A6-435. Vickers Viscount 816. c/n 435.

Was also registered as: N40NA; VH-EQP; 501; 3D-ACM; G-BFZL; ZS-NNI; 9Q-CGL.

This aircraft was built at the Vickers-Armstrong Hurn factory

First flown - August 24, 1959

It was built for Trans-Australia Airlines but this aircraft was not taken up by the airline

Displayed at the Farnborough Air Show in the standard T.A.A. 'dayglow' livery as 'VH-TVR' - 1959

Converted to 'V-836' configuration - April 1960

Sold to Union Carbide & Carbon Coproration - May 17, 1960

Entered onto the United States Aircraft Register as N40NA - ?

Sold to Royal Australian Air Force - August 1964

Entered onto the Australian Military Aircraft Register as A6-435 - ?

It arrived at the Fairbairn Air Force Base, Canberra on delivery to the R.A.A.F. - August 28, 1964

It was operated by Number 34 Squadron on V.I.P. duties

Withdrawn from service and stored - March 1969

It was advertised for sale having flown some 5,000 hours - August 1969

Sold via P. Hookway to Alda Corporation - December 1969

The aircraft was not delivered and remained stored at Sydney (Bankstown)

Sold to Jesp Investments Pty Ltd, Sydney

Entered onto the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-EQP - September 25, 1970

Registered to Brins Finance Corporation, Sydney

Leased to Jetairlines Australia as the registered operator

The aircraft did not enter service with Jet Airlines of Australia

Sold to Gates Aviation Turbine Propeller Sales - September 25, 1970

Cancelled from the Australian Aircraft Register - November 03, 1970

This aircraft was not delivered to Gates Aviation until June 30, 1971

Sold to Sultan of Oman Air Force - June 1971

Entered service with the Sultan of Oman Air Force as '501'

Entered onto the Swaziland Aircraft Register as 3D-ACM - July 1978

The intended sale to Royal Swazi National Airways did not eventuate - July 1978

Sold to British Midland Airways - September 12, 1978

Ferred Ringway (Manchester) - East Midland Airport - September 12, 1978

Repainted into the standard BMA livery with the slipper tanks removed during the pre service maintenance

Entered onto the British Aircraft Register as G-BFZL (CofR G-BFZL/R1) - March 12, 1979

Operated its first revenue service East Midlands Airport - Jersey (Channel Island) - March 24, 1979

Leased to Manx Airlines - October 02, 1983

Returned to British Midland oat the end of the lease - November 26, 1983

Leased to Manx Airlines - November 16, 1985

Sold to British Aerospace Plc - May 07, 1986

Lease to British Midland Airways as the registered operator - May 07, 1986

The sub-lease to Manx Airlines was continued

Returned to British Midland at the end of the sub-lease - October 23, 1988

Returned to British Aerospace Plc at the end of the BMA lease - November 11, 1988

Leased to Baltic Airlines - November 11, 1988

Operated its final Baltic Airlines revenue service - January 23, 1989

Returned to British Aerospace Plc at East Midlands Airport - January 23, 1989

Ferried East Midland - Rochford (Southend) for storage where all engines were removed - February 1989

Sold to British Air Ferries Ltd - November 10, 1989

A major overhaul was carried out at Rochford prior to lease to Manx Airlines - April 11, 1990

Returned to British Air Ferries at the end of the lease - May 23, 1990

Ferried Glasgow - Rochford for storage - May 23, 1992

Transferred to British World Airlines when B.A.F. was renamed - April 01, 1993

Rolled out at Rochford in an 'all-cargo' configuration in new British World livery - May 10, 1993

Operated its first revenue service Stansted - Glasgow on a newspaper contract - May 11, 1993

The aircraft was damaged whilst taxiing for take-off at Turnhouse - March 22, 1996

It was repaired on site and returned to service

Participated in the 50th Anniversary Flypast at London (Heathrow) Airport - June 02, 1996

Operated its final Parcel Force revenue service Coventry - Edinburgh as BWL4201 - December 24, 1996

Ferried Edinburgh - Rochford for storage - December 24, 1996

Sold to Heli-Lift Ltd for lease to Heli Jet Aviation - April 27, 1997

Departed Rochford in a passenger configuration on the ferry flight to Lanseria, South Africa - April 27, 1997

Ferry route: Rochford - Bari - Cairo - Addis Ababa - Niarobi - Harare - Lanseria

It was reported that the aircraft had been stored at Lanseria with minimal flying taking place

Cancelled from the British Aircraft Register - March 05, 1998

Sold to Planes R Us - April 05, 1998

Entered onto the South African Aircraft Register as ZS-NNI - April 06, 1998

Registered to Planes R Us Pty Ltd

The aircraft was stored Lanseria, South Africa in the basic British World livery - April 1998 to April 1999

It was badly damaged at Lanseria when a hangar door fell on the aircraft during a hailstorm - April 22, 1999

It was observed inside a hangard at Lanseria after repairs without registration marks - December 02, 1999

It arrived at Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo - November 13, 2002

Sold to Trans Inter Air, Congo - November 2002

Cancelled from the South African Aircraft Register - February 10, 2003

Entered onto the Zaire Aircraft Register as 9Q-CGL - February 10, 2003

An engine was damaged whilst landing on a gravel strip in the Congo - April 27, 2003

The gravel strip was only 900 metres long, its exact location is not known

The crew attempted to make a three-engine take-off from this strip following the successful landing

A second engine failed during the attempted take-off

Aircraft was destroyed when it crashed into trees whilst taking-off - April 27, 2003

VH-TVR. TAA Trans-Australia Airlines - 'John Murray' in the original 'dayglow' livery at Farnborough Airport, May 1959.

