Airspeed Ambassador (1952)

The Airspeed Ambassador was designed as a replacement for the Douglas DC-3 (Dakota). It flew for the first time on 10 July 1947 and was relatively advanced for the period, with pressurisation (offered as an option!), elegant and efficient streamlining and recent innovations like a tricycle undercarriage and steerable nosewheel.

23 aircraft were built, all initially used by British European Airways (BEA), who operated it as their ‘Elizabethan‘ class in honour of the newly crowned Queen. The first ‘Elizabethan’ scheduled flight was from Heathrow to Paris Le Bourget on 13 March 1952. The Ambassador, however, was soon eclipsed by the Vickers Viscount, introduced in 1953, with its vibration free turboprop engines and higher speed. BEA therefore decided to withdraw the Ambassador despite its relative youth and the final scheduled Elizabethan service was on 30 July 1958.

There were no more sales of new Ambassadors; this was to be the last large piston-powered airliner designed in Britain. Second-hand aircraft were used by several UK and overseas operators, notably Dan-Air, who acquired 10 aircraft.

G-ALZO is the only surviving Ambassador. It was delivered to BEA on 25 November 1952. After being severely damaged in a landing accident it was rebuilt by BEA engineers and returned to service. In 1960 it was purchased by the Royal Jordanian Air Force as a VIP transport and freighter, having been fitted with a rear cargo door by Marshall of Cambridge. In 1963 it was sold to Dan-Air who used it until 1971, when on 28 September it flew from Jersey to Gatwick, the last scheduled flight by an Ambassador.

It was then stored at the Dan-Air maintenance base at Lasham until 1986, when it was offered to Duxford Aviation Society for preservation and transported by road to join the British Airliner Collection. After being rebuilt by DAS volunteers it was rolled out for public display in April 2013.