Today marks 63 years since the Vickers Vanguard made its first flight. The turboprop-powered aircraft hoped to fly short and medium-haul routes, succeeding the popular Viscount. However, the Vanguard was overshadowed by modern jet aircraft, which ushered in a new generation of flying.

Overshadowed

The Vickers Vanguard took to the skies for the first time on January 20th, 1959. The four-engine turboprop was Vickers' successor to the popular Viscount series, which had seen over 450 deliveries.

Carriers like British European Airways (BEA) and Trans Canada Airlines (TCA) were both deeply involved in the development process. While Vickers considered a jet propulsion engine for the Vanguard, it ultimately stuck to the Rolls-Royce Tyne turboprop, which made great leaps from previous generations.

The aircraft entered commercial service in 1960 with BEA and later TCA. The Vanguard was quite efficient when laid out in all-economy configuration, with BEA deploying the aircraft on its flagship routes to cities like Paris, Amsterdam, and beyond in Europe. However, there was a revolution on the way.

Jet engines

Before the 1960s, jet engines were considered an inefficient way of flying, with turboprops being the go-to for airlines. However, this radically changed in the late 1950s, with the introduction of the de Havilland Comet and subsequent aircraft.

These planes could fly nonstop across the Atlantic and changed the scope of aircraft usage. While this did not sound the death knell for the Vanguard, planes like the Boeing 707, Douglas DC-8, and others quickly grabbed the spotlight from airlines. However, planes like the 737, which directly competed with turboprops, became the true threat to the Vanguard.

737-100
The 737-100 first flew in April 1967 and entered airline service in February 1968. Photo: Boeing

Despite securing early orders for the Vanguard, Vickers saw the pipeline dry up soon after that. BEA took delivery of 20 planes, while TCA took another 23 with one more aircraft produced in total. With only 44 planes sold, the manufacturer closed production. However, the planes didn't fade out and found a new market for themselves.

Conversion

As the Vanguard lost ground in passenger services, TCA took a decision to remove all seats and use one aircraft as a freighter. This turned out to be a successful choice, with the plane carrying 19,000kgs of weight. This extended the lifeline for the Vanguard at TCA (later Air Canada) into the 1970s.

BEA (later British Airways) took this a step further and completed a full conversion of the Vanguard. This included adding a large cargo door and deck to the plane. Known as the "Merchantman," the plane became a cargo success, flying with BA until 1979 and was sold on to another operator.

Vickers 952 Vanguard
Type 952 was powered by four Rolls-Royce Tyne RTy.11 Mk 512 turboprop engines, and the aircraft could reach a range of 2,950 km / 1,590 NM and a cruise speed of 679 km/h / 422 mph Photo: RuthAS via Wikimedia Commons

The last Merchantman Vanguard was retired in 1996, giving the plane a 36-year run in total. Hunting Cargo Airlines (now ASL Airlines) purchased and flew the type for cargo operations before donating the final one to a museum in 1996.

What do you think about the Vickers Vanguard? Let us know in the comments!