The British Bird Was The Best
Capital placed an initial order for three Viscounts in May 1954, then quickly exercised options to buy 57 more, all of which were to be delivered over a period of two years. This was a massive commitment for an airline whose total fleet consisted of 62 aircraft at the time that the order was placed. As Ron Davies stated in his book, Airlines of the United States Since 1914: “This was a momentous event in the history of British aircraft exports, indeed of British exports as a whole.”
Capital made a bold commitment to pay the manufacturer, Vickers-Armstrongs, in full for the Viscount purchase over a period of five years. This proved to be an overly ambitious commitment that would contribute to Capital’s demise in 1961, when it was absorbed by United Air Lines.
The Viscount Takes To The Sky
The Viscounts entered service on July 26, 1955, between Washington and Chicago; Washington and Norfolk; and Washington – Pittsburgh – Chicago. They were an instant hit.
Passengers loved the airliner’s big oval windows and the relatively quiet, vibration-free ride. Famous aircraft interior designer Charles W. Butler equipped each seat with something revolutionary: a tray table that dropped down from the seat back in front. This feature would, of course, become standard equipment in airliners built afterwards.
The Viscount was as fast as, but not necessarily faster than, most of its competitors. But its ability to ascend and descend quickly meant that it spent more of its journey at cruise altitude and thus wound up arriving at its destination quicker than United’s, American’s, or TWA’s piston-engine aircraft.
The Next U.S. Viscount Customer: CONTINENTAL AIRLINES
By May of 1958, Capital Airlines had been operating Viscounts in the eastern part of the United States for nearly three years. These were still the most technologically advanced aircraft in service with an American carrier at the time.
Continental’s president, Bob Six, wanted Viscounts too, and he knew that they were only going to be the queens of his fleet for one year until the company’s Boeing 707 jets arrived. But that was enough time for him to prove that Continental would offer the finest First Class product in the carrier’s competitive marketplace.
Continental needed a more powerful aircraft than the Viscount 745 model operated by Capital. Bob Six’s airline was based in Denver, The Mile-High City, and just west of town was the face of the Rocky Mountains. Hot deserts and mountainous terrain were both part of the geography encountered on a daily basis by the company’s airliners.
Continental became the launch customer for the advanced model 810 series, its particular examples designated Viscount 812s. They were equipped with R.Da.7/1 engines permitting a cruising speed of 365 mph.
Gold Carpet Service And A Broadway Actress
With the help of the company’s ad agency, J. Walter Thompson, Continental promoted its Viscounts as offering Gold Carpet Service. In addition to having passengers board via a gold carpet rolled out on the tarmac, the Viscounts featured gold carpeting onboard, gold furnishings, and even gold colored Direlyte silverware for meal services. Baked potatoes accompanying steaks served in-flight were to be wrapped in gold foil, golden Champagne was served, and female passengers received gold-colored carnations.
To emphasize the enhanced quality of Continental’s jet-props over those of other carriers, the airline referred to its Vickers product as the Viscount II, the “fastest airliner in America”, and the company referred to itself as “First in the West with Jet-Power Flights!” With interiors again designed by Charles Butler and Associates, the turboprops were equipped with 52 First Class seats in two-by-two rows. Continental also had a four-seat lounge installed at the rear of the aircraft in a section occupied by a freight compartment on other series 810 models.
Bob Six’s wife, actress Ethel Merman, christened the first Viscount II and the British birds entered scheduled service with Continental on May 28, 1958, ready to introduce the carrier’s new version of First Class to the public. Initial Viscount II flights operated Chicago – Denver – Los Angeles, Chicago – Kansas City – Denver – Los Angeles, and Chicago – Kansas City – Colorado Springs – Denver – Los Angeles.
The Last Of The Three: NORTHEAST AIRLINES
Boston-based Northeast Airlines (NEA) was always a financially strapped underdog, fighting for its existence. Though the company did a stellar job of conducting a safe operation for many years in New England’s harsh-weather environment, most of the carrier’s routes were money-losing short hauls.
