Vickers Valetta

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Vickers Valetta
Vickers Valetta C.2, 1963
Type: Short- and medium-haul transport aircraft
Design country:

United KingdomUnited Kingdom United Kingdom

Manufacturer:

Vickers-Armstrong

First flight:

June 30, 1947

Commissioning:

March 30, 1948

Production time:

1947 to 1952

Number of pieces:

262

The Vickers Valetta was a British transport and multi-purpose aircraft for short and medium-haul routes manufactured by Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd. from 1947. The all-metal low-wing aircraft with tailwheel landing gear , powered by two piston engines , could carry up to 34 people or 4 tons of freight and was used almost exclusively by the British Air Force ( Royal Air Force ) until 1969.

history

The Valetta was developed by Vickers on the basis of the Vickers Viking IB civil passenger aircraft when the Royal Air Force was looking for a successor to the Douglas DC-3 . It should be able to perform several different tasks. In addition to the transport of troops and freight, this also included operations as an ambulance aircraft, towing gliders, dropping loads and dropping paratroopers.

Other changes compared to the Viking were more powerful Bristol Hercules 230 engines with 1975 hp each and a maximum take-off weight increased by 1135 kg . The Valetta also did not have a pressurized cabin .

The Valetta first flew on June 30, 1947.

production

As early as March 30, 1948, the first Valetta was put into service with the Royal Air Force. 262 copies were built; the last delivery took place on September 29, 1952.

construction

Valetta C.2 VX573 in the RAF Museum Cosford, 1984

Apart from the engines and weight, it differed from the original Viking model mainly in a reinforced cabin floor, a large cargo door, a reinforced main landing gear with a larger stroke of the shock absorbers and a modified fuel system with flexible fuel tanks, which had a total capacity of 3294 liters. In the cargo door there was a smaller door that was used for boarding and dropping parachutists. Lashing eyes were attached to the floor and in the side walls for the freight to transport a wide variety of loads; the cabin volume was 44.3 m 3 . The continuous lower cargo hold was accessible through four access doors. There was a towing coupling at the stern with a release handle in the cockpit for towing gliders. The very flexible interchangeable cabin equipment included various types of seats and benches, a loading winch, roller floors and vehicle ramps to overcome the wing spar that runs over the cabin floor, oxygen tanks and stretchers.

commitment

The Valetta were used during the military operations in the Suez Crisis in 1956, in Malaysia (for transport, dropping loads and leaflets) and in Yemen (Aden) from 1964. In addition, it was also used in Kuwait as well as Cyprus, the Middle East, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malta and Germany (November 1950 to November 1968; according to other data until June 1969).

The last Valetta was decommissioned in June 1969 and transferred to the RAF Museum (Hendon).

Versions

A prototype and three series variants were built:

  • 1 prototype , developed from the military Vickers 607 Viking VL249
Valetta T.4 WJ485 , 1963
  • Valetta C.1 (210 pieces) First flight of the production version on January 28, 1948, delivered from March 30, 1948 to January 9, 1952
  • Valetta C.2 (11 pieces) first delivery October 1949 (VX571), last delivery July 10, 1951 (WJ504); mainly used as a VIP aircraft for 9 to 15 passengers; had an on-board kitchen, toilet, luggage compartment, two additional tanks for 263 liters on the engine nacelles, thereby increased range of 2152 km plus 20% reserve
  • Valetta T.3 (40 pieces) first flight August 31, 1950, first delivery August 17 or 21, 1951 (WG256), last delivery September 29, 1952 (WJ487); Navigation trainer for 10 navigator students, six plexiglass domes ("Astrodomes") on the top of the fuselage
  • Valetta T.4 (18 pieces, converted from T.3) First flight of the converted variant on March 15, 1956, long nose for radar training.

In 1950 a Valetta was equipped for taking television pictures. It was the first aircraft in the world from which television images were broadcast directly into a current program (on the BBC ).

The training aircraft Varsity was later developed from the Viking and the Valetta , the first flight of which took place in July 1949. The most important differences are the nose wheel landing gear, the wingspan that is around 2 m larger and the fuselage 1.40 m longer. In addition, the Varsity had a belly pan for training future bombers.

Users

Vickers Valetta in flight
United KingdomUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Royal Air Force
The first squadron to receive Valettas was the 204th Squadron in Kabrit, Egypt (now Kibrit ) in 1949 . A total of nine squadrons of the RAF Transport Command in the motherland, the Middle and the Far East Air Force were equipped with the Valetta.

