved replacing the Dart RDa7 Mark 520 engines with RDa6 Mark 510 engines and installing a V.802 style cabin.
The RDa7 Mark 520 engines were returned to Rolls-Royce where some of them were converted to Mark 526 standard for use on the BEA Armstrong Whitworth 650 Argosy.
26 November 1965
Due to strong and gusting winds at Jersey Airport, Channel Island the Captain elected to land the aircraft more firmly than normal.
During the landing run the nose undercarriage leg collapsed resulting in curled propellers and shock-load damage to the Rolls-Royce Dart engines.
There were no reported injuries to the 5 crew and 75 passengers on board.
Repaired locally and returned to service.
21 September 1966
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England due to a Heathrow Airport weather diversion.
9 December 1967
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England due to a Heathrow Airport weather diversion.
2 April 1968
Sold to BKS Air Transport Ltd. - Purchased from British European Airways Corporation (BEA).
BKS relates to the surnames of three company directors: - James W Barnby, Thomas D Keegan, and Cyril Stevens.
1 November 1970
Transferred from BKS Air Transport Ltd to Northeast Airlines (UK) due to a corporate name change.
April 1972
Leased to Cambrian Airways.
April 1972
Leased from Northeast Airlines (UK) in full Northeast livery.
8 June 1972
Total time 25,348:10 hours and 22,017 total landings.
30 September 1972
Returned from Cambrian Airways lease.
18 May 1973
Total time 26,466:00 hours.
1 April 1974
Transferred to British Airways (BA) due to a corporate merger.
Painted in the British Airways (BA) 'British' livery.
British Airways (BA)
16 April 1975
Noted at Leeds-Bradford Airport, Yeadon, England fitted with black and white striped 'high-viz propellers.
January 1981
Noted with British Airways (BA) 'British' titles.
10 April 1981
Sold to British Air Ferries (BAF).
28 June 1981
Leased from British Air Ferries (BAF).
August 1981
Returned to British Air Ferries (BAF).
August 1981
Returned from Oasis Oil Company lease.
5 October 1981
Leased to Air Algerie.

[@shifter011000]

Such a great vid of the old Vickers 👍👍☘️☘️. Thanks for sharing

[@coronadojet]

Thank you so much for your words of appreciation! 👍 An aircraft, exactly the noise of their RollsRoyce Dart engines immortalized within a the Beatles song „Back in the U.S.S.R.“ a monument was erected!

[@richardwild76]

Flew on these a couple of times from East Midlands to Jersey back in the 80s. Very long time since I was last on a propeller driven plane... Good memories.

[@jez952]

Found this tonight Thank-you ! The sound of the dart engines so wonderful…..my favourite is the Vanguard Tyne but this reminds me of my last flights to Guernsey on BAs last Viscount flights…..such a wonderful memory….and if that’s your son with you I’m sure he will forever remember this wonderful music……thanks so much for posting…..I was lucky enough to actually fly G-APEP Vanguard back from Vienna

[@simonwolfe529]

Wow that noise - made me quite emotional, !!! - love that classic RR Dart wine - The Fantastic Viscount - Best of post war Britain !!! Well done George Edwards !!! Thanks for posting this -

[@baeavrobcf]

👏🏻Thank you very much for sharing this beautiful testimony, reminder of childhood days dad's BEA planes at Frankfurt FRA

[@beagle5]

Brilliant, I had the pleasure many years ago, Southend To Guernsey Love the sound.

[@r12004rewy]

Channel Airways ?

[@richardharris7214]

Thanks for posting. From a time of real aeroplanes, not computer designed and flown machines.

[@billdempster3134]

I flew on this flight with friends . I worked for BEA/BA in Scotland in Stornoway and used to commute home to London via Glasgow every fortnight . Loved the aircraft .Sister aircraft G-APIM now in BWA colours at Brooklands .

[@grahamschofield8730]

Pure nostalgia... music to my ears...flown BEA..Cambrian Airways...on these beauties..large windows for great views... Rolls Royce Turbo Dart engines..a distinctive sound... wonderful memories..

[@willhovell9019]

The amazing sound of those super smooth RR Dart engines. BEA to Barcelona in the late 1950s

[@tommyd5238]

Have flown on many aircraft, including a VC10 and Concorde but a flight from Heathrow to Inverness in 1977 by BA brings back good memories, they even served smoked salmon sandwiches !

[@bazza945]

Ironically, those RR Dart engines on the Fokker F27 twin made greater noise than on the fourth Dart Viscounts and Argosy freighters. Those long engine nacelles actually wiggled around on the takeoff run.

