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Subject: Vickers VC.1 Viking
Date: 4 Oct 2017 07:17:21 -0700
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vickers_VC.1_Viking
The Vickers VC.1 Viking was a British twin-engine short-range airliner derived
from the Vickers Wellington bomber and built by Vickers-Armstrongs Limited at
Brooklands near Weybridge in Surrey. In the aftermath of the Second World War,
the Viking was an important airliner with British airlines pending the
development of turboprop aircraft like the Viscount. An experimental airframe
was fitted with Rolls-Royce Nene turbojets and first flown in 1948 as the
world's first pure jet transport aircraft. Military developments were the
Vickers Valetta and the Vickers Varsity.
The Ministry of Aircraft Production ordered three prototype Wellington Transport
Aircraft to Air Ministry Specification 17/44 from Vickers-Armstrongs Limited.
The specification was for a peacetime requirement for a short-medium haul
passenger aircraft. To speed development the aircraft used the wing and
undercarriage design from the Wellington but the fuselage was new. Although the
original contract referred to Wellington Transport Aircraft, on completion, the
name Viking was chosen.
The first prototype (designated the Type 491 and registered G-AGOK) was built by
the Vickers Experimental Department at its wartime Foxwarren dispersal site and
was first flown by 'Mutt' Summers at Wisley Airfield on 22 June 1945. This
aircraft crashed on 23 April 1946 due to a double engine failure; no fatalities
occurred as a result of the crash. Following successful trials of the three
prototypes the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) ordered 19 aircraft.
The first BOAC aircraft flew on 23 March 1946. The prototypes were then used for
trials with the Royal Air Force which led to orders for military versions (the
Viking C2 (12 ordered as freighter/transports) and the modified Valetta C1).
The initial 19 production aircraft (later designated the Viking 1A) carried 21
passengers, they had metal fuselages and - except for the wing inboard of the
nacelles - fabric-clad geodetic wings and tail units. Following feedback from
customers, the next 14 examples, known as the Viking 1, featured stressed-metal
wings and tail units. The next variant, the Viking 1B, was 28 in (71 cm) longer,
carrying 24 passengers with up-rated Bristol Hercules piston engines, achieved a
production run of 115. One of this batch was changed during production to so
that it could be fitted with two Rolls-Royce Nene turbojet engines, with its
(Villacoublay) in the morning carrying letters to Bleriot's widow and son
(secretary of the FAI), who met it at the airport. The flight of 222 miles took
only 34 minutes. It then flew back to London in the afternoon. It obtained a
maximum speed of 415 mph (668 km/h) at 12,000 ft (3,700 m) and averaged 394 mph
(634 km/h). In 1954 it was bought from the Ministry of Supply and underwent the
substantial conversion to Hercules 634 piston engines by Eagle Aviation to join
their fleet.
Role
airliner
Manufacturer
Vickers-Armstrongs Limited
Designer
R.K. Pierson
First flight
22 June 1945
Introduction
1946
Status
retired
Primary user
British European Airways
Produced
Number built
163
Developed from
Vickers Wellington
Variants
Vickers Valetta
Vickers Varsity
The first Viking was flown from Vickers' flight test airfield at Wisley, Surrey,
by chief test pilot Joseph "Mutt" Summers on 22 June 1945 and the third aircraft
built was delivered to BOAC at Hurn near Bournemouth on 20 April 1946. Upon the
delivery of nine examples to BOAC for development flying, including the two
remaining prototypes, British European Airways (BEA) was established on 1 August
1946 to operate airliners within Europe and these first VC.1 Vikings were
transferred to the new airline.
In all 163 Vikings were built. The initials "VC" stood for Vickers Commercial,
echoing the "VC" precedent set by the earlier Vimy Commercial of 1919. Vickers
soon ceased to use the 'VC' letters, instead using type numbers in the 49x and
600 series, which indicated the specific customer airline.
BEA sold their Vikings to several UK independent airlines for use on their
growing scheduled and charter route networks. Some were sold to other European
operators. An ex-BEA Viking 1B was fitted out as a VIP aircraft for the Arab
Legion Air Force, mainly for the use of the King of Jordan. Most Vikings had
been retired from service by the mid-1960s and the sole surviving example in the
UK is owned by Brooklands Museum where it is under long term restoration.
Specifications (Viking 1B)
General characteristics
hp (1,260 kW) each
Performance
*
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