The arrival of ten brand-new British turboprop Vickers Viscounts on the property in 1958 was one of the bright spots in the airline’s history.
Early in 1958, James W. Austin – freshly recruited from Capital Airlines where he had been vice president of traffic and sales – was installed as president of Northeast.
At Capital, Austin had overseen the lavish advertising campaign that introduced the Viscount to air travelers in the United States. Austin was keenly aware of the Viscount’s passenger appeal and, if he could acquire a few, he knew exactly where to schedule them: on Northeast Corridor runs in competition with Eastern Air Lines and American Airlines.
Howard Hughes Steps In To Save A Vickers Viscount Sale
Capital Airlines had ordered an additional 15 Viscounts to supplement its already large fleet of 60. When that company realized that it could not afford them, Howard Hughes took an interest in acquiring them for TWA – the airline that he owned – for its services east of Kansas City. But TWA’s president, Carter Burgess, nixed the idea. Hughes promised Sir George Edwards, managing director of Vickers-Armstrongs, that he would find buyers for them.
Hughes was a major stockholder in Atlas Corporation, which owned Northeast, so James Austin agreed to purchase ten of the Viscounts, modified to V.798D standards.
Introduced into service on August 21, 1958, between Boston and New York, Boston – Philadelphia, Boston – Washington, and between New York and Washington, the British turboprops were an instant success. They also entered service between Boston and Montreal at the same time. The Viscount flights were all First Class with meal service offered when appropriate.
NEA was eventually dispatching hourly service between Boston and New York, between Boston and Washington, and between New York and Washington. The airline claimed the lion’s share of passengers traveling over the Boston – New York and Boston – Washington routes. Passengers were loving the Viscount and NEA’s service.
The Famous Eastern Air Shuttle Overtakes NEA’s Viscounts in the Northeast Corridor
Then, a blow was dealt to the company’s popular Northeast Corridor service. On April 1, 1961, with CAB approval, Eastern Air Lines instituted its Air Shuttle, which would soon become world famous. Eastern’s Air Shuttle offered hourly flights between New York and Washington and between New York and Boston with no reservation requirements.They also offered the ability for passengers to purchase tickets onboard, and the guarantee that, if a flight was full, another aircraft and crew would be dispatched as an extra-section to accommodate any remaining passengers. Even though Eastern’s Air Shuttle flights were operated with aging Constellations, the no-reservation, guaranteed-seat draw was too great for businessmen to pass up.
NEA’s loads in the Northeast Corridor now depended on passengers who wanted First Class service. Northeast held on to its lead on the Boston – Washington route, which Eastern did not invade with its Air Shuttle until a couple of years later, and in the smaller Boston – Philadelphia market. But on the heavier-traveled New York – Washington and New York – Boston routes, Eastern prevailed.
Northeast was losing money, and the company defaulted on its loans. The result was foreclosure on the Viscounts by Vickers. Vickers Armstrongs had not been paid in some time and the company was rightfully about the financial stability of the airline. Northeast’s remaining Viscounts were auctioned off in a hangar at Boston’s Logan Airport on October 4, 1963.
Turboprops and the Regional Industry Today
The modern market for turboprop aircraft has centered on regional carriers operating short-to-medium haul routes. While many of these airlines have made the switch from turboprop aircraft to regional jets, the demand for new turboprops is on the upswing.
One of the prominent manufacturers of turboprop airliners, Avions de Transport Regional (ATR), states that there are 1,950 turboprop commercial aircraft in service worldwide today, with an expectation of 2,660 to be operating by 2041. Embraer is even designing a new turboprop to replace their previously retired EMB-145 offering.
These modern transports are descendants of the first successful turboprop airliner, which caused heads to turn in the 1950s: the British-built Vickers Viscount.