[@roundtripflyer]

What a rare catch! Enjoyed that video! Also love your old DC 8 takeoff and landing video btw. That is also a really exclusive plane that u don't get to fly onboard anymore and actually not a lot of cabin videos on! :)

[@myrtlekenazjanairo9411]

RARE!!!! And so lucky you have the chance to ride this piece of art!!!!

[@Vanadeo]

Ahh the sound of those darts.. I didn't know the viscounts were flying till mid 90s, must have been just a few.

[@biggaybear7360]

I was on this flight. Back row though. Can’t believe it made its way to KZbin

[@coronadojet]

Nice to know you was flying on the same flight, I hope you enjoy my video! Queer greetings from Berlin, from a small gay bear 🐻🌈

[@stuartlee6622]

I flew on a United Viscount (ex Capital) it was nice.

[@timmotel5804]

Wonderful. So many memories. Thank You

[@r12004rewy]

What a pity that there isn't a flying heritage Viscount left in the UK, the most successful post war UK aircraft of all time. Great video.though.

[@Shamrock100]

Most successful post-war British airliner, probably. The Hawker Hunter sold almost 2,000 examples. The BN-2 Islander has sold approx 1,300 examples so also deserves mention.

[@waynedavies8130]

I remember when I was a Cambrian Airways apprentice going on one for its post overhaul test flight,complete with planned engine shutdown!!!

[@simongray8019]

My first cabin crew position was with BAF later BWA. I went on the Paris-Dakar rally in a Viscount. G-AOHM was the aircraft I believe in 86 or 87 and we slept onboard for 24 nights. Most notable stop was in Timbuktu. not many people have that stamp in their passport. Happy memories and Loved the Viscount. Oh and not a single tech problem the entire trip

[@riyadiyudi5635]

In the 90s, I often took this plane. when Bouraq Indonesia Airlines was still around.

[@user-ps6qh7ue8z]

such power from the darts !

[@Nickburnett]

Thanks for sharing. V interesting.

[@jackyclaiborne2142]

The Rolls Royce Dart engines have a very distinctive sound to them. I hear that it's something about the compressor. The thing that's most interesting about the Viscount, is that the sound of the Darts is much more pronounced than the sound of the props, which make a chafe cutter sound in ground idle and taxiing, and a low pitched drone in takeoff and inflight. Perhaps the sound of the props would be more pronounced if I heard and flew on the Viscount in person. The camera mike is different from the human ear. On the turboprop aircraft that I've known and flown on, fitted with the Pratt & Whitney engines, the sound of the props was much more pronounced over the whine of the Pratts. In videos I've watched of the IL-18, which closely resembles the Viscount, and the LockHeed Electra fitted with the Allison D-35's, the prop sound is much more pronounced, and vibrates the cabin. But I understand that in the manufacturing and design of the Viscount, minimizing in cabin noise and vibration was a major goal. The Viscount was also the aircraft used in the 1979 movie, "The Rose" with Bett Middler. It was the Rose touring craft.

[@user-xw9fw5po7n]

Love it. Especially cabin crew PA about use of personal CD players and phones are not permitted as they may interfere with the aircraft systems. What aircraft systems, It's a bloody Viscount designed in the late 1940's!!!! 🤣

[@commandingjudgedredd1841]

What I would've given to be on such a classic turboprop powered aircraft.

[@surendranathsomanathan6134]

Brings nostalgia. I flew in this plane way back in 70s when people think of air passengers as God's descending from sky. Now no more. 😢😢😢

[@r12004rewy]

Wow the noise ....interesting to hear flight deck and cabin crew announcement not a lot has changed there

[@user-xw9fw5po7n]

And...."Cabin Staff, please take your seats for landing". Firstly, they're Cabin CREW, not Staff and secondly, 5 seconds before touchdown is leaving it a little late, don't you think skipper? 🤔

[@johnpeschke7723]

my uncle flew one of these for Capitol Airlines in the fifties before United took over Capitol.

[@RayhanAhmed-qr3vz]

No flight engineer ? Madness

[@ramil90]

equivalent of the Ilyushin IL-18

[@coronadojet]

that‘s not true, on the same seat inside an IL-18 it is much more noisier ! Even when you‘re an Aviation Enthusiast you wouldn‘t like one hour on that seat, getting the hard vibrations of the propellers!

[@ramil90]

@@coronadojet I like to sleep on that AI-20 turboprop noise :) its music