The Merchantman's origins lay with the 100- to 140-seat Vickers Vanguard of the early 1960s. The four-engined turboprop was first flown from the Vickers-Armstrongs factory at Brooklands on 20 January 1959, and entered service with British European Airways (BEA) in December 1960. Although very economical to operate, the design was quickly overtaken by the passenger appeal of the new short-haul, jet-powered airliners then being introduced. Just 43 aircraft were sold, to two customers, BEA and Trans Canada Airlines (now Air Canada).
The Vanguard's wide cabin, and "double-bubble" fuselage configuration which provided large underfloor cargo holds, made the aircraft an ideal candidate for freighter conversion. BEA converted several Vanguards to freighters in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with the cargo version named "Merchantman".
Hunting introduced the Vanguard/ Merchantman in November 1976, when it acquired a single aircraft from British Airways. At that time, the company was known as Air Bridge Carriers. More ex-BA aircraft were added, with the fleet ultimately totalling seven aircraft. The name change to Hunting Cargo Airlines was made in 1992, to identify the connections with parent Hunting Aviation.
By 1994, just two Vanguards were in operation with Hunting, which by then was the sole operator of the type. The final aircraft, G-APEP, remained in service until the end of September, before being retired to Brooklands.
Source: Flight International
