Sitting incongruously along the main street in Garland, in the Municipality of Ethelbert, is a Vickers Viscount. These four-engine turboprop aircraft were built in Great Britain, the first-ever use of this technology, and used in commercial aviation starting in 1953. This specimen was one of 51 Viscounts purchased by Trans-Canada Airlines (predecessor of today's Air Canada) and operated between 1955 and 1974.
In 1982, this retired Viscount, with its wings and engines removed, was moved by farmer Don Fyk to Garland from its former site in Teulon. With wings reattached, the Viscount was converted into a summer cottage. Its interior features a living room, galley kitchen, and bedroom, but no running water. There are at least three other Viscounts known to exist in museums across Canada, in British Columbia, Ottawa, and the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada in Winnipeg.
TCA Vickers Viscount Airplane (August 2020)
Source: George PennerSite Coordinates (lat/long): N51.65646, W100.46178
denoted by symbol on the map above
“Viscount grounded at Garland,” Winnipeg Free Press, 5 May 1982, page 2.
“Museum lands Viscount plane,” Winnipeg Free Press, 4 October 1982, page 5.
This page was prepared by George Penner.
Page revised: 27 April 2023
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