During the fighting in Malaya in the 1950s , the type was used by the 48th , 52nd and 110th Squadron for dropping supplies and leaflets. The last unit to use Valettas was the 84th Squadron in RAF Khormaksar in Aden until 1960 .

Civil users
Only four of the 262 Valettas were civilly registered and only one of them was actually used.
Two machines were acquired from The Decca Navigator Co. in February 1958. One of them (G-APKR; c / n 363, ex VW802) was used as a test and demonstration machine for the Decca navigation system ; on landing in London / Gatwick on September 21, 1963 the right main landing gear collapsed and the machine was written off. The other (G-APKS; c / n 165, ex VL263) served as a spare parts donor and, like the crashed sister machine, was scrapped at Biggin Hill airfield .
Two other copies were purchased by Eagle Aviation in November 1957 to donate spare parts for their fleet of 22 Vickers Vikings. The bow section of the first (G-APII; c / n 302, ex VL275) was used to repair the Airnautic's F-BJER, which was damaged on December 23, 1959 in Düsseldorf . The rest was scrapped together with the second machine (G-APIJ; c / n 491, ex WD162) at Blackbushe Airport in early 1960 .

Incidents

Of the 262 Valetta built, 76 were destroyed or irreparably damaged in accidents and incidents between the first flight in 1947 and the end of the mission in 1968 (from 1949 to 1964). At 29 percent within 15 years, this is a fairly high rate for a post-war transport aircraft. In 24 of them there were 164 fatalities. Examples:

  • On November 28, 1949, a Vickers Valetta C.1 of the Royal Air Force ( aircraft registration VW160 ) experienced a partial engine failure when taking off from RAF station Deversoir near Ismailia ( Egypt ). The pilots could not keep the take-off direction, the aircraft rolled into a radio direction finder station. All inmates survived, but one person was killed on the ground.
  • On February 18, 1951, engine 2 (right) of a Vickers Valetta C.1 of the Royal Air Force (VX514) failed . There was also smoke coming from the aft cabin floor and the main radio stopped working. The pilots made an emergency landing at Stockholm / Bromma Airport ( Sweden ). During the prevailing snow storm one tried to take off . This failed due to poor climbing performance, and a belly landing was carried out in a clearing, colliding with trees and cables. One crew member was killed; the other 21 inmates survived.
  • On March 29, 1951, the pilots of a Valetta C.1 of the Royal Air Force (VW187) at Entebbe Airport ( Uganda ) aborted take-off due to an engine failure . The machine rolled over the end of the runway. There were no fatalities; the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
  • On April 10, 1951, a Royal Air Force Valetta C.1 (VW833) had to be landed in a dry river bed near Zalingei ( Sudan ) after all the fuel had been used up. None of the six inmates was killed; the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
  • On May 2, 1951, a Vickers Valetta C.1 of the Royal Air Force (VW156) crashed near Fayed ( Egypt ) when the parachute of a dropped container tangled in the horizontal stabilizer . All 8 occupants, two crew members and six passengers were killed.
  • On May 4, 1951, a Royal Air Force Vickers Valetta C.1 (VW828) was destroyed during a night landing at RAF Dishforth Air Force Base ( United Kingdom ) when it brushed against a lighting pole in front of the runway. All inmates survived.