(G. Bennett Collection Copyright Image 0129-362.)

A6-435. Royal Australian Air Lines - in the standard livery at Canberra Airport, February 1968.

(G. Bennett Collection Copyright Image 0129-401.)

A6-435. Royal Australian Air Lines - in the standard livery at an unknown airport, date unknown.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0129-088.)

A6-435. Royal Australian Air Lines - in the standard livery at Sydney RAAF Base Richmond, June 22, 1966.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0129-052.)

A6-435. Royal Australian Air Lines - in the standard livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, August 1966.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0129-051.)

A6-435. Royal Australian Air Lines - in the standard livery at Darwin Arport, date unknown.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0129-444.)

N40NA. Alda Corporation - in the basic RAAF livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, date unknown.

(E. D. Daw Collection Copyright Image 0129-334.)

N40NA. Alda Corporation - in the basic RAAF livery at Sydney Bankstown Airport, date unknown.

(E. D. Daw Collection Copyright Image 0129-292.)

N40NA. Alda Corporation - in the basic RAAF livery at Sydney Bankstown Airport, date unknown.

(E. D. Daw Collection Copyright Image 0129-289.)

VH-EQP. Jetairlines Australia - in the basic RAAF livery at Sydney Bankstown Airport, May 1970.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0129-042.)

VH-EQP. Gates Aviation Turbine - in the basic RAAF livery at Denver Airport, November 1970.

(G. Bennett Collection Copyright Image 0129-400.)

VH-EQP. Gates Aviation Turbine - in the basic RAAF livery at Bahrain Airport, date unknown.

(R. Shaw Collection Copyright Image 0129-455.)

501. Sultan of Oman Air Force - in the basic RAAF livery at Southend Airport, July 24, 1971.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0129-280.)

501. Sultan of Oman Air Force - in the standard livery at Southend Airport, August 18, 1971.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0129-238.)

501. Sultan of Oman Air Force - in the standard livery at an unknown airport, February 1978.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0129-239.)

3D-ACM. Air Force of the Sultanate of Oman - in the standard livery at East Midlands Airport, October 1978.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0129-240.)

3D-ACM. Air Force of the Sultanate of Oman - in the standard livery at East Midlands Airport, October 1978.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0129-284.)

G-BFZL. BMA British Midland - in the standard livery at East Midlands Airport, March 1983.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0129-062.)

G-BFZL. BMA British Midland - in the standard livery at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, March 1983.

(N. Roozen Copyright Image 0129-120.)

G-BFZL. Manx - in the standard 'BMA' livery at Paris Charles de Gualle Airport, November 1983.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0129-244.)

G-BFZL. Manx - in the standard 'BMA' livery at East Midlands Airport, December 02, 1983.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0129-245.)

G-BFZL. Manx - in the standard 'BMA' livery at East Midlands Airport, January 05, 1984.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0129-103.)

G-BFZL. Manx - in the standard livery at London Gatwick Airport, March 21, 1986.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0129-319.)

G-BFZL. Manx - in the standard livery at London Gatwick Airport, March 1986.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0129-320.)

G-BFZL. Manx - in the standard livery at Manchester Airport, April 1986.

(G. Ditchfield Copyright Image 0129-122.)

G-BFZL. Baltic - in the basic 'Manx' livery at Southend Airport, July 1989.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0129-277.)

G-BFZL. Manx - in the basic 'BAF' livery at Southend Airport, April 1990.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0129-432.)

G-BFZL. Manx - in the basic 'BAF' livery at an unknown airport, May 1990.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0129-159.)

G-BFZL. British Air Ferries - in the non-standard livery at an unknown airport, September 1990.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0129-092.)

G-BFZL. British Air Ferries - in the non-standard livery at an unknown airport, September 1990.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0129-312.)

G-BFZL. British Air Ferries - in the non-standard livery at an unknown airport, November 1990.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0129-119.)

G-BFZL. British World - in the standard livery at an unknown airport, July 1995.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0129-215.)

G-BFZL. British World - in the standard livery at an unknown airport, July 1995.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0129-121.)

G-BFZL. British World - in the basic livery at Johannesburg Lanseria Airport, June 1998.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0129-102.)

9Q-CGL. Trans IntAir - in the standard livery at Johannesburg Lanseria Airport, November 2002.

(I. Malcolm Copyright Image 0129-241.)

9Q-CGL. Trans IntAir - in the standard livery at Johannesburg Lanseria Airport, November 2002.

(I. Malcolm Copyright Image 0129-056.)