Vickers Type 170 Vanguard

Vickers Limited

Industry	Aerospace
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Products	Aircraft (e.g. Vickers Vanguard)

For the subsequent four-engine turboprop airliner, see Vickers Vanguard.

The Vickers Vanguard was a British airliner from the 1920s, created by Vickers Limited as an evolution of the Victoria model.

Design and development

Evolving from the earlier Victoria, the Vanguard featured a broader fuselage and was designed as a twin-engine biplane capable of carrying 22 passengers. Initially constructed for the Air Ministry under the designation Type 62, it was equipped with two 450 hp Napier Lion engines and completed its maiden flight on 18 July 1923. In 1925, the aircraft underwent an engine upgrade to two 650 hp Rolls-Royce Condor III powerplants and was subsequently reclassified as Type 103. Upon its transfer to Imperial Airways in the same year, it earned recognition as the World's largest passenger aeroplane.

After refurbishment in 1928, it received the Type 170 designation and was employed by Imperial Airways for route proving trials beginning in May of that year. The Vanguard operated on routes such as London to Paris, typically completing flights in approximately two and a half hours, and later served on the London-Brussels-Cologne corridor. On 6 July 1928, it achieved a world record for load carrying. The aircraft was withdrawn from commercial service in October 1928 for probable tail modifications but tragically crashed during test flights at Shepperton, Middlesex on 16 May 1929, resulting in the deaths of pilot Tiny Scholefield and flight observer Frank Sharrett.

Variants

Type 62

Initial prototype powered by a pair of 450hp Napier Lion engines; only one unit constructed.

Type 103

An upgraded Type 62 featuring two Condor III engines replacing the original powerplants.

Type 170

The Type 103 modified and refurbished specifically for operation by Imperial Airways.

Specifications (Type 170)

File:Vickers Type 170 3-view Vanguard L'Aéronautique November,1922.png

Three-view illustration of Vickers Type 170 Vanguard from L'Aéronautique, November 1922

Video

• Historical newsreel showing Vickers Type 170 Vanguard airborne