Canadian Vickers Vedette

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Vickers_Vedette

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 biplane
flying boat purchased to meet a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) demand for a
smaller aircraft than the Vickers Viking with a much greater rate of climb, to
be suitable for forestry survey and fire protection work. The type went on to
have a long and distinguished career in civil operations in Canada. Most of the
topographical maps in use in Canada today are based on photos taken from these
aircraft.

Based on a preliminary design in early 1924 for a "flying boat" by R.K.Pierson
of the home company, Vickers (UK), the Canadian Vickers Vedette was a
two/three-seat single-engine pusher aircraft. The design was passed over to the
Canadian Vickers Limited of Longueuil, Quebec (formed in 1911) where Wilfrid
Thomas Reid served as Chief Engineer.

The prototype Vedette I was first flown on 4 November 1924, powered by a 200 hp
(150 kW) Rolls-Royce Falcon III. It was subsequently fitted with 210 hp (160 kW)
Wolseley Viper, 200 hp (150 kW) Wright J-4 and 215 hp (160 kW) Armstrong
Siddeley Lynx engines for testing. Several 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.

Canadian Vickers Limited developed and produced a series of follow-up designs
intended for use in the Canadian north (none were related design-wise to the
Vedette):

Canadian Vickers Vista A small monoplane pusher, almost a Vedette without the
top wing.
Canadian Vickers Varuna Twin-engine seaplane, essentially a scaled-up Vedette.
Canadian Vickers Vancouver Similar to the Varuna, but with detail improvements.
Canadian Vickers Vanessa Biplane floatplane


Role
amphibious general aviation survey

Manufacturer
Canadian Vickers

Designer
Wilfrid Thomas Reid (preliminary study by R.K.Pierson)

First flight
4 November 1924

Introduction
1925

Retired
1941

Primary users
Royal Canadian Air Force
Ontario Provincial Air Service
Manitoba Government Air Services
Servició de Aviación Militar de Chile

Produced
1924–1930

Number built
60 (plus two replicas)

Unit cost

$15,000 less engine.

The first production example was provided to Fairchild Aerial Surveys (c/n 31
G-CAFF) before they started designing their own survey aircraft. The majority of
the production run was purchased by the RCAF where the aircraft proved popular
and versatile, if somewhat temperamental due to leaky hulls that required
constant maintenance (a problem afflicting all wooden hulled flying boats). The
Vedette undertook photographic and forestry patrols satisfactorily and provided
a backbone for RCAF flying operations through the lean peacetime years. Vedettes
started a coast-to-coast photographic survey that was needed to map out the
large areas of the country still unmapped. These missions lasted until the
outbreak of the Second World War, and would be completed after the war with
newer types. Vedettes stationed on both coasts were also used for fishing and
smuggling patrols, both with the RCAF and with Western Canada Airways.

The Vedette featured prominently in a number of mercy missions, while some
airmen discovered it was nearly ideal for aerial goose hunting, at least until a
pilot was hit by a goose. The first Canadian to join the Caterpillar Club by
using a parachute to escape from an aircraft did so from RCAF Vedette "ZF" on 17
May 1929. The pilot, C.S. (Jack) Caldwell, while testing the aircraft at the
Canadian Vickers factory, entered an uncontrollable spin after the engine failed
and bailed out successfully over the St. Lawrence River.

The RCAF acquired one Wright J-4 engined Vedette I in 1925 and 18
Armstrong-Siddeley Lynx IV (210 hp (160 kW)) engined Vedette IIs from 1926
onwards. All of these were out of service before the Second World War began.
Starting in 1929, the RCAF acquired 13 Vedette Vs with a higher gross weight,
and 11 fitted with Handley Page wing slots as the Vedette Va. The single Vedette
VI, with Wright J-6 engine, featured a metal hull and an enclosed cockpit. A
mark V was refurbished by the factory and as the sole Vam was given a new metal
hull, as well as a new serial number (the last), but it retained its RCAF call
sign as "ZD." The Mk VI and seven Vedette Va flying boats survived into wartime
service, flying with No 4(BR) Squadron and the Seaplane and Bomber
Reconnaissance Training School (later No 13 OT Sqn) in Vancouver, BC until May
1941.

In addition to the RCAF, The Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan governments used
Vedettes extensively for scouting out forest fires in the heavily wooded areas
of those provinces.

Specifications (Mk II, Lynx engine)

General characteristics
Crew: 3
Length: 22 ft 10 in (6.95 m)
Wingspan: 42 ft 0 in (12.8 m)
Height: 11 ft 9 in (3.58 m)
Wing area: 483 sq ft (44.9 m2)
Airfoil: RAF 15
Empty weight: 1,849 lb (839 kg)
Gross weight: 3,049 lb (1,383 kg)
Fuel capacity: 535 lb (243 kg) fuel and oil
Powerplant: 1 × Armstrong Siddeley Lynx IV 7-cyliner air-cooled radial piston
engine, 187 hp (139 kW)
Propellers: 2-bladed fixed pitch pusher propeller

Performance
Maximum speed: 59 mph; 51 kn (95 km/h) at sea level; 87 mph (76 kn; 140 km/h) at
10,000 ft (3,000 m)
Cruise speed: 47 mph; 40 kn (75 km/h) at 5,000 ft (1,500 m)
Endurance: 5 hours
Service ceiling: 13,000 ft (4,000 m)
Rate of climb: 650 ft/min (3.3 m/s)
Time to altitude: 10,000 ft (3,000 m) in 30 minutes
Wing loading: 6.28 lb/sq ft (30.7 kg/m2)
Power/mass: 0.059 hp/lb (0.097 kW/kg)




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