This aircraft was ordered new by New Zealand National Airways Corporation

Built at the Vickers-Armstrong Weybridge factory

Entered onto the New Zealand Aircraft Register as ZK-BRD - September 04, 1957

Registered to New Zealand National Airways Corporation, Wellington, New Zealand

First flown - December 11, 1957

Accepted by NZNAC at Weybridge - December 31, 1957

Departed Weybridge on the delivery flight to New Zealand - January 01, 1958

It arrived at Auckland (Whenuapai) on completion of the delivery flight - January 10, 1958

Flight crew: Captains H. C. Walker, G. Harvey, J. H. Register

Delivery route: London - Rome - Athens - Beirut - Bahrain - Karachi - Delhi - Calcutta - Bangkok - Saigon -

Zamboagna - Biak - Darwin - Cloncurry - Sydney - Auckland

Actual flying time: 51 hours 12 minutes

The aircraft was named 'City of Wellington' on arrival at Auckland by Lady Isitt

Lady Isitt was the wife of NAC Board Chairman, Sir Leonard Isitt

Operated it first revenue service Auckland - Christchurch - Auckland - February 03, 1958

At this point Auckland and Christchurch were the only two airports that could accommodate the Viscount

The RNZAF Base 'Ohakea' could also handle the Viscount and was used in emergency situations only

It set a new speed record on Auckland - Christchurch sector of 1 hour 36 minutes - June 12, 1958

The aircraft was extensively damaged whilst landing at Auckland (Whenuapai) - November 12, 1958

The undercarriage was inadvertently retracted after touch-down

Test-flown Auckland - Auckland on completion of the repairs - December 17, 1958

It was the first Viscount to land at the newly rebuilt Wellington (Rongotai) airport - July 06, 1959

Three days of crew training were carried out before the airport was commissioned - July 20, 1959

The aircraft was withdrawn from service for a major overhaul lasting 8 weeks 2 days - May 23, 1960

Test flown following its first major overhaul - July 19, 1960

It was rolled out following repainting into the new livery to match the Boeing 737 fleet - October 04, 1967

This aircraft was offered for sale or lease to the RNZAF as a VIP transport - September 1968

It was to replace a Douglas DC-6 but the offer was not taken up

Had the distinction of being the only Viscount to land at Napier Airport - January 18, 1973

It was under the command of Capt. D. W. Barr, when it diverted from Palmerston North

The aircraft was withdrawn from service at Christchurch having flown 35,477 hours - December 20, 1973

Cancelled from the New Zealand Aircraft Register - December 21, 1973

Sold to British European Airways (BEA) - December 22, 1973

Entered onto the British Aircraft Register as G-BBVH (CofR R.14089/1) - December 22, 1973

Registered to British European Airways PLC, London

It was accepted by BEA on behalf of Gibralter Airways at Christchurch - January 08, 1974

All titles had been removed from the aircraft except for the 'Godwit' symbol that remained on the tail

A small black 'kiwi' had been added to the forward fuselage

The aircraft departed Chrishchurch on the ferry flight to the United Kingdom - January 09, 1974

It arrived at London (Heathrow) on completion of the ferry flight - January 16, 1974

Ferry route: Christchurch - Auckland - Brisbane - Mt Isa - Darwin - Denpasar - Jakarta - Singapore - Rangoon -

Bombay - Dubai - Teheran - Ankara - Nicosia - Athens - Rome - London

Ferried London (Heathrow) - East Midlands for overhaul - January 17, 1974

Test flown at East Midlands on completion of the overhaul - Janusary 25, 1974

Ferried East Midlands - Cardiff (Roose) for the issuing of its new Certificate of Airworthiness (CofA) - January 29, 1974

Leased to Gibraltar Airways Limited c/- Bland Limited, Gibraltar as the registered operator - January 29, 1974

Ferried Cardiff (Roose) - Castle Donnington for repainting - February 08, 1974

It was observed at Castle Donnington in the basic NAC livery - February 09, 1974

Delivered to Gibraltar Airways - April 1974

Ownership was transferred to GB Airways - May 06, 1981

The aircraft acquired the blue and red GB 'tail logo' - 1984

An extensive overhaul was commenced at Southend that included installing a new wing spar - August 29, 1987

The aircraft was repainted at Southend (Rochford) into the GB Airways livery - September 1987

The aircraft was named 'Yogibair'

It was test flown at Southend following completion of the overhaul - April 19, 1988

Returned to service with GB Airways - April 21, 1988

The aircraft was destroyed in a landing accident at Boukhalf, Tangier, Morocco - November 23, 1988

It was landing in heavy rain with wind gusts at 60 degrees to the runway at 24 kts

It departed the left side of the runway before coming to rest in a culvert some 1,165 yards from touch-down

No injuries were sustained by the 74 passengers and 4 crew members

It was deemed to be uneconomical to repair and broken up for useable parts

The aircraft had flown 40, 632 hours

Cancelled from the British Aircraft Register - February 07, 1989

ZK-BRD. New Zealand National Airways Corporation - 'City of Wellington' in the original livery near Hurn, December 1957.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0128-054.)

ZK-BRD. New Zealand National Airways Corporation - 'City of Wellington' in the original livery at Auckland Whenaupai Airport, January 10, 1958.

This was the official naming ceremony.

(D. Gate Copyright Image 0128-068.)

ZK-BRD. New Zealand National Airways Corporation - 'City of Wellington' in the original livery at Christchurch Airport, March 1959.

(V. C. Browne Copyright Image 0128-016.)

ZK-BRD. New Zealand National Airways Corporation - 'City of Wellington' in the original livery at Christchurch Airport, circa 1959.

(V. C. Browne Copyright Image 0128-069.)

ZK-BRD. New Zealand National Airways Corporation - 'City of Wellington' in the original livery at Auckland Whenuapai Airport, crca 1960.

(D. Gate Copyright Image 0128-062.)

ZK-BRD. NAC National Airways - 'City of Wellington' in the standard livery at Christchurch Airport, circa 1971.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0128-045.)

ZK-BRD. NAC National Airways - 'City of Wellington' in the standard livery at Christchurch Airport, October 30, 1971.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0128-081.)

G-BBVH. GB Airways - in the basic 'NZNAC' livery at Christchurch Airport, January 07, 1974.

(J. Mounce Copyright Image 0128-095.)

G-BBVH. GibAir - in the basic 'NZNAC' livery at Gibraltar Airport, June 10, 1979.

(J. Mounce Collection Copyright Image 0128-097.)

G-BBVH. Gibraltar Airways - in the basic 'NZNAC' livery at Gibraltar Airport, August 12, 1980.

(S. Wolf Collection Copyright Image 0128-096.)

G-BBVH. GB Airways - in the basic 'NZNAC' livery at an unknown airport, July 1983.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0128-079.)

G-BBVH. GB Airways - in the basic 'NZNAC' livery at Lourdes Tarbres Airport, July 1986.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0128-091.)

G-BBVH. GB Airways - 'Yogibair' in the revised livery at an unknown airport, April 1988.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0128-080.)