  • On May 30, 1951, the landing gear of a Valetta C.1 of the Royal Air Force (VX544) collapsed during a very hard landing at Aqaba Airport , Jordan . The aircraft was damaged beyond repair; None of the inmates was killed.
  • On June 24, 1951, a Vickers Valetta C.1 of the Royal Air Force (VX 498) had to make an emergency landing at Choma Airport ( Zambia ) due to an engine failure. The aircraft overshot the runway end and collided with a hill. All inmates survived; the machine was destroyed.
  • On July 12, 1951, a Royal Air Force Valetta C.1 (VW194) caught an engine fire shortly after taking off from RAF Lyneham Air Force Base ( United Kingdom ). The pilots wanted to return to the airfield, but turned off the still functioning engine, whereupon the machine flew into the ground near the air force base. All 10 occupants on board, three crew members and seven passengers, were killed.
  • On July 17, 1951, the variable-pitch propeller failed in a Vickers Valetta C.1 of the Royal Air Force (VW824) shortly after take-off from the RAF Fayed air base in Fayed (Egypt) , whereupon it over-revved. When an emergency landing was made with a belly landing , the aircraft was irreparably damaged. However, all inmates survived.
  • On September 17, 1951, a Valetta C.1 of the Royal Air Force (VW813) lost an outer wing in turbulence near Loka ( Sudan ). The plane crashed about 90 km southwest of Juba , all four crew members were killed.
  • On August 19, 1952, a Royal Air Force Valetta C.1 (VX559) flew into the ground three kilometers north of it after a night take-off from RAF Benson Air Force Base ( Great Britain ) and caught fire. All 3 crew members were killed.
  • On the same day, August 19, 1952, a Vickers Valetta C.1 of the Royal Air Force (VL266) broke on a test flight eight miles west of Farnborough airfield and crashed near Hook, Hampshire ( Great Britain ). First the fin released , then the left wing, followed by the right. The two pilots were killed.
  • On January 15, 1953, a Valetta C.1 of the Royal Air Force (VX562) collided 46 kilometers southwest of Agrigento ( Italy ) at an altitude of 1500 meters in heavy rain with an Avro Lancaster GR.3 , also of the Royal Air Force (TX270) . Both machines crashed into the Mediterranean. The Valetta started at Malta-Luqa Airport . All 19 occupants, 3 crew members and 16 passengers were killed. In addition, the 7 inmates of the Lancaster were killed. It was the second worst accident involving a Valetta.
  • On May 7, 1953, a Royal Air Force Valetta T.3 (WG258) crashed into the sea on a training flight 40 kilometers from Hartland Point in south-western Great Britain for unknown reasons. All 10 inmates were killed.
  • On January 6, 1954, a Royal Air Force Valetta T.3 (WJ474) lost altitude four minutes after taking off from RAF station Bovingdon (Hemel Hempstead) ( Great Britain ) during a snow storm and collided with a tree. Of the 17 occupants, 16 were killed, all 4 crew members and 12 of the passengers.
  • On June 15, 1956, came up with a Valetta C.1 of the Royal Air Force (VX521) at low speed during the shedding of supplies to a stall . The machine crashed into the jungle near Ipoh ( Malaya ). All 9 inmates were killed.
  • On April 17, 1957, the left wing of a Royal Air Force Valetta C.1 (VW832) broke off five minutes after taking off from Aqaba Airport ( Jordan ) after the aircraft had got into turbulence. The machine crashed near Queria. All 27 occupants, 3 crew members and 24 passengers were killed. In terms of the number of fatalities, this was the worst accident involving a Valetta.

