Vickers Viscount

what is it?

The Vickers Viscount is a retired British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs. A design requirement from the Brabazon Committee, it entered service in 1953 and was the first turboprop-powered airliner. The Viscount was well received by the public for its cabin conditions, which included pressurisation, reductions in vibration and noise, and panoramic windows.

🔎How to recognise it: 4 turboprops · low wing · retractable tricycle gear · 28.6 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 566 km/htop speed
• seats 75passengers
• size 30.6 tmax take-off weight
• built 445made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 78 years ago, in 1948.
• 🏎️Top speed is 4.4× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 28.6 m: about 6 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🐘Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 5 African elephants (~6 t each).

turboprop: A jet-style turbine turning a propeller: efficient on short hops.

spec sheet

first flight

1948-07-16

introduced

1953

retired

2009

status

retired

number built

445

role

turboprop airliner

origin

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

makers

Vickers

engines

4× Rolls-Royce Dart Mk 525

crew

2

passengers

75

length

26.1 m

wingspan

28.6 m

height

8.2 m

max take-off weight

30.6 t

top speed

566 km/h

range

—

ceiling

7,620 m

wings

low wing

landing gear

retractable tricycle gear

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.