Page 20 - December 2019

Vickers Viscount

 Status: No public access from June 12-16, 2017 while

restoration work is being done. We apologize for any
inconvenience. Stay tuned for a special unveiling Specifications
ceremony.
 Wingspan: 28.55 m (93′ 8″)

 Length: 24.94 m (81′ 10″)
 Height: 8.46 m (27′ 9″)

 Engines: Four 1,450 hp Rolls Royce Dart 506
Turboprops

 Cruise Speed: 507 km/h (315 mph) at 4,267 m
(14,000 ft.)

 Max. Range: 2,414 km (1,500 miles)
When Passenger Travel Was Glamourous
Trans-Canada Air Lines was the first airline in North  Passengers: 48
America to use turboprop aircraft. Not long after, many
other American passenger airlines discontinued the use
of piston-engined aircraft in favour of this new
technology.
This British-built aircraft was operated by Trans-Canada
Air Lines (later Air Canada) and entered into service in
April, 1955, on scheduled flights between Montreal and
Winnipeg.
The turboprop Viscounts were favoured for their speed,
quietness and lack of vibration. The fleet of 51 Viscounts
were used on all of TCA’s short-haul routes. This
Viscount is likely intimately familiar with its home, as it
operated from TCA’s Winnipeg hangar (now the
Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada) for many
years.

The tail fin is higher than the hangar doors, so in order
to move the aircraft in and out of the hangar, the nose
wheel had (has) to be jacked up. TCA had a special jack
for this purpose. It is on display adjacent to the Viscount.
The aircraft on display was delivered to TCA in February,
1958 and was used until May, 1971. It found its

permanent home at the Royal Aviation Museum of
Western Canada in 1984.