Vickers Type 170 Vanguard

Vanguard
Role	Biplane airliner
National origin	United Kingdom
Manufacturer	Vickers Limited
First flight	1923
Retired	1929
Status	Destroyed
Primary user	Imperial Airways
Number built	1
Developed from	Vickers Victoria

The Vickers Vanguard was a 1920s British airliner developed by Vickers Limited from the Victoria.^[1]

Design and development

Developed from the earlier Victoria with the introduction of a wider fuselage, the Vanguard was a 22-passenger twin-engined biplane. Originally built for the Air Ministry as the Type 62 the aircraft powered by two 450 hp Napier Lion engines first flew on 18 July 1923.^[1] It was re-engined in 1925 with two 650 hp Rolls-Royce Condor IIIs and re-designated the Type 103. When it was handed over to Imperial Airways in 1925 it was described as the World's largest passenger aeroplane.^[2]

The aircraft was re-conditioned in 1928 and re-designated the Type 170 for use by Imperial Airways for route proving trials, starting in May 1928. Ii operated on the London-Paris route, typically taking about 2½ hrs, and then on the London Brussels-Cologne service.^[3] It set a world load carrying record on 6 July 1928.^[4] The aircraft was withdrawn from its airline duties in October 1928 for modifications, probably to the tail, but crashed at Shepperton, Middlesex on 16 May 1929 at the start of flying trials, killing the pilot Tiny Scholefield and the flight observer Frank Sharrett..^[1]^[5]

Variants

Type 62: Prototype with two 450hp Napier Lion engines, one built.
Type 103: Type 62 re-engined with two Condor III engines.
Type 170: Type 103 re-conditioned for Imperial Airways.

Specifications (Type 170)

Data from ^[1]

General characteristics

Crew: 2
Capacity: 22 passengers

Performance

Video

Newsreel footage of Vickers Type 170 Vanguard in flight

References

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Jackson 1974, p 327
^ "World's largest passenger aeroplane". Flight: 603. 17 September 1925. ^{[dead link]}
^ Andrews 1988, p. 173–4
^ Andrews 1988, p. 512
^ Andrews 1988, p. 174–5
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Andrews 1988, pp. 176

Bibliography

Andrews, CF; Morgan, EB (1988). Vickers Aircraft since 1908 (2nd ed.). London: Putnam. ISBN 0-85177-815-1.
Jackson, A.J. (1974). British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 3. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-370-10014-X.

[Jackson327-1] Jackson 1974, p 327

[2] "World's largest passenger aeroplane". Flight: 603. 17 September 1925. ^{[dead link]}

[3] Andrews 1988, p. 173–4

[4] Andrews 1988, p. 512

[5] Andrews 1988, p. 174–5

[Andrews-6] Andrews 1988, pp. 176

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