VH-RML Vickers Viscount

Built at the Vickers-Armstrong Weybridge factory for Cubana de Aviacion SA (Cubana)

First flown as CU-T623 - June 25, 1959

Delivered to Cubana - August 20, 1959

Sold to Ansett-ANA via a broker - February 1962

Entered onto the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-RML - March 8, 1962

Registered to Ansett-ANA

Originally configured with 52 seats but later changed to 63 seats

Departed Nassau on delivery to Ansett-ANA - March 11, 1962

Ferry route: Nassau-Moncton/New Brunswick-Goose Bay-Sondrestromfjord-Keflavik-Heathrow-Rome-Athens

Damascus-Bahrain-Karachi-Ahmadabad-Calcutta-Bangkok-Saigon-Zamboanga-Biak-Darwin-Alice Springs

Arrived at Melbourne's Essendon Airport- March 22, 1962

Ferry crew: Capts K. Ashmead, K. McKinlay, E. Smith; Navigator W.C. Kennedy; LAME R. Hudson

Operated its first revenue service with Ansett-ANA - May 27, 1962

Transferred to Ansett Airlines of Australia - November 1, 1968

Aircraft was not repainted in the Ansett 'delta' color scheme

Registered to Ansett Transport Industries (Operations) Pty Ltd - November 25, 1969

Operated its final Ansett service - AN45 Sydney-Melbourne - December 5, 1969

Placed in open storage at Essendon Airport, Melbourne having flown 22,719 hours

Sold to Far Eastern Air Transport (F.E.A.T.) - becoming B-2019 - May 1970

Departed Melbourne on delivery flight to Taipei - May 19, 1970

Delivery route was - Adelaide-Alice Springs-Darwin-Denpasar-Kota-Kinabalu-Manila-Taipei

Ferry crew: D. Mao (FEAT); Navigator W.C. Kennedy

Cancelled from the Australian Aircraft Register - May 22, 1970

Leased to PT Merpati Nusantara Airlines - becoming PK-MVK - April 3, 1975

Transferred to Asia Aviation Services - February 1983

Was withdrawn from service and stored Taipei - 1985

Currently in a semi-derelict condition at an amusement park at Touliu, Taiwan

VH-RML. Ansett-ANA - original livery with 'V832' tail titles at Sydney Airport, December 1965.

(Image 0129-112. R. N. Smith Photograph)

VH-RML. Ansett-ANA - original livery with new 'Viscount II' titles at Melbourne Airport, date unknown.

(Image 0129-235. B. Colledge Photograph)

VH-RML. Ansett-ANA - original livery with new 'Viscount II' titles at Adelaide Airport, date unknown.

(Image 0129-169. P. J. Gates Collection)

VH-RML. Ansett-ANA - original livery with new 'Viscount II' titles at Sydney Airport, December 1967.

(Image 0129-257. R. N. Smith Photograph)

VH-RML. Ansett-ANA - original livery with new 'Viscount II' titles at Sydney Airport, December 1967.

(Image 0129-195. R. N. Smith Photograph)

VH-RML. Ansett-ANA - original livery with new 'Viscount II' titles at Sydney Airport, January 1968.

(Image 0129-326. R. N. Smith Photograph)

VH-RML. Ansett-ANA - original livery with 'Viscount II' tail titles at Essendon Airport, February 1968.

(Image 0129-236. R. N. Smith Collection)

VH-RML. Ansett-ANA - original livery with 'Viscount II' tail titles at Brisbane Airport, May 1968.

(Image 0129-065. R. N. Smith Collection)

VH-RML. Ansett-ANA - original livery with Viscount II titles at Brisbane Airport, May 1968.

(Image 0129-093. P. J. Gates Collection)

VH-RML. Ansett-ANA - in its final livery at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, September 1969.

(Image 0129-377. G. Bennett Collection)

VH-RML. Ansett-ANA - in its basic livery at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, March 1970.

(Image 0129-379. G. Bennett Collection)

VH-RML. Ansett-ANA - in its basic livery at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, April 1970.

(Image 0129-378. G. Bennett Collection)

VH-RML. Far Eastern Air Transport - in their basic livery at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, May 1970.

(Image 0129-376. G. Bennett Collection)

B-2019. Far Eastern Air Transport - in their full color scheme at Taipei, October 1972.

(Image 0129-242. R. N. Smith Collection)

PK-MVK. Merpati Nusantara Airlines - in their original color scheme at Jakarta, July 1978.

(Image 0129-123. P. J. Gates Collection)

PK-MVK. Merpati Nusantara Airlines - in their revised color scheme at Jakarta, October 1980.

(Image 0129-220. R. N. Smith Collection)