Canadian Vickers Vedette

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Canadian Vickers Vedette

A Vickers Vedette replica at the Western Canada Aviation Museum, Winnipeg, Canada
Type	amphibious general aviation
Manufacturer	Canadian Vickers
Designed by	R. K. Pierson
Maiden flight	4 November 1924
Introduced	1925
Retired	1941
Primary user	RCAF
Number built	60

The Canadian Vickers Vedette was the first aircraft in Canada designed and built to meet a specification for Canadian conditions. It was a single-engine flying boat purchased to meet a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) demand for an aircraft suitable for forestry survey and fire protection control work. The type went on to have a long and distinguished career in civil operations with the RCAF. Most of the topographical maps in use in Canada today are based on photos taken from one of these aircraft.

1 Design and development
2 Operational service
3 Western Canada Aviation Museum Vedette
4 Specifications
5 External links
6 See also

[edit] Design and development

The Canadian Vickers Vedette was a two/three-seat single-engine pusher forestry protection biplane designed in the UK by R. K. Pierson in early 1924 for development in Canada. Built by Canadian Vickers Limited of Longueuil, Quebec (formed in 1923), the prototype Vedette I was first flown on 4 November 1924, powered by a 200 hp Rolls-Royce Falcon III. Five versions of the Vedette were produced, including two amphibious versions and one with an enclosed cabin on an all-metal hull. With the exception of these major changes, most of the remaining differences between versions were relatively minor and not externally visible. Each version was produced with a range of optional engine types.

[edit] Operational service

The company exported several of the planes to Chile while the majority of the production run was purchased by the RCAF, which based them in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Other Vedettes served in a coast-to-coast photographic survey. In RCAF service, the aircraft proved popular and versatile, if somewhat tempermental due to leaking in the hull that required constant maintenance. It was able to perform photographic and forestry patrols satisfactorily and provided a backbone for RCAF flying operations through the difficult depression years. These missions lasted even until the outbreak of war. The Vedette featured prominently in a number of mercy missions, while some airmen discovered it was ideal for aerial goose hunting.

The RCAF acquired one Wright J-4-engined Vedette I in 1925 and 18 Armstrong Siddeley Lynx IV (210 hp) -engined Vedette Us from 1926 onwards; all of these were out of service before the Second World War began. Starting in 1929, the RCAF then acquired 13 Vedette Vs with higher gross weight and Lynx IV engines, and 11 Vedette VAs featuring Handley Page wing slots. A single Vedette VI, with Wright J-6 engine, featured a metal hull. Seven Vedette VAs and the Mk VI survived into wartime service, flying with No 4(BR) Sqn and the Seaplane and Bomber Reconnaissance Training School (later No 13 OT Sqn) in Vancouver until May 1941.

Canadian Vickers Limited developed and produced a series of follow-up designs intended for use in the Canadian north:

Canadian Vickers Viking
Canadian Vickers Vancouver

[edit] Western Canada Aviation Museum Vedette

Located in a former Trans-Canada Air Lines hangar, the Western Canada Aviation Museum (WCAM), is Canada’s second largest aviation museum. The aircraft collection features more than 30 aircraft of many types and vintages – pioneer, bushplanes, commercial, corporate, helicopters, military and rockets. Among the unique items to be seen is a replica of the Vickers Vedette Mk V, a project which took a group of more than 100 dedicated volunteers 22 years to complete. The remains of three Vedettes recovered from crash sites formed the basis of a meticulous templating of aircraft components, aided by hand-drawn plans created by one of the WCAM volunteers who had been employed by Canadian Vickers as a junior draughtsman.

Until the official unveiling on 24 May 2002, there was no known surviving example of a Vickers Vedette anywhere in the world. While the replica is airworthy, the museum has no intention to ever fly its one-of-a-kind exhibit, the only authentic Vickers Vedette in the world.