Vickers Type 56 Victoria, Type 264 Valentia и Type 72 Vanguard

Созданный на базе Virginia, военно-транспортный самолет Vickers Victoria сыграл заметную роль в истории британских ВВС. Например, он участвовал в эвакуации 586 человек из Кабула в Пешавар в 1928-1929 годах.
   Два прототип Victoria были заказаны ДальшеMore>>> в апреле 1921 года. Первый из них, с обозначением Type 56 Victoria Mk I, поднялся в воздух 22 августа 1922 года. Этот большой самолет с крылом и оперением бипланной схемы был оснащен парой 450-сильных (336 кВт) ПД Napier Lion IXA. В его вместительном фюзеляже размещались открытая двухместная кабина для пилотов и закрытая кабина для 23 полностью снаряженных пехотинцев.
   Второй прототип,Type 81 Victoria Mk II, был облетан в январе 1923 года. На первом серийном варианте, Type 117 Victoria Mk III, ввели небольшую стреловидность внешних частей консолей крыла и первоначально установили 450-сильные (336 кВт) ПД Lion II.
   Обозначение Type 145 Victoria Mk IV получил прототип с цельнометаллическим каркасом крыла. За ним последовал первый крупносерийный вариант Type 169 Victoria MkV с новым крылом, 570-сильными (425 кВт) ПД Napier Lion VIIB и без килей на хвостовом оперении. Последним серийным вариантом стал Type 262 Victoria Mk VI с 622-сильными (464 кВт) радиальными ПД Bristol Pegasus IIL3. К моменту завершения выпуска Victoria построили 97 самолетов, включая прототипы.
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Flight, July 1929

BRITISH AIRCRAFT AT OLYMPIA

VICKERS (AVIATION), LIMITED

   As previously mentioned, the Supermarine and Vickers exhibits will be staged on the same stand, and in addition to complete aircraft the Vickers Group will show a wide range of equipment, instruments, armament, etc. However, it is with complete aircraft that we are chiefly concerned here. Of these, Vickers (Aviation) Limited will exhibit two machines, the very large "Victoria" troop-carrier, and a small single-seater monoplane fighter.

   The Vickers "Victoria" is not, it should be pointed out, a new type by any means, having been in use by the Royal Air Force for several years, and among its more recent accomplishments being the excellent service which the "Victoria" gave in evacuating over 600 European civilians from Kabul. The type is designed for and used largely by the R.A.F. in the Middle East, and is fitted with two Napier "Lion" engines. During the evacuation of Kabul "Victorias" made, during the period between December, 1928, and February, 1929, 83 flights between India and Afghanistan, covering in the course of this work no less than 33,000 miles.
   Technically and historically the "Victoria" is a development - through the 14-seater "Vimy" commercial and the "Vernon" troop carrier classes - of the famous "Vimy" in which the first direct fright across the Atlantic, the first flights from England to Australia and the first flights from England to South Africa were made in 1919 and 1920. The latest version of the "Victoria" is of all-metal construction, a fact which has resulted not only in a saving in structure weight but also in better ability to withstand the climate of the localities in the Middle East for which the machine was chiefly designed.
   The fuselage of the "Victoria" is a composite structure, the front portion being a monocoque mainly of wood, and forming the cabin for the 22 troops which the machine is designed to carry. The rear fuselage portion, on the other hand, is a duralumin tube structure, in which plates wrapped around the longerons are used for joining struts and longerons. The covering of the rear portion is fabric.
   The wing construction of the "Victoria" is similar, at least in general principle, if not in the matter of actual sizes and dimensions, to that used in a number of other Vickers types. The wing spars have flanges of channel section duralumin, and are joined together by a duralumin web running zig-zag fashion from front to rear flange. By the fact that the web crosses over diagonally, the need for diaphragms disappears, and the web performs the function of these as well as that of spar walls. The advantage of the zig-zag web is that riveting becomes very easy, there being no awkward and inaccessible corners anywhere in the wing spars. The main ribs are girders built of duralumin tubes joined by small duralumin plates which straddle the rib flange tubes. Here and there duralumin sheet is employed for wing covering in such a manner that the covering forms, with the ribs to which it is attached, a form of box rib of great strength, while the metal covering enables the crew of the machine to walk on the portions of the wing thus covered, such as for example, out to the engines mounted on the wings.
   As regards accommodation, the front cockpit is of the open type and situated in the nose of the monocoque fuselage. In it are seats and equipment for chief and assistant pilots. Behind their cockpit is the enclosed cabin, which on account of the form of construction adopted, "O" section formers covered with plywood, is particularly free of obstructions. The cabin has accommodation for 22 troops with their military equipment. Alternatively, a bomb load can be carried, sighting arrangements being provided through an aperture below the pilot's cockpit.
   The Vickers "Victoria" has an overall length of 59 ft. 6 in., while the wing span of both planes is 87 ft. 4 in., and the wing chord of both planes 13 ft., giving a total wing area of 2,178 sq. ft. The petrol is carried partly in a large tank in the belly of the fuselage (215 gallons) and partly in two wing tanks, which have a capacity of 95 gallons each.
   The tare weight of the "Victoria" is 10,030 lbs., and the weight fully loaded 17,460 lbs., giving a wing loading of 8 lbs./sq. ft. and a power loading (on maximum power of 1,140 b.h.p.) of 15-3 lbs./h.p. Performance figures are, unfortunately, not available.
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Flight, November 1932

British Aircraft

Vickers (Aviation) Limited
Weybridge, Surrey

   ALTHOUGH the machines for which Vickers (Aviation), Ltd., are generally known throughout the world are probably mostly their heavy long-distance night bombers, of which the firm has supplied large numbers to the R.A.F., the firm has produced a great many other types, several of which have gained fame abroad. Of the many types produced we have space here to deal with but a very few. It might be recalled, however, that a Vickers "Vespa" (Bristol Pegasus engine) holds the world's altitude record (pilot. C. F. Uwins, of the Bristol Company) of 13,404 m. (43,976 ft.).

The "Victoria"

   The "Victoria" is in extensive use by the British Royal Air Force as a troop carrier, with cabin space for 22 troops. The engines (two) are Napier Lion XI, with which the machine has the following characteristics :-
   Length o.a. 59 ft. 6 in. (18,1 m.)
   Wing span 87 ft. 4 in. (26,6 m.)
   Wing area 2,178 sq. ft. (202 ms.)
   Tare weight 10,030 lb. (4 549 kg.)
   Gross weight 17,760 lb. (8 040 kg.)
   Maximum speed 110 m.p.h. (177 km./h.)
   Range 770 miles (1 240 km.)
   Absolute ceiling 16,200 ft. (4 940 m.)
   When the Bristol Pegasus is fitted, the disposable load is increased, and the speed goes up to 130 m.p.h. (209 km./h.), while other performance figures are similarly improved.