On 3 September 1978,
Air Rhodesia Flight RH 285 left Kariba on a scheduled flight to Salisbury (now
Harare) with fifty-two passengers and a crew of four on board. Shortly after
take-off, the Vickers Viscount (VP-WAS "Hunyani") was struck by a
SAM-7 Strela missile fired by ZIPRA forces. After having lost both
starboard engines and sending out a Mayday call, Captain John Hood and First
Officer Garth Beaumont fought to maintain control of the aircraft and managed to
crash land the Viscount in a cotton-field in the Whamira Hills. In the process
of pulling off a miraculous landing, the undercarriage hit an irrigation ditch
running through the cotton-field, causing the aircraft to cartwheel and explode. Only
eighteen people managed to scramble from the wreckage.
Having assessed the
situation, five of the survivors decided to leave the wreckage and seek
help from local tribespeople. Half an hour after their departure, the ZIPRA
forces that brought down the aircraft arrived on the scene. After initially
offering assistance to the thirteen remaining survivors, they subsequently
ordered them to their feet and then opened fire on them with AK-47 assault
rifles. Ten of the survivors were killed.
All in all, only
eight passengers managed to survive the tragedy.
On 12 February 1979,
another Air Rhodesia Vickers Viscount (VP-YND "Umniati") was also shot
down by a SAM missile on a scheduled flight with fifty-four passengers and a
crew of five. There were no survivors.
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images below to see larger images
The Kit - S & M Models (1/144 Scale) Vickers
Viscount 800
Back in the early 1970's, I flew
on a scheduled Air Rhodesia flight between Bulawayo and Salisbury at the age of
11. Nothing particularly remarkable for the average traveller, but in my
instance, it was the first time I flew on an aeroplane without the rest of the
family. Since then, I've always wanted to build a model of an Air Rhodesia
Viscount, but besides having no model kits available as a base to work on, I
never felt that I had the skill. After spending thirty odd years
cutting my teeth on polystyrene and building up the courage, I figured I
was ready to have a go. After all, I had now mastered the art of patience, and
the temptation to test the dryness of gloss paints with my fingers. (I couldn't begin
to tell you how many Airfix airliners have been through my hands on their last
unscheduled flights into the wall / floor / bin with ruined paintwork and the
scientific discovery - "Wet paint looks like Dry Paint - must remember for
next time...").
Luckily, my misguided confidence
coincided with S&M Models releasing a short run injection moulded kit
of a Vickers Viscount Series 800. In effect, there was no excuse for not having
a go, and after having spent some time in designing my own decals, there was no
holding me back either. (Actually there was a lot holding me back, but it would
be rude of me to discuss my modelling ineptitude again). As Air Rhodesia
only operated Series 700 Viscounts in the 1970's, I had to modify the
fuselage. After cutting a chunk out of the forward fuselage and reshaping the
nose with Milliput, the outline seemed to fit the bill. The trailing edges
of the wings and tail plane were extraordinarily thick, and although I did have
a go at trying to thin them down, I eventually gave up. I must admit
that I did have to strip the decals, paint and everything else off, after
Microsol reacted with the Alclad Chrome on the wings. To be fair, Alclad do
tell you not to use decal softeners with their Chrome paint, but who's got time
to read the instructions until after disaster strikes ?
In spite of my usual efforts to
make a mess, the model was eventually finished as VP-YNC "Mazoe"
using my home-made Air Rhodesia decals. Two Six came to the rescue with their
etched metal parts for the aerials, propellers and undercarriage doors. I also
used their decal detail set designed for the Viscount on the wings, engines and
tail planes. Job done.
In memory of
those who perished thirty years ago and those who survived.
Mike
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image below to see larger image
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