Vickers Vulcan

Vulcan

Role	Airliner
Manufacturer	Vickers
Designer	Rex Pierson
First flight	April 1922
Introduction	1 June 1922
Retired	July 1928
Primary users	Instone Air Line Imperial Airways
Produced	1922–1925
Number built	8

The Vickers Vulcan was a British single-engine biplane airliner of the 1920s built by Vickers Limited at Brooklands Aerodrome, Surrey. It carried eight passengers and a pilot.

Development

The Vickers Vulcan was designed by Rex Pierson of Vickers and it first flew in April 1922 at the hands of the chief test pilot, S. Cockerell, at the Brooklands Aerodrome in Surrey, UK.

The Vulcan was based on a civil version of the Vimy bomber, but featured many changes, including a much larger fuselage (taller) and one, instead of two, Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII engines, with the intention being to get low operating costs. The shape of its fuselage, as well as its flying characteristics, earned it the nickname "Flying Pig". The first delivery took place in August 1922, to Instone Air Line Ltd. Other operators included Imperial Airways and Qantas (however, the latter returned the aircraft as their performance was too poor for the company's needs). The last Vulcan flying was a Type 74 with Imperial Airways. It crashed in July 1928.

Variants

Type 61 - first production version
Type 63 - cargo version based on the Type 61
Type 74 - upgraded to 450 hp Napier Lion engine

Operators

Australia

Qantas

United Kingdom

Individual aircraft

G-EBBL; Type 61 - Prototype, first flew in April 1922, delivered to Instone Air Line in June 1922 as "City of Antwerp", sold to Imperial Airways, scrapped at Croydon Airport in May 1924.
G-EBDH; Type 61 - Delivered to Instone Air Line in July 1922, accident at Oxted, Surrey, in 1922. returned to Vickers at Brooklands and withdrawn from use in 1923.
G-EBEA; Type 61 - Delivered to Instone Air Line in July 1922 as "City of Brussels", returned to Vickers at Brooklands and withdrawn from use in 1923.
G-EBEK; Type 63 - Delivered to Air Ministry at Martlesham Heath in November 1922 with Eagle IX for freighter trials, converted to passenger layout in 1925, scrapped in 1926.
G-EBEM; Type 61 - Delivered to Douglas Vickers MP in September 1922, competed in King's Cup Air Race in September 1922, taking 7th place, disappeared off the coast of Italy in May 1926.
G-EBES; Type 61 - Intended for Qantas, scrapped before completion.
G-EBET; Type 61 - Delivered to Qantas in November 1922, returned, fate unknown but probably scrapped.
G-EBFC; Type 74 - Delivered to Douglas Vickers MP January 1923, competed in King's Cup Air Race in 1923 (retired from the race), sold to Imperial Airways in January 1925, withdrawn from service in December 1925 and scrapped at Croydon in 1927.
G-EBLB; Type 74 - Delivered to Imperial Airways in May 1925, crashed at Purley July 1928.

Specifications (Vulcan Type 74)

Data from Vickers Aircraft Since 1908^[1]

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Capacity: 6-8 passengers
Length: 38 ft (11.58 m)
Wingspan: 49 ft (14.94 m)
Height: 14 ft 3 in (4.34 m)
Wing area: 840 ft² (78.1 m²)
Airfoil: High lift T64
Empty weight: 4,400 lb (2,000 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 6,750 lb (3,062 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Napier Lion inline engine, 450 hp (336 kW)

Performance

Maximum speed: 112 mph (180 km/h) at sea level
Range: 430 mi (692 km)
Service ceiling: 10,500 ft (3,200 m)
Rate of climb: 500 ft/min (2.5 m/s) initial
Wing loading: 8.03 lb/ft² (39.2 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 0.07 hp/lb (0.11 kW/kg)
Climb to 5,000 ft (1,520 m): 13 minutes

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vickers Vulcan.

↑ Andrews and Morgan 1988, p.111.

Andrews, C.F and Morgan, E.B. Vickers Aircraft since 1908. London:Putnam, 1988. ISBN 0-85177-815-1.
The Vickers "Vulcan" Eight-passenger Commercial Biplane Flight May 4, 1922 p253-258

Vickers and Vickers-Armstrongs aircraft

By type number	54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 66 67 69 71 72 73 74 76 78 79 81 83 84 85 87 91 94 95 96 99 100 103 105 106 108 112 113 115 116 117 121 123 124 125 127 128 129 130 131 132 134 139 141 142 143 145 146 150 151 160 161 162 163 169 170 172 173 177 192 194 195 196 198 199 203 204 207 209 210 212 214 216 217 220 244 245 246 252 253 255 258 259 262 264 266 271 277 281 285 286 287 289 290 291 292 294 298 299 401 402 406 407 408 410 413 416 417 418 419 421 424 427 428 429 432 435 437 439 440 442 443 445 446 447 449 451 452 454 455 456 457 458 459 460 461 462 463 464 465 466 467 469 470 474 478 485 486 487 488 490 491 492 495 496 498 559 571 579 581 602 604 607 610 614 615 616 618 619 620 621 623 624 626 627 628 630 632 634 635 636 637 639 641 643 644 648 649 651 660 667 668 674 700 701 702 706 707 708 710 720 723 724 730 733 734 735 736 737 739 742 744 745 748 749 754 756 757 758 760 761 763 764 765 768 769 772 773 776 779 781 782 784 785 786 789 793 794 798 800 801 802 803 804 806 807 808 810 812 813 814 815 816 818 827 828 831 832 836 837 838 839 843 870 950 951 952 953 1000 1100 1101 1103 1106 1151 Type C

Early types	Hydravion Monoplane No.1 Monoplane No.2 Monoplane No.3 Monoplane No.4 Monoplane No.5 Monoplane No.6 Monoplane No.7 Monoplane No.8 Tractor Biplane Tractor Scout HM Airship No. 1 HM Airship No. 9r

Civilian	Merchantman Vimy Commercial Vulture Viget Vagabond Vulcan 170 Vanguard Vellox VC.1 Viking VC.2 VC.3 Viscount Vanguard VC10 Airships: R80 R100

Military	C.O.W. Gun Fighter E.F.B.1 E.F.B.2 E.F.B.3 E.F.B.4 F.B.5 F.B.6 E.F.B.7 E.F.B.8 F.B.9 F.B.11 F.B.12 F.B.14 F.B.16 F.B.19 F.B.23 F.B.24 F.B.25 F.B.26 (Vampire) F.B.27 E.S.1 E.S.2 Vimy Viking Vivid Vixen Valparaiso Venture Wibault Scout 123 Valiant 141 143 161 162 163 177 207 253 581 C Jockey Vespa Wibault Viastra Vellore Virginia Vanox Valentia (flying boat) Valentia (Type 264) Vampire Vanellus Vendace Venom Vernon Victoria Vildebeest V.I.M Vincent Vireo Vulture Wellesley Wellington Warwick Windsor Valetta Varsity Valiant "Victory Bomber"

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