Air Pictorial 1956-02
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Photos by request
VICKERS TYPE 103 VANGUARD. Adoption of the name Vanguard by Vickers Armstrongs for their latest propjet transport recalls the original Type 103 Vanguard of 1922. The 1922 Vanguard was a civil development of the Victoria military troop transport and carried twenty-three passengers.
The prototype, G-EBCP, was handed over to Imperial Airways for evaluation, and it was used on the London-Paris-London daylight round trips. Proving flights were extended through 1927 and 1928. Eventually the Type 103 Vanguard was returned to Vickers, and on 16th May, 1929, G-EBCP crashed into the Thames near Shepperton, Middlesex, killing the Vickers test pilot , Scholefield. The Vanguard had an all-up weight of 17.600 lb., and was powered by two 600-h.p. Rolls-Royce Condors. Span was 88 ft.
VICKERS TYPE 195 VANNOCK II. The Vickers Vannock was designed to meet the Air Ministry Specification B.19/27 calling for a long-range night bomber.
Only one prototype Vannock was built, J9131, but it was twice modified and given new type numbers. The Vannock Mk.I, Type 150, was powered by two Rolls-Royce Kestrel inlines, and fitted with single-bay outer wings. The Vannock Mk.II, Type 195, was re-engined with two Bristol Pegasus I.M.3 radials, and had a three-bay wing. The final form reverted to two-bay wings of increased area. This, the Type 255, was also powered by two Pegasus I.M.3s. All-up weight of the four-seat Vannock Mk.II was 16,000 lb. Span, 76 ft. 6 in.; length , 60 ft. 4 in.
FAIREY FANTOME. Often referred to as the world's most beautiful biplane, the Fairey Fantome (Belgian name: Feroce) was designed, and built, in 1935 by Marcel Lobelle, whose most recent work is the M.L. inflatable-wing A.O.P. The single-seat interceptor Fantome was a logical development of the Firefly IIM biplane then used by Belgium.
Four Fantome sets were produced, the first being assembled in England as F-6 and later G-ADIF. While on test at Evere in Belgium the first prototype crashed, killing the pilot, S.H.G.Trower. The photo shows L7045, which was assembled in Belgium and tested at A.&A.E.E., then at Martlesham Heath. No 20-mm. hub cannon was fitted to the 925-h.p. Hispano-Suiza 12 Yrs, the armament being two cowl-mounted and two lower-wing-sited 0.303-in. machine guns. The other two Fantomes were purchased by the Russians and fought in Spain - one was shot down and the other gave good account of itself. Loaded weight, 4,120 lb. Maximum speed, 270 m.p. h. at 13,100 ft. Duration, 2 hours. Span, 34 ft. 6 in.; length, 27 ft. 6 in.
LOUGHEAD MODEL G. Two young brothers, Alan and Malcolm Loughead, designed and built their first successful aeroplane in 1912 - the three-seat Model G seaplane with a useful load of 584 lb. This wood and fabric-covered biplane was test-flown by the brothers Loughead at Santa Barbara, California, and three years later was a main attraction at the Panama Pacific International Exposition held at San Francisco in 1915. Hundreds of visitors to the exhibition had their first experience of air travel in the Model G. An unusual feature of the design was the mounting of the ailerons midway between the unequal-span mainplanes. A modern touch was the main, flat-bottom float which served in much the same manner as the current hydroski. All-up weight, 2,200 lb. Maximum speed, 63 m.p.h. at sea-level on 80 h.p. from the Curtiss O liquid-cooled, upright-vee, 8-cylinder motor. Span, (upper) 46 ft., (lower) 36 ft.; length, 30 ft.; height, 10 ft.