Valmet Vihuri

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Valmet Vihuri
Valmet Vihuri (VH-18)
Type: Trainer aircraft
Design country:

FinlandFinland Finland

Manufacturer:

Valmet

First flight:

February 6, 1951

Number of pieces:

51

The Valmet Vihuri (Vihuri = gust of wind) is an advanced training aircraft from the Finnish manufacturer Valmet , which was used by the Finnish Air Force from 1953 to 1959.

History and construction

Despite economic problems, aircraft manufacturer Valmet began development of a new aircraft in the late 1940s to replace the aging VL Pyry . Martti Vainio was the project's chief designer. Most of the planning was done by aviation engineers L. Hämäläinen and T. Mäntysalo in the years 1948–1949. The Bristol Mercury VIII was chosen as the engine because there were no other alternatives, as it was produced under license in Finland for the Bristol-Blenheim bombers. The Vihuri was designed as a low-wing aircraft with seats located one behind the other and a retractable tail wheel landing gear. The prototype (VH-1) first flew in Tampere on February 6, 1951. After the successful test flights, the Finnish Air Force ordered 30 aircraft with the designation Valmet Vihuri II on February 27, 1951. In autumn 1954, 20 machines of the further developed version Valmet Vihuri III were ordered. The third version aircraft were handed over to the Air Force on January 15, 1957.

Valmet built a total of 51 Vihuri in three different series (I-III) in Kuorevesi and Tampere.

Military use

Technical specifications

Parameter Data
crew 2
length 8.85 m
span 10.40 m
height 3.55 m
Wing area 18.86 m²
Wing extension 5.7
Empty mass 2174 kg
Max. Takeoff mass 2704 kg
Top speed 444 km / h
Service ceiling 8200 m
Range 665 km
Engines 1 × radial engine Bristol Mercury VIII with 626 kW (851 PS)
Armament 2 × 7.7 mm Browning machine guns,
4 × 25 kg training bombs under the wings

Picture gallery

  • Valmet Vihuri

  • Valmet Vihuri (VH-18)

  • Valmet Vihuri (VH-18)

  • Valmet Vihuri (VH-18)

  • Wind tunnel model

  • Bristol Pegasus XXI

See also

literature

  • Kalevi Keskinen, Kari Stenman, Klaus Niska: Suomen ilmavoimien historia 14 - Suomalaiset hävittäjät. , AR-Kustannus ky, 1990, ISBN 951-95821-0-X .

Web links

Commons : Valmet Vihuri  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ SUOMI-SAKSA / SUUR-SANAKIRJA, Werner Söderström Osakeyhtiö, Espoo 1980, p. 1291
  2. ↑ Data from avia-museum.narod.ru (English), accessed on January 20, 2017