Vickers R.E.P. Type Monoplane

Vickers, Sons and Maxim / Vickers Limited

Industry	Aerospace
Founded	1911
Headquarters	Erith, Kent , United Kingdom
Products	Aircraft, aero-engines

The Vickers R.E.P. Type Monoplanes consisted of a series of single-engine monoplane aircraft constructed by Vickers before the onset of the First World War. These aircraft were based on a French design for which Vickers had acquired a manufacturing license, resulting in the production of eight units.

Design and development

On 1 January 1911, Vickers, Sons and Maxim (which was renamed Vickers Limited later that year) secured a licensing agreement to manufacture aircraft and aero-engines originally designed by the French engineer Robert Esnault-Pelterie (abbreviated as R.E.P.), with rights to market them within Britain and its Empire. Subsequently, Vickers obtained a French-built R.E.P. monoplane to serve as a demonstrator, along with a rear fuselage segment constructed in France.

Vickers adapted the original design drawings from the metric to imperial measurements, and assembled the initial aircraft at their Erith factory in Kent (present-day Greater London). This first example incorporated the French-built rear fuselage and engine, while all other components were produced by Vickers. Its inaugural flight took place in July 1911 at Vickers’ newly established airfield at Joyce Green, near Dartford, piloted by Captain Herbert F. Wood, who managed Vickers' aviation division.

File:WingStructure.JPG

Wing structure of the R.E.P Type D Monoplane by Robert Esnault-Pelterie, which served as the foundation for the Vickers R.E.P. Type Monoplane

The aircraft featured a shoulder-wing monoplane layout with a slender yet deep fuselage constructed from fabric-covered steel tubing. It accommodated two occupants arranged in tandem. A single five-cylinder air-cooled R.E.P. "fan" (or "semi-radial") engine delivering 60 horsepower (45 kW) powered a two-bladed propeller mounted at the nose. The undercarriage was conventional, comprising wheels supplemented by skids. The wings combined wooden and steel elements and employed wing-warping for lateral control, manipulated by the pilot via a joystick.

The first five monoplanes shared similar configurations and were all equipped with R.E.P engines; however, the fifth model featured a deeper fuselage profile. The sixth aircraft, designed for the 1912 British Military Aeroplane Competition, exhibited notable differences including side-by-side seating for its two crew members, a reduced wingspan of 35 ft [10.67 m] compared to 47 ft 6 in [14.48 m] on earlier versions, and was powered by a 70 hp (52 kW) Viale radial engine.

Returning to the tandem seating arrangement and longer wingspan characteristic of the initial five models, the seventh aircraft replaced the R.E.P. powerplant with a more potent 100 hp (75 kW) Gnome rotary engine. The eighth and final unit resembled the sixth in layout but was fitted with a 70–80 hp Gnome rotary engine instead.

United Kingdom

The primary function of the remaining aircraft was to serve as trainers at the Vickers Flying School, which was founded at Brooklands, Surrey in 1912. In this capacity, they demonstrated insufficient power and presented handling challenges due to a lack of natural stability.

Antarctic Expedition

File:Vickers REP Monoplane00.jpg

The Vickers R.E.P. utilized in Antarctica as an air tractor

Main article: Air-tractor sledge

The second monoplane was acquired by Australian explorer Douglas Mawson for use during the Australasian Antarctic Expedition in 1911. Unfortunately, it suffered severe damage following a crash landing in Adelaide in October 1911. Consequently, it was transported to Antarctica without its wings to function as a tractor for sledges. However, this application was unsuccessful because the extreme cold caused the lubricating oil to thicken and the engine to seize. The airframe was left behind at the expedition’s base at Cape Denison, with portions of the aircraft being rediscovered in 2010.

References

• Andrews, C.F. and E.B. Morgan. Vickers Aircraft since 1908. London: Putnam, 1988. ISBN 0-85177-815-1.
• "British Notes of the Week: Vickers, Ltd. and the R.E.P". Flight, 15 April 1911, p. 336.
• "British Notes of the Week: The South Pole Monoplane". Flight, 29 July 1911, p. 663.
• Bruce, J.M. The Aeroplanes of the Royal Flying Corps (Military Wing). London: Putnam, 1982. ISBN 0-370-30084-X.
• "The Olympia Exhibition: First Impressions". Flight, 22 February 1913, pp. 210–230.
• "The Vickers Monoplane". Flight, 26 August 1911, pp. 734–736.
• "The Vickers Monoplane". Flight, 24 August 1912, pp. 774–775.