Ken Fielding has posted this message and photo of UAA - United Arab Airlines V.739A series Viscount SU-AKN taken at Speke, Liverpool, England 8 May 1965. It had just been purchased by British Eagle International Airlines. Ken says;- British Eagle purchased 4 Viscounts from UAA - United Arab Airlines that had been sitting in the desert for sometime. This one, SU-AKN became G-ATDR. The others being G-ANRS, G-ATFN & G-ATDU. They were full of particularly nasty creepy-crawlies and on one ferry flight from Cairo the F/O was bitten by a spider and they had to divert to Paris. On arrival they had to be fumigated (the aircraft, not the crew!). This V.739A series Viscount was built for Misrair - Egyptian Airlines as SU-AKN and first flew on Thursday, 3 July 1958 at Hurn, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England powered by Rolls-Royce Dart 506 engines. During its life it was also owned and/or operated by UAA - United Arab Airlines, and British Eagle International Airlines. Its fate:- Withdrawn from service by British Eagle International Airlines as G-ATDR and stored at Speke, Liverpool, England after British Eagle International Airlines ceased operations in November 1968. Total time 21,160 hours and 12,658 landings. Ferried to Blackbushe, Hampshire, England 20 November 1969. Broken up for scrap by end of May 1970. Peter Browns photo shows the same aircraft stored at Blackbushe, Hampshire, England circa December 1968 after its withdrawal from service when British Eagle International Airlines ceased operations. Click on this link to see the history and 7 photos of this Viscount. vickersviscount.net/Index/VickersViscount393History.aspx The Vickers Viscount Network is always on the lookout for more photos and information to help complete the histories of every Viscount built. If you can help please contact us by Facebook, Twitter or email. Your help will be really appreciated with this important historical project.
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 13:52:25 +0000