EI-AFV  Vickers 707 Viscount            (c/n  30)
                        
                                    

                                      In the days of yore the delivery of a new type of aircraft to the national airline was a media and indeed,
                                      a public social event.   This is evidenced by the crowd of well wishers seen here at Dublin Airport early
                                      in 1954 when EI-AFV "St. Patrick" the pride of Aer Lingus' fleet, arrived from the Vickers plant.
                                      Nowadays a new Boeing or Airbus type can be introduced into an airline's fleet without the public even
                                      being aware of (or in fact, caring about) such an event.    The above shot is via Aer Lingus whilst the
                                      lower one is a manufacturer's image of the same aircraft.  Shortly after the Viscounts were delivered
                                      the airline adopted a new livery, similar to the above, except that the upper surfaces were in green, rather
                                      than the white top industry standard of the day. Clearly keeping the sun off the roofs of airliners in Ireland
                                      was not a real problem!   EI-AFV returned to the UK in 1960 and was sold to Tradair as G-APZB.