The Duxford Aviation Society

Bristol Type 175 Britannia 312 G-AOVT Known as the 'Whispering Giant' the Britannia was the world's first long range turbo-prop transport aircraft, the inaugural flight of the mark being on the 1st of February 1957, from London to Johannesburg. This airframe G - AOVT was built in 1958, first flying at Filton on 17th December 1958. It was delivered to BOAC on New Years Day 1959 and served with BOAC until September 1963. VT served with British Eagle from then until that firm's collapse in 1969, and on 9th of May of that year it joined Monarch Airlines at Luton. In their service VT was used mainly on the holiday package tour routes until 1974, when Monarch re-equipped with jet aircraft. VT operated the airlines final Britannia passenger service on 14th October 1974 and had a short lease of life as a freighter, making her last commercial flight from Tripoli to Manston on 14th February 1975. Monarch Airlines presented VT to the Aviation Society and it was flown into Duxford in June 1975. At the time of its last landing here it had flown 35,739 hours and made 10,834 landings