Vickers Viscount

The Vickers Viscount, first flown in 1948 and entering airline service in 1953, was the first turboprop airliner in the world to enter widespread commercial service, using four Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop engines to give passengers smoother, quieter and faster travel than the piston-engined airliners of the era. Its pressurized cabin, large oval windows, and comfortable ride made it popular with passengers and a strong commercial success for Vickers, particularly in the British and North American markets, and it helped establish turboprop propulsion as a viable and attractive alternative to piston engines for short and medium-haul routes. More than four hundred Viscounts were built, making it one of the best-selling British airliners of the postwar era.