Whatsit?

[Ray Tackett]

This is the only image I could find of this aircraft. The engine and main gear strut look like a DC-3 turboprop conversion, but the nose and cockpit windows are wrong for a DC-3, and the DC-3 main gear struts have a trailing fork and a cross member.

The photo was found on line and is from the BEA archives. Lotsa BOAC and BEA image searches yielded no other photo of a plane which looks like this.

[Randy Sohn]

the only image I could find of this aircraft

Small photo and pretty much blocked by the F/As but Handley-Page?

best, randy

[Ray Tackett]

Thanks, Randy. Handley-Page Hastings. The photo is cropped such that the #1 of FOUR engines is not visible in the picture. The other "Gotcha" for me was the gear doors, which are barely visible. A Hastings in the air looks like a milkstool. The Royal Navy turboprop conversion has the identical nacelles, with that longish, tapered extension.

[Randy Sohn]

Thanks, Randy. Handley-Page Hastings

Ray, a head shakin' mode hereaboutz, dim recall of back when I was stationed at Offutt AFB on the Stand Bd there and the RAF guys would arrive in one of those things. Memories, try'n now to recall what that other RAF bomber was that the RAF also arrived in? Vulcan, meb'be? Although it must'a had some higher ranking guys aboard cuz LeMay or Powers would come down from the Hill to Ops to greet them.

best, randy

[Reams Goodloe]

Ray, Randy....

Looks more like a Vickers 639 Viking 1......
BEA had quite a few of them...

https://www.google.com/search?q=Vickers+Viking&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjNqpCF0fbaAhVD3GMKHeZIAS8Q_AUoAXoECAAQAw&biw=1514&bih=845

Reams

[Reams Goodloe]

And, more precisely, see this photo:

https://www.airteamimages.com/vickers-viking_G-AMGG_bea---british-european-airways_65150.html?phtID=65150

Reams

[Ray Tackett]

Reams, I can only agree about the shape of the nose and the cockpit windows on the Vickers, but only now was I able to find one with the tapered nacelle.

[Randy Sohn]

dim recall of back when I was stationed at Offutt AFB on the Stand Bd there and the RAF guys would arrive

All, I sure dunno, like I say, dim recall of the RAF arriving from overseas somewhere, again IIRC the thing they were in with those roundels on it had 4 engines?

best, randy

[Reams Goodloe]

Ray -

Among other things, the HP Hastings has a much different looking nose.... and gear... And, it was military use only... The HP Hermes or the HP Halifax saw civilian use... ..neither of which look like your photo...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handley_Page_Hastings#/media/File:Handley_Page_HP-67_Hastings_T5,_UK_-_Air_Force_AN0909783.jpg

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TG607_HP_Hastings_C2_RAF_LPL_31JUL64_(6890684001).jpg

- Reams

[Reams Goodloe]

Ray -These guys ought to be able to answer your question....

https://www.save-a-viking.org/pdf/Viking-Report-2017.pdf

Reams

[A. Niemyer]

Definitely a Vickers Viking. Nice birds, but like so many, competing against a mass of surplus C-47/DC-3's for business.

Good luck to the Save-a-Viking group!

Best,
Andy