Basil Smith: Vickers Viscount Airplane

Artist: Basil Smith
1925 -
Nationality: British
Artwork Year: 1984
Image Size: 7 by 6 inches
Overall Size: 10 by 9 inches
Medium: Mixed Media on Hot Press Illustration Board

After World War II, the lovely island of Guernsey was a flurry of activity as her people -- with a new sense of freedom -- began to rebuild their lives. Among the industries revived was the budding commercial air service. Before the War, islanders experimented with flying boats which used St. Peter Port Harbor as their landing strip. After that, a large, open field welcomed the Westland Wessex, and the airline did so well, a new airport opened in 1939. But the War and the German occupation stopped all that. Regular air services were not to be seen on Guernsey again until 1945. Two years later, in BEA began its own flight schedule to and from the island. At about the same time, BEA was developing its Viscount aircraft featuring a pressurized cabin with turboprops. And when Rollsy Royce added a version of its Dart engine -- giving 50% more power and allowing for forty-three passengers -- BEA officials knew they had a winner. A success story all the way, the V700 became the world's first turbine-powered aircraft to operate a revenue passenger service. The series 700 was declared airworthy in 1953 and enjoyed a long production life during which Vickers introduced many modifications. A larger reinforced version eventually gave birth to the 800 series shown in this artwork. An 802 is shown in the green livery of the BEA Channel Islands airline.

This painting was originally published on the Fleetwood® Trains & Boats & Planes & More Collection Description Card for the Vickers Viscount.

Artwork Copyright © 1984 Unicover Corporation. All Rights Reserved under United States and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, transmit, or otherwise exploit the Artwork in any way. Images of the Artwork may be watermarked and/or digitally watermarked. Any sale of the physical original does not include or convey the Copyright or any right comprised in the copyright.

Our Stock Number (SKU): XB08918

US$ Price: $950.00

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