Vickers Viking
| Industry | Aerospace |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1911 in United Kingdom |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Products | Aircraft, including the Vickers Viking amphibious aircraft series |
The Vickers Viking was a British single-engine amphibious aircraft developed for military purposes shortly after the conclusion of World War I. Subsequent models were designated as the Vickers Vulture and Vickers Vanellus.
Design and development
Development of Vickers' inaugural amphibious aircraft began in December 1918, involving trials of various fuselage and hull configurations within an experimental tank facility located in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. The initial prototype, bearing registration G-EAOV, was a five-seat cabin biplane featuring a pusher propeller powered by a water-cooled Rolls-Royce Falcon V12 engine. Tragically, Sir John Alcock lost his life piloting this aircraft to the Paris Air Show on 18 December 1919, crashing near Côte d'Evrard close to Rouen, Normandy, amid foggy conditions.[1][2]
Following this, the aircraft designated G-EASC or Viking II featured an increased wingspan and was equipped with a more powerful 360 hp Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII engine. The Viking III, flown by Captain Stan Cockerell, secured first place in the amphibious category during Air Ministry contests held in September and October of 1920.
The Type 54 Viking IV introduced additional improvements including a cabin that was broader atop a hull widened by one foot; an example is G-EBBZ, which was involved in a fatal accident on 13 April 1922 near the Brooklands racetrack outside Weybridge, Surrey, claiming the lives of aviators Ross Smith and J.M. Bennett, partners famed for their 1919 flight from England to Australia. The majority of these Mark IV Vikings were powered by the Napier Lion engine.[3]
Subsequently, the Viking V variant saw two units constructed for RAF deployment in Iraq.
An advanced iteration featuring a redesigned wing framework and powered by a 450 hp (340 kW) Napier Lion engine was designated as the Viking VI (internally known at Vickers as Type 78), but more commonly referred to as the Vulture I. Another model, the Type 95 Vulture II, utilized a Rolls-Royce Eagle IX engine rated at 360 hp (270 kW). Both Vulture variants participated in an unsuccessful global circumnavigation attempt in 1924 after the Eagle engine on the Vulture II was replaced with a Napier Lion. Registered as G-EBHO, the first aircraft departed from Calshot Seaplane Base on 25 March 1924; its counterpart was sent as a backup to Tokyo. Following mechanical setbacks during initial stages, G-EBHO crashed at Akyab and was substituted by G-EBGO on 25 June. Unfortunately, G-EBGO crashed amid dense fog near the Siberian side of the Bering Sea. A significant portion of both aircraft was recovered by Vickers.
The Viking Mark VII (known internally as "Type 83") evolved from the Vulture design into a three-seat open-cockpit fleet reconnaissance aircraft developed to meet Air Ministry specification 46/22. This model received the service name "Vanellus" upon evaluation by the RAF alongside the Supermarine Seagull.
Operational history
Production of the final Viking amphibians concluded in 1923; however, the Viking designation was later revived approximately 22 years afterward for the twin-engine VC.1 Viking airliner, which operated under the name Valetta within the RAF and other military aviation units. Canadian Vickers Limited, a Montreal-based subsidiary without prior experience in aircraft manufacturing, assembled two Viking IV amphibians and constructed an additional six for the Royal Canadian Air Force. This engagement with the Viking series paved the way for a subsequent development of native flying boats, starting with the Canadian Vickers Vedette.
No original Vikings have survived to the present day; nonetheless, a life-sized replica created for the 1977 film The People That Time Forgot is exhibited at the Brooklands Museum in Surrey.
Operators
- Argentine Naval Aviation – received four Type 84 (Viking IV) units in 1923, later supplemented by two former civilian Viking IV aircraft in 1925.
- The River Plate Aviation Company (Compañia Rio Platense de Aviación) – acquired two Type 73 aircraft, c/n 19 and c/n 20 (both Viking IVs), in 1923; these were sold to the Argentine Navy in 1925.
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- Laurentide Air Services – obtained one Type 69 (Viking IV) in 1922.
- Royal Canadian Air Force – initially received two Type 85 (Viking IV) aircraft in 1923, followed by six additional units manufactured domestically by Canadian Vickers in Montreal.
- French Navy – operated one Type 54 (Viking IV) delivered in 1921 bearing civilian registration.
- Imperial Japanese Navy – took delivery of two Type 58 (Viking IV) aircraft in 1921.
- Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force – received eight Type 55 (Viking IV) aircraft in 1922, with two additional replacements arriving in 1923 due to attrition.
- One Type 64 (Viking IV) was ordered by the Russian Trade Delegation and delivered in 1922.
- Royal Air Force – acquired two Type 59 (Viking V) aircraft in 1922 for tropical environment testing with No. 70 Squadron RAF.
- Royal Navy – took delivery of one Viking III in 1921 and one Vanellus model in 1925.
- United States Navy – procured one Type 58 (Viking IV) purchased in 1921 and delivered by 1923.
Specifications (Viking IV)
See also
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References
- Notes
- ↑ Andrews and Morgan 1988, pp. 112–113.
- ↑ "The Death of Sir John Alcock". Flight, 25 December 1919, p. 1646.
- ↑ Milberry 1979, p. 30.
- Bibliography
- Andrews, C.F. and E.B. Morgan. Vickers Aircraft since 1908. London: Putnam, 1988. ISBN 0-85177-815-1.
- London, Peter. British Flying Boats. Stroud, UK: Sutton Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0-7509-2695-3.
- Milberry, Larry. Aviation in Canada. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd., 1979. ISBN 0-07-082778-8.
- Molson, Ken M. and Harold A. Taylor. Canadian Aircraft Since 1909. Stittsville, Ontario: Canada's Wings, Inc., 1982. ISBN 0-920002-11-0.
- Rivas, Santiago. British Combat Aircraft in Latin America. Manchester, UK: Crécy Publishing, 2019. ISBN 978-1-90210-957-2.
External links
- "The Vickers Viking Mark IV", Flight, 6 October 1921, pages 655–660 comprehensive photographs and technical drawings
- Vickers Viking profile at the Lancaster Museum website
- Canadian Air Force historical aircraft records
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- Vickers aircraft
- 1910s British military utility aircraft
- Flying boats
- Amphibious aircraft
- Single-engined pusher aircraft
- Biplanes
- Aircraft first flown in 1919
- Aircraft with fixed conventional landing gear
- Single-engined piston aircraft