Vickers Vendace
| Industry | Aerospace |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1828 in Sheffield, England |
| Products | Aircraft |
The Vickers Vendace was a British trainer aircraft from the 1920s, initially developed to serve as a floatplane trainer for the Royal Air Force.
Background
In October 1924, the British Air Ministry issued Specification 5A/24, calling for a floatplane trainer. In response, Vickers created the two-seat biplane known as the Vickers Type 120 Vendace I. By August 1925, the Air Ministry had commissioned a single prototype alongside competing designs from Parnall and Blackburn, specifically the Parnall Perch and Blackburn Sprat.
Design and development
The Vendace I featured a two-bay biplane configuration with wooden wings capable of folding, supported by a steel tube fuselage. It was powered by a Rolls-Royce Falcon engine. Its undercarriage was designed to be quickly interchangeable between floats and wheels within ten minutes, and fuel was stored in two streamlined tanks mounted above the upper wing.
The prototype made its maiden flight at Brooklands by March 1926 and subsequently completed successful landplane trials, including operations from the aircraft carrier HMS Furious. In 1927, it underwent seaplane testing at the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment, Felixstowe. These evaluations proved successful, leading to its selection to fulfill RAF requirements. However, the programme was later cancelled as a budgetary measure, though the RAF retained the aircraft for experimental use.
Vickers proceeded to develop a second version, the Type 157 Vendace II, as a private initiative. This model was equipped with an ADC Nimbus inline six-cylinder engine—derived from the Siddeley Puma—which replaced the Falcon engine used in the first variant. The Vendace II took flight in November 1927 and was sold to the Aircraft Operating Company for aerial survey missions in South America.
Further evolution led to the Type 155 Vendace III, powered by a 300 hp (220 kW) Hispano-Suiza 8F. Three units of this version were purchased by Bolivia for training purposes at a total cost of £9,997.
Operational history
In July 1929, the Escuela Militar de Aviación incorporated three Bolivian Vendace aircraft into their fleet. Although these Vendaces demonstrated solid performance flying at the elevated altitude of Bolivia's training base in La Paz, they encountered engine difficulties attributed to the dusty conditions prevalent during the Bolivian summer. These issues led to multiple groundings while awaiting replacement engine parts shipped from France. By 1933, two Vendaces remained active, with one serving as a communications plane during the Chaco War before being destroyed by Bolivian troops during a withdrawal in December of that year.
Variants
- Type 120 Vendace I
- Prototype designed as a convertible landplane/seaplane for the RAF, equipped with a 275 hp (205 kW) Rolls-Royce Falcon III engine. Only one unit was produced (serial number N208).
- Type 157 Vendace II
- A privately developed model powered by a 300 hp (220 kW) ADC Nimbus engine. A single example (registration G-EBPX) was built and later adapted for aerial survey missions.
- Type 155 Vendace III
- Trainer aircraft tailored for Bolivia, fitted with a 300 hp (220 kW) Hispano-Suiza 8F engine. Three units were manufactured.
Operators
Specifications (Vendace III)
See also
References
Bibliography
- Andrews, C. F.; Morgan, E. B. (1988). Vickers Aircraft since 1908 (Second ed.). London: Putnam. ISBN 0-85177-815-1.
- Donald, David, ed. (1997). The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Aerospace Publishing. ISBN 1-85605-375-X.
- Hagedorn, Dan; Sapienza, Antonio L. (1997). Aircraft of the Chaco War 1928–1935. Atglen, Pennsylvania, USA: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 0-7643-0146-2.
- Jackson, A. J. (1968). Blackburn Aircraft since 1909. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-370-00053-6.
- "The Vickers 'Vendace': An Efficient Land or Sea Training Biplane". Flight. Vol. XVIII, no. 899. 18 March 1926. pp. 165–167. Retrieved 8 December 2021.