In early 2015, 28 years after her arrival at the then Jan Smuts Airport, there was renewed interest in the forlorn and derelict hulk, standing not too far from the engine run-up bay at OR Tambo International Airport, and preparations began in earnest to relocate her to the museum at Rand Airport. Matt Harvey from SAA Technical took on the project and after almost a year of preparation the aircraft was ready to be relocated by December 2015, although she would have to wait until January 2016 to be finally moved.

During January of 2015 John "Jaws" Austin-Williams met up with John Illsley of Pretoria Boys High School. John expressed an interest in our museum and the preservation tasks we tackle and kindly offered the assistance of the boys from the Aeronautical Society of Pretoria Boys High. The first Viking workday was held on Saturday 14 March with Matt plus John and his boys in attendance.

John reports… “I had fifteen boys at ORT on Saturday and we managed to remove the two props. However, I don’t think Matt was given the right info about the wing attachment points as I’m convinced there are two huge pins that we didn’t count on and which could not be extracted. It is a nice project and the boys were very excited and useful up to a point. We will probably help again in mid-April at which point I hope we can pull off the wings and stabilizers.”

The Viking’s outer wings were removed on Saturday 18 April. Matt Harvey along with John Illsley and some lads from the Pretoria Boys High Aeronautical Society got the job done. John Illsley sent in the following report:

"The Aeronautical Society of Pretoria Boys High returned to the SAA Technical Area on Saturday 18th April to resume battle with the wings of the Vickers Viking. The work force was greatly diminished by the onset of the winter sports season at the school, but the small team just worked twice as hard! While waiting for our crane to be returned from working on a current SAA airliner, we unpacked many of the items that have been stored inside the Viking fuselage, including seats that were from a more recent aircraft as well as the engine cowlings.

When our SAA technical man, Matt Harvey, returned with the crane we then set about removing the wing attachment pins that are located within the engine and undercarriage nacelle and which consist of a threaded and tapered pin that has its own cranking handle. These took a bit of persuading thanks to corrosion, but once removed the wings were suspended briefly on the nylon straps before being gently lowered onto old tyres.

By now well practised, the second wing came off even more quickly. Unfortunately the tool we needed for removing the tail planes was not yet available and so we couldn’t remove these components.

The boys were taken for a walk through hangar eight and seeing the SAA maintenance activity was a big treat. We were again kindly hosted in the SAA Technical social area before heading home. The boys are keen to be part of the actual moving of the aircraft to Rand Airport, but we will have to see if we are invited back!"

John and the Boys are most certainly invited back!

On Saturday the 15th of August the vertical stabiliser, rudder, horizontal stabiliser and elevators were removed. Thanks to Leonie van Schalkwyk and Wynand Myburgh who assisted Matt Harvey.

Sadly Victor Edward de Villiers of “Vic’s Viking Garage” fame passed away on Thursday the 8th of October 2015. Vic purchased ZS-DKH from Trek Airways. After 13.881 flying hours ZS-DKH was flown from Rand Airport to the old Baragwanath Airfield, original home of the Johannesburg Light Plane Club on the 18th of December 1962.

She was disassembled and transported by road to Armadale south of Johannesburg, where, in January 1963 she was placed atop the roof of the Caltex Garage owned by Victor Edward de Villiers and known as “Vic’s Viking Garage" where she became a famous, if forlorn, landmark.

The garage was previously known as "Vic's Goggomobile Garage". On the 5th of March 1987, the Viking was replaced by SAAF Avro Shackleton 1723 and donated to the South Africa Airways Museum Society. The Viking’s wings were removed and she was towed to the then Jan Smuts Airport.

On 9 March 2016, a wet and dreary morning, the Viking’s wings were transported to the museum. Thanks to Transcor.

Photograph: Matt Harvey

Offloading the Viking’s wings at the museum, 9 March 2016.

Thanks to Marlboro Crane Hire.

Photograph: Matt Harvey.

 
The intention is to one day have her restored to represent Protea Airways / Protea Lugdiens as depicted in the above photograph.
Taken at Rand Airport by the late Peter Keating in June 1961.