The Vickers Viscount (pronounced vi-count, the ”s” being silent), is a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948. The turboprop engines replaced the conventional engines of the time period which were piston type. This arrangement resulted in less vibration and noise which passengers appreciated along with the large oval-shaped windows in the cabin. All production versions of the Viscount were powered by Rolls Royce Dart engines. The “D” suffix in the airplane designation indicates that the airplane was powered by the 1,576 HP Dart 510 engines. Regular passenger flights were launched British European Airways (BEA) in April 1953, the world’s first scheduled turboprop airline service. BEA became a large user of the Viscount and by mid-1958 BEA’s Viscount fleet had carried over 2.75 million passengers over 200,000 flight hours. In 1957, the Vickers production line was producing the Viscount at a rate of one aircraft every three days! Capital Airlines, a United States airline, reported that by 1958 they had accumulated over 350,000 flight hours in Viscounts, more than any other operator. Continental Airlines and Northeast Airlines also became US Viscount users. Vickers JPG title: Window view from Vickers Viscount General Specifications & Characteristics Length 81,’ 2” Wingspan 93, ’ 8.5” Empty Weight 36, 164 pounds Gross Weight 64, 500 pounds Cruise Speed 276 mph Service Ceiling 25, 000 feet.

Source: Excerpted from Wikipedia