Historic Viking aircraft finds its final resting place

The South African Airways (SAA) Museum became one of three museums in the world to house a Viking aircraft this past weekend.

The Vickers VC.1 Viking was officially placed at the museum on Sunday morning after being transported from OR Tambo International Airport grounds where it had sat dormant for many years, the Kempton Express reports.

The plane was loaded on Saturday and then transported to the museum on Sunday morning, escorted by the Gauteng Traffic Department.

MARLBORO Crane Hire helped to lift the enormous seven-ton plane, using a crane which can carry up to 11 tons of weight.

Marlboro Crane Hire helped to lift the enormous seven-ton plane using a crane, which can carry up to 11 tons of weight, move it over the wall of the premises and load it onto a low bed. A truck from Transcor was used to transport the Viking.

The 17-metre long low bed had to be extended a further three metres to accommodate the massive plane.

The Vickers VC.1 Viking was used from 1946 until 1962, transporting hundreds of passengers on leisurely and scenic flights between South Africa and Europe.

Built in England, she first took to the air registered with the British European Airways and was used in the 1948 Berlin Airlift.

In September 1954, she was sold to Trek Airways and operated in Protea Airways colours, a second airline of Trek.

According to SAA Museum, one of the last people to fly in the Viking was the American singer Jim Reeves when he toured South Africa in late 1962.

On December 18, 1962, the plane was flown from Rand Airport to the old Baragwanath Airfield where it was disassembled and transported by road to Armadale in the south of Johannesburg. In January 1963 it was placed on the roof of the Caltex Garage. Here it stayed for 27 years before being moved to OR Tambo where it stayed for another 27 years.

The garage was owned by aircraft engineer Victor Edward de Villiers, whose family was present at the move on the weekend. Unfortunately De Villiers did not live long enough to experience the move as he died in 2015, at age 93.

“It’s sad that he couldn’t be here today because he would have loved to see this moment. He always hoped for this day, and now it’s come a year and a half too late,” his daughter, Jeanette Bench, said.

– Caxton News Service

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