VICKERS VISCOUNT - Final passenger flights 1996

Description

The valiant role of the Vickers Viscount was celebrated by British World in the Spring of 1996 with a number of VIP farewell flights, and I was amongst the last to fly in the kite. The movie begins with a TV news report and then a home movie, featuring one of the special flights, from Heathrow to Stansted. A photocall was arranged with a Concorde and a Bristol Freighter, but whoever could have guessed that the fastest passenger plane in the world would soon be joining the other two types on the scrapheap! While at Heathrow a last gathering of the stalwarts who designed, built and flew in the Viscounts were addressed by Raymond 'Tommorrow's World' Baxter before boarding the G-APEY. British World distinguished itself as an important regional airline, its record of scheduled and charter service covering infinity and beyond, earned it a dedicated following of corporate and conumer clients. BWA's performance for regular clients such as the Parcel Force and the Air Travel Group drew commendations and repeat business. It also supplied aircraft to larger carriers, such as Virgin, British Airways, and SABENA of Belgium, in times of peak demand. Profits in 1995 were £1 million on a turnover of £35 million. In November 1995, its Shell Oil North Sea contract was renewed in the face of fierce competition as the airline committed to the purchase of new ATR 172 turboprops to replace its aging Viscounts, most of which continued to serve as freight carriers. The new turboprops consumed <b>...</b>

Keywords

Vickers, Viscount, British, World, Airlines, Parcel, Force, Air, Travel, Group, Robert, Hall, Stansted, Heathrow, Concorde, Bristol, Freighter

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