Vickers Vendace


The Vickers Vendace was a 1920s British trainer aircraft. It was originally designed as a floatplane trainer for the Royal Air Force.

Background

In October 1924, the British Air Ministry issued Specification 5A/24 for a floatplane trainer. To meet this requirement, Vickers designed a two-seat biplane, the Vickers Type 120 Vendace I. In August 1925, the Air Ministry placed an order for a single prototype, in addition to competing aircraft from Parnall and Blackburn,.

Design and development

The Vendace I was a two-bay biplane with folding wooden wings and a steel tube fuselage, powered by a Rolls-Royce Falcon engine. Its undercarriage could be changed from floats to wheels in ten minutes, while its fuel supply was held in two streamlined tanks above the upper wing.
The first Vendace first flew at Brooklands by March 1926, and then underwent successful trials as a landplane, including operation from the aircraft carrier. In 1927, these were followed by testing in seaplane configuration at the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment, Felixstowe. Despite the successful trials, the RAF did not order production, although it did retain the aircraft for experimental purposes.
Vickers built a second aircraft, the Type 157 Vendace II, as a private venture, with an ADC Nimbus that replaced the Falcon of the Vendace I. It first flew in November 1927, and was sold to the Aircraft Operating Company for survey operations in South America.
Development continued with the Type 155 Vendace III powered by a Hispano-Suiza 8F, and three were sold to Bolivia for use as trainers.

Operational history

In October 1928, the three Bolivian Vendaces entered service with the Escuela Militar de Aviación. They experienced engine problems, blamed on dusty conditions in the Bolivian summer, but remained in service until 1933.

Variants

;Type 120 Vendace I
;Type 157 Vendace II
;Type 155 Vendace III

Operators

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