JACK McKILLOP COLLECTION
No. 5380. Vickers 634 Viking 1B (EI-ADF c/n 208) Aer Lingus "St. Ronan"
Photograph from Aer Lingus, taken at Dublin Airport, Ireland, ca. 1947-1948

Vickers 634 Viking 1B

05/31/2006. Remarks by Jack McKillop: "In 1946, Aer Lingus' main aircraft was the Douglas DC-3. The airline needed additional aircraft to supplement DC-3s on new routes planned from Dublin, Ireland, to Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Belfast, Northern Ireland; Brussels, Belgium; Glasgow, Scotland; and Manchester, England. Additional routes from Shannon Airport, Ireland, to London, England, and Paris, France, and Belfast, Northern Ireland, to Liverpool, England, were also planned. However, there was a shortage of DC-3s and Aer Lingus chose to purchase seven Vickers 634 Viking IBs to provide these services. This Viking IB was delivered to Aer Lingus Teoranta (Air Fleet Ltd.) on June 4, 1947, registered EI-ADF and named "St. Ronan".

By 1948, additional DC-3s became available and Aer Lingus decided to standardize on that aircraft and sell the Vikings. This aircraft was sold to the British company Airwork Ltd on March 10, 1948 where it was registered G-AKTV. While owned by Airwork, this aircraft was one of five Viking IBs used by the RAF for transporting troops and supplies.

The British independent airline Tradair, based at Southend Airport located east of London in Essex, purchased the Viking on May 13, 1959. Channel Airways, operating from Southend Airport, purchased Tradair on October 29, 1962 and this aircraft was sold to Channel Airways, on December 20, 1962. It was returned to Tradair on January 10, 1963, placed in storage in September 1963 and scrapped in August 1964."


Created May 31, 2006