Vickers Vimy

The Vickers Vimy was a heavy bomber British end of the First World War and which, after the end of the latter, knew one second career in the civilian.

Vimy was developed by R.K. Pierson and was manufactured by the Vickers Company. It was intended for the attack of targets far away from the face located in Germany. The first flight took place the November 30th 1917, but only some rare specimens entered in service in France before the end of the war. At the time of the return to peace, Vimy was transformed into transport aircraft of passengers. It accepted the Vimy-Commercial name of „then “and it was produced in this civil version, intended in particular for export, starting from 1919.

In April 1922 the China ordered 100 specimens of this plane, but the forever completely delivered order. Vimy was also employed with the the Middle East of 1919 with 1925, before being replaced by the Vickers Virginia. In Northern Ireland, it continued to be used until in 1929. The Vimy-Commercial „“took off for the first time starting from the Joy Green Airfield , in the Kent, the April 13rd 1919 under the military registration K107, before being recorded in the civilian under code G-EAAV.

Various versions transfer the day under the denomination Mk I with Mk IV .

Records

Many flights long mails was carried out for the first time with Vimy and of many records were established with this plane.

One can, for example, to quote the first crossing not-stop of west is Atlantic Ocean. John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown took off the June 14th 1919 in Newfoundland and landed, the nose in first, in a marsh Irish one day later. Their apparatus is exposed today in the London Science Museum to London.

Other exploits were the first flight, accomplished in several stages by Ross and Keith Smith in 1919, which made it possible to join the Australia in departure of London or the flight of London towards the South Africa carried out the February 4th 1920 by Pierre van Ryneveld and Quintin Brand.

In 2005, the American adventurer Steve Fossett crossed the Atlantic on board reconstitution of Vimy.

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