Museum pieces

The last Valetta still flying (VX573) was transferred by Wildenrath on November 7, 1968, decommissioned and transferred to the RAF Museum (Hendon). It was later taken to the RAF Cosford Museum and stored there.

Another Valetta C.2 (VX580) is on display at the Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum in Flixton, Suffolk.

Technical specifications

Parameter Data
crew 4 (2 pilots, 1 each navigator and radio operator)
Passengers 9 to 34 passengers or 20 parachutists or 20 stretchers
length 19.10 m
span 27.20 m
height 5.94 m
Wing area 82 m 2
Wing loading 202 kg / m 2
Empty mass 11,370 kg
payload approx. 4000 kg
Max. Takeoff mass 16,556 kg
Max. Landing mass 16,102 kg
Cruising speed 339 km / h (183 kts)
Top speed 415 km / h (224 kts)
Service ceiling 6,760 m (22,200 ft)
Max. Range 2,270 km
Range with 34 people 580 km
Take-off distance over 15 m obstacle 1145 m
Landing distance over 15 m obstacle 1305 m
drive 2 air-cooled 14-cylinder radial engines Bristol Hercules 230 , each 1,975 PS (1,451 kW)

See also

literature

  • CF Andrews, EB Morgan: Vickers Aircraft since 1908. Putnam, London 1988, ISBN 0-85177-815-1 .
  • Leonard Bridgman (Ed.): Jane's All The World's Aircraft, 1952-53. Sampson Low, Marston & Company, London 1952.
  • Bernard Martin: The Viking, Valetta and Varsity. Air-Britain (Historians), Tonbridge, 1975, ISBN 0-85130-038-3 .
  • Owen Thetford: Aircraft of the Royal Air Force since 1918. Putnam, London 1979, ISBN 0-370-30186-2 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Andrews, p. 410
  2. ↑ a b Jane's 1952, p. 87
  3. ↑ a b c Jane's 1952, p. 86
  4. ↑ a b Air-Britain, p. 6
  5. ↑ a b c d Thetford, p. 535
  6. ^ Andrews, p. 411
  7. ↑ Jane's 1952, pp. 86-87
  8. ↑ Air-Britain, p. 8
  9. ^ Andrews, p. 408
  10. ↑ Air-Britain, p. 10
  11. ↑ a b Thetford, p. 536
  12. ↑ a b c Andrews, p. 536
  13. ^ Andrews, p. 411
  14. ↑ a b Andrews, p. 412
  15. ^ Air-Britain
  16. ^ AJ Jackson: British Civil Aircraft 1919-1972, Volume III. Putnam, London 1988, p. 600
  17. ^ Michael Austen: The British Civil Aircraft Registers 1919–1999 . Tunbridge Wells, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1999, p. 199
  18. ^ Michael Austen: The British Civil Aircraft Registers 1919–1999 . Tunbridge Wells, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1999, p. 198
  19. ↑ Accident statistics Vickers Valetta , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on August 12, 2019.
  20. ↑ accident report Valetta VW160 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 11 2020th
  21. ↑ James J. Halley: Broken Wings. Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents . Air-Britain (Historians), Tunbridge Wells, 1999, ISBN 0-85130-290-4 , p. 95.
  22. ↑ Accident report Valetta VX514 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 11, 2020.
  23. ↑ James J. Halley: Broken Wings. Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents . Air-Britain (Historians), Tunbridge Wells, 1999, ISBN 0-85130-290-4 , p. 111.
  24. ↑ accident report Valetta VW187 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 11 2020th
  25. ↑ accident report Valetta VW833 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 11 2020th
  26. ↑ accident report Valetta VW156 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 11 2020th
  27. ↑ James J. Halley: Broken Wings. Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents . Air-Britain (Historians), Tunbridge Wells, 1999, ISBN 0-85130-290-4 , p. 113.
  28. ↑ accident report Valetta VW828 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 11 2020th
  29. ↑ Accident report Valetta VX544 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 11, 2020.
  30. ↑ accident report Valetta VX498 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 11 2020th
  31. ↑ accident report Valetta VW194 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 11 2020th
  32. ↑ James J. Halley: Broken Wings. Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents . Air-Britain (Historians), Tunbridge Wells, 1999, ISBN 0-85130-290-4 , p. 116.
  33. ↑ accident report Valetta VW824 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 11 2020th
  34. ↑ accident report Valetta VW813 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 11 2020th
  35. ↑ James J. Halley: Broken Wings. Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents . Air-Britain (Historians), Tunbridge Wells, 1999, ISBN 0-85130-290-4 , p. 119.
  36. ↑ Accident report Valetta VX559 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 12, 2020.
  37. ↑ James J. Halley: Broken Wings. Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents . Air-Britain (Historians), Tunbridge Wells, 1999, ISBN 0-85130-290-4 , p. 133.
  38. ↑ accident report Valetta VL266 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 12 2020th
  39. ↑ Accident report Valetta VX562 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 11, 2020.
  40. ↑ James J. Halley: Broken Wings. Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents . Air-Britain (Historians), Tunbridge Wells, 1999, ISBN 0-85130-290-4 , p. 140.
  41. ↑ accident report Valetta WG258 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 11 2020th
  42. ↑ James J. Halley: Broken Wings. Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents . Air-Britain (Historians), Tunbridge Wells, 1999, ISBN 0-85130-290-4 , p. 144.
  43. ↑ accident report Valetta WJ474 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 11 2020th
  44. ↑ James J. Halley: Broken Wings. Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents . Air-Britain (Historians), Tunbridge Wells, 1999, ISBN 0-85130-290-4 , p. 154.
  45. ↑ Accident report Valetta VX521 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 12, 2020.
  46. ↑ James J. Halley: Broken Wings. Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents . Air-Britain (Historians), Tunbridge Wells, 1999, ISBN 0-85130-290-4 , p. 180.
  47. ↑ accident report Valetta VW832 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 11 2020th
  48. ↑ James J. Halley: Broken Wings. Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents . Air-Britain (Historians), Tunbridge Wells, 1999, ISBN 0-85130-290-4 , p. 189.
  49. ↑ Air-Britain, p. 32
  50. ↑ The whereabouts of VX573 , accessed April 21, 2015
  51. ↑ The whereabouts of VX580 , accessed April 22, 2015