Vickers Venture

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Venture
Type Reconnaissance aircraft
Manufacturer Vickers
Maiden flight 3 June 1924
Primary user Royal Air Force
Number built Six
Developed from Vickers Vixen

The Vickers Venture was a British Army Co-operation aircraft of the 1920's, designed and built by Vickers, as a development of the Vickers Vixen. While six were built for the Royal Air Force, they were found unsuitable and were used for experimental work.

Contents

[edit] Development and design

The Vickers Type 94 Venture was a further development of the Vickers Vixen II to meet the requirements of Air Ministry Specification 26/27, six aircraft being ordered. The Venture, like the Vixen which formed its basis, was a single bay biplane with a steel tube fuselage and wooden wings. It used the wings of the Vixen II with the lengthened fuselage of the Vixen III. The first Venture flew at Vickers factory at Brooklands on 3 June 1924 [1], being sent to the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment at Martlesham for evaluation. While demonstrating what was said to be "docile" handling [1], further testing showed that the aircraft had poor longitudinal stability, had a long landing run and was considered too large for use in army co-operation, where it would be expected to operate out of small airstrips [2]. While it underwent brief Service trials with No. 4 Squadron, the six Ventures were relegated to experimental purposes, the final aircraft being struck off charge in January 1933 [2].

[edit] Operators

Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom

[edit] Specifications (Venture)

Data from The British Bomber since 1914 [2]

General characteristics

  • Crew: Two
  • Length: 32 ft 0 in (9.76 m)
  • Wingspan: 40 ft 0 in (12.20 m)
  • Height: 13 ft 3 in (4.04 m)
  • Wing area: 526 ft² (48.9 m²)
  • Empty weight: 3,140 lb (1,427 kg)
  • Loaded weight: 4,890 lb (2,223 kg)
  • Powerplant:Napier Lion I 12 cylinder water cooled W-block, 450 hp (336 kW)

Performance

Armament

[edit] See also

Related development

Related lists

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Andrews, E.N.; Morgan, E.B. (1988). Vickers Aircraft Since 1908, Second edition, London: Putnam. ISBN 0 85177 815 1. 
  2. ^ a b c Mason, Francis K (1994). The British Bomber since 1914. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books. ISBN 0 85177 861 5.