Vickers Valparaiso

Valparaiso

Vickers Valparaiso I in Portuguese service.
Role	Light bomber
Manufacturer	Vickers
First flight	1923
Retired	1936
Primary users	Portugal Chile
Number built	28
Developed from	Vickers Vixen

The Vickers Valparaiso was a British light bomber biplane of the 1920s. It was designed by Vickers as a development of its Vixen for export, being sold to Portugal and Chile.

Development and design

The Vickers Valparaiso was a derivative of the Vixen I for export purposes. It was renamed Valparaiso to distinguish it from the Vixen, which as it used classified government equipment, was unavailable for export. Two versions were available, one powered by the same Napier Lion as the Vixen, known as the Type 93 Valparaiso I, while the Type 92 Valparaiso II was powered by the Rolls-Royce Eagle engine ^[1] Other than their engines, the Valparaisos were very similar to the Vixen I, both being single-bay biplanes with wooden wings and steel tube fuselages. Both versions were purchased by Portugal, which ordered ten Valparaiso Is and four Valparaiso IIs, with the Lion-powered aircraft to serve as reconnaissance bombers and the lower powered Valpariso IIs to serve as advanced trainers.^[2] In 1928, Portugal decided to license-produce a modified Valparaiso powered by a Gnome et Rhône Jupiter radial engine, and a single Valparaiso was modified by Vickers to use the Jupiter, followed by the production of 13 aircraft, designated Type 168 Valparaiso III by OGMA (Oficinas Gerais de Material Aeronáutico).^[3]

Vickers Valparaiso III in Portuguese service.

Operational history

The Portuguese aircraft proved to be successful in service, with two carrying out a long distance tour from Portugal to its African colonies of Angola and Mozambique and back in 1928, with the success of the aircraft resulting in the decision to license-produce the Valparaiso III.^[3] The radial-powered Valparaisos also proved successful in Portuguese service, remaining operational until 1943, finally being replaced by Westland Lysanders.^[4]

A single Valparaiso I (actually the prototype), was sold by Vickers to Chile in 1924.^[5] It was successful in Chilean service, resulting in an order for a further 18 modified aircraft, which reverted to the original name of Vixen, as the Vixen V.^[6]

Variants

Type 93 Valparaiso I: Napier Lion-powered export version of Vickers Vixen. 11 built.
Type 92 Valparaiso II: Rolls-Royce Eagle-powered version. Four built.
Type 168 Valparaiso III: Version powered by Jupiter radial for Portugal. 13 licensed-built by OGMA.

Operators

Chile

Chilean Air Force

Portugal

Aeronáutica Militar (Portuguese Army Aviation)

Specifications (Valparaiso I)

Data from Vickers Aircraft Since 1908 ^[7]

General characteristics

Crew: two
Length: 29 ft 0 in (8.84 m)
Wingspan: 40 ft 0 in (12.20 m)
Height: 11 ft 8 in (3.56 m)
Wing area: 526 ft² (48.9 m²)
Empty weight: 3,128 lb (1,422 kg)
Loaded weight: 4,720 lb (2,145 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Napier Lion IA 12-cylinder water-cooled W-block, 468 hp (349 kW)

Performance

Maximum speed: 118 kn (136 mph, 219 km/h) at 10,000 ft (3,050 m)
Cruise speed: 96 kn (110 mph, 177 km/h^[8])
Range: 478 nmi (550 mi, 886 km)
Service ceiling: 19,500 ft (5,950 m)
Rate of climb: 951 ft/min ^[8] (4.8 m/s)
Wing loading: 8.97 lb/ft² (43.9 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 0.099 hp/lb (0.16 kW/kg)
Climb to 10,000 ft (3,050 m): 10 min 15 sec

Armament

2 × forward-firing .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun
1 × .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis Gun in observers cockpit

References

↑ Donald 1997, p.892.
↑ Lopes 1985, p.46.
1 2 Andrews and Morgan 1988, p.181.
↑ Lopes 1985, p.48.
↑ Andrews and Morgan 1988, p.180.
↑ Andrews and Morgan 1988, p.184.
↑ Andrews and Morgan 1988, p.193.
1 2 "Vickers Valparaiso I" (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2007-08-06.

Andrews, E.N.; Morgan, E.B. (1988). Vickers Aircraft Since 1908 (Second ed.). London: Putnam. ISBN 0-85177-815-1.
Donald, David (Editor) (1997). The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Aerospace Publishing. ISBN 1-85605-375-X.
Lopes, Eng. Mario Canongia (1985). "Vixen, Venture, Valpariso: A Forgotten Family of Vickers Biplanes". Air Enthusiast. No. 27 (March June 1985). Bromley, Kent, UK: Pilot Press. pp. 43–51. ISSN 0143-5450.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vickers Valparaiso.

Vickers Valparaiso I e II (in Portuguese)

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"

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/10/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.