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One Royal Air Force
Vickers Viking C.2 (VL 231) aircraft was loaned to the
RAAF in November, 1947. Allocated the RAAF serial A82-1,
the aircraft flew some 814 hours during its service with
ARDU, Nos. 2 and 34 Squadrons, operating from Woomera and
Edinburgh in South Australia until returned to the RAF in
October, 1951. In RAAF service the aircraft was operated
with both RAF and RAAF serials displayed.
| RAAF
Serial |
RAF
Serial |
C/N
|
Airframe
History |
| A82-1 |
VL231 |
150 |
05/08/1947
Allotted serial VL231
19/08/1947 First Flight, Fitted with Hercules 634
engines H123008 & H123005,
05/09/1947 Delivered to RAF as VL231,
21/10/1947 Allotted to 2 Communications Squadron
ex ARDU,
14/11/1947 Received ARDU ex UK,
17/11/1947 Damaged at 11:05 hrs whilst taxiing
downwind to take off in gusty wind conditions,
a/c stood on nose.
Caught by gust of wind under tailplane,
18/12/1947 Issued to 2 Communications Squadron ex
ARDU,
10/02/1948 Received by 2 Communications Squadron
ex ARDU.
20/02/1948 Allotment cancelled. DAP to carry out
repairs and reassembly of damaged components at
Mallala.
27/10/1948 Aborted landing at Mallala aerodrome.
A faulty oil pressure transmitter was causing
large drops in oil pressure indications,
25/02/1949 Port tailplane leading edge damaged
and fuselage skin punctured by oil drip tray
flung up by slipstream.
Damaged port and starboard engines (Repaired),
07/03/1950 Allotted 1AD ex 34 Sqn for modification
and 500 hourly service,
16/03/1950 Issued to 1 AD ex 34 Sqn,
10/05/1950 Received 1 AD ex 34 Sqn,
25/05/1950 Allotted 1 AD ex 34 Sqn
01/08/1950 Issued to 34 Sqn ex 1 AD,
03/08/1950 Received 34 Sqn ex 1 AD
22/02/1951 Unserviceable 34 Sqn awaiting spares,
01/03/1951 In service 34 Sqn,
10/05/1951 Unserviceable 34 Sqn, repairs,
17/05/1951 In service 34 Sqn,
19/07/1951 Unserviceable, minor repairs,
24/07/1951
02/08/1951 In service 34 Sqn,
07/08/1951 Blade damaged by mobile refuelling
tanker during refuelling operations.
Aircraft repairable but beyond unit capacity.
Remainder of aircraft undamaged.
09/08/1951 Unserviceable awaiting spares 34 Sqn,
18/10/1951 returned to UK ex 34 Sqn.
08/04/1952 Taken back on charge by the Ministry
of Procurement as VL231 and operated by the
Empire Test Pilots School at Farnborough.
15/08/1952 Crashed in Chilbolton and repaired.
13/05/1955 Sold to Field Aircraft Services Ltd
and registered G-AOCH,
02/06/1956 Field Aircraft Services Ltd ownership
cancelled
06/06/1956 Dragon Airways registered as the new
owner,
Overhauled by BKS Aviation,
11/01/1957 Re-registered D-AMOR,
01/02/1957 G-AOCH Registration cancelled,
13/02/1957 Shipped from Southend to Frankfurt and
then on to the new owner
Flugzeugeigner-Gesellschaft Seibert, Sachsenberg
Conle and operated by LTU (Luft Transport Union),
16/07/1957 The registration marks D-BONA were
assigned, however, this was mistakenly placed on
Vickers Viking c/n 223 (D-ABIR),
15/03/1957 Re-registered as D-BABY and in
December 1960 Kurt Conle was registered as the
new owner.
15/08/1963 Bought by Air Ferry and returned to
the UK,
30/08/1963 D-BABY cancelled from the German
register,
07/10/1963 Issued temporary registration of G-14,
before reverting to G-AOCH,
??/04/1966 Passed to Invicta International
Airways Ltd.,
03/07/1968 Certificate of Airworthiness expired,
03/02/1969 The aircraft was finally pulled from
the market and broken up for scrap at Manston,
UK.
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