Vickers’ Alliterative Flying Family — Part 3
The Second World War ground to a halt in Europe in the Spring of 1945. Large swathes of the world had been destroyed. Millions of people, mainly civilians not combatants, had been killed and displaced. America’s industrial might and the Soviet Union’s ability to bear mass casualties (the USSR suffered almost nine million military casualties in addition to 19 million civilian deaths) had finally broken the fighting capacity of the mighty German Wehrmacht.
Most importantly, total command of the skies had allowed the Allies overwhelming tactical superiority on the battlefield while permitting air transport to play a vital logistical role. Without a doubt, aviation was going to play an important part in the brave new post-war world.
As Britain entered a new era of peace, there was much optimism despite the war damage and huge cost in men and material. The British public, as they voted to reject the Conservative government led by wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1945, blithely assumed that the Empire would endure, with a return to prosperity just around the corner. The colonies had borne enormous casualties though, with the Indian Army alone recording 36,000 dead from a pre-war headcount of around 200,000. The world would never be the same at it was in 1939 when the titanic struggle had begun.
Post-war recovery
A new British government was voted into power with an overwhelming majority just weeks after Germany surrendered but with the fighting against Japan still raging. Prime Minister Attlee’s Labour government promised a refashioned Britain with enhanced social security, a National Health Service, government-run utilities, and nationalized transport networks which would fuel an economic resurgence.
Labour’s grand plans for civil aviation centered around two state-owned airlines: BEA (British European Airways) serving the Continent and British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), connecting the colonies and the Americas.
The Ministry of Aircraft Production, which had overseen the huge effort to build fighters and bombers during the conflict, appointed a high-powered committee led by Lord Brabazon to design a suite of aircraft for the future transport needs of the Empire.
Enter the Viking
Meanwhile the manufacturers who had prospered during the war, pivoted to producing civilian aircraft. Among the first of these was the Vickers VC.1 Viking, a twin-engine short haul airliner with a tailwheel undercarriage derived from the Wellington bomber and intended to be a replacement for the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3 Dakota.
Four prototypes were built. One crashed without fatalities but the others went on to successfully demonstrate the viability of the design. Initially constructed with a metal fuselage and fabric-covered geodetic wings (a Vickers trademark), the type was designated the Viking 1A. A later model, the Viking 1, had metal wings, followed by the 1B, with a longer fuselage and more powerful piston engines. This latter version was the most successful, with over 100 built, including four for the King’s Flight and operated by the RAF.
As the Empire gradually faded away, with many colonies gaining independence soon after the war. India, known as the ‘Jewel in the (Empress Victoria’s) Crown’ due to the enormous wealth generated by the sub-continent for its British rulers, attained self-rule in 1947. While the Empire was being dismantled though, air transport remained vital. The Vickers Viking was operated by Air India, Indian Airlines and Indian national Airways. They were affectionately known as the Pregnant Duck, due to their squat stance, by the pilots who flew them.
The Viking was a frequent visitor to Ceylon’s Ratmalana airport, replacing the Dakotas that were previously operated on that route.
Turbine power
Interestingly one Viking, designated the Type 618 Nene-Viking, was fitted with two Roll-Royce Nene turbojet engines for testing purposes. This aircraft flew across the English Channel in July 1948, on the 39th anniversary of Frenchman Louis Bleriot’s first crossing and set a series of records. Sadly, rather than developing this turbine-powered version further, Vickers refitted the airframe with piston engines and reconfigured it as a Viking 1B for Eagle Aviation.
The Valetta
Seeking to replace the almost 2,000 Dakotas in its wartime fleet, the RAF ordered a military version of the VC.1 designated the Valetta. Vickers’ fondness for alliteration had obviously survived the war.
The Valettas proved successful with the RAF, a total of 262 were produced seeing service all over the far-flung reaches of the Empire, even as the latter shrank dramatically. They have a special place in this writer’s heart, as a squadron of Valettas were based at RAF Negombo (Katunayake) in Ceylon, (now Sri Lanka) servicing RAF Gan, a remote atoll in the Maldives.
The last production version of the Valetta was succeeded by a tricycle undercarriage version intended to be a ‘flying classroom’ or training aircraft for the RAF and appropriately named the Varsity. A total of 163 were built, all but one going to the RAF mainly to train bomber pilots.
The sole exception to the RAF was the Swedish Air Force, who operated one example of a modified Valetta for 20 years in an electronic intelligence role.
With the success of the Varsity, Vickers considered a civilian version to be designated the VC.3. But the success of the Vickers VC.2 Viscount, one of the great ‘Propliners’ led to a new era in the world of air transport and so the the VC.3 concept was never built.
Part 1 of this story is here. Please read that and follow Propliners. Thank you for your attention.
