The Vickers Virginia was a biplane heavy bomber of the British Royal Air Force, developed from the Vickers Vimy. Vickers Armstrong (Aircraft) company logo Vickers, founded as the Vickers Company in 1828, was a British manufacturer, primarily of military equipment, traditionally based in Barrow-in-Furness. ... Hs123 biplane. ... The B-52 Stratofortress, a heavy bomber. ... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The Vickers Vimy was a British heavy bomber aircraft of the World War I era. ...

Origins

The work on the Virginia was started in 1921 as a replacement to the Vimy. The Virginia was similar to the Vimy, but notably had a lowered front gunner's pulpit to allow the pilot a greater field of view, 20 feet (6 meter) greater wingspan, and a 9 ft (2.7 m) longer fuselage. The Virginia was powered by twin Napier Lion engines which provided it with almost twice as much power as the Vimy. The Virginia flew for the first time on November 24, 1922. General characteristics Layout W-block inline Cooling water-cooled Cylinders 12 Valve type poppet Displacement 1462 in³ (25 l) Rotation rate 2050 rpm Power 500 hp Power 370 kW Weight 858 lb (290 kg) The Lion was a 12-cylinder W-block inline aircraft engine built by Napier & Son starting... November 24 is the 328th day (329th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

The Mark I-VI had straight wings, whereas the Mark VII introduced swept outer wings. Starting with the Mark III the Viriginia mounted a rear fuselage gunner, who was moved into a tail turret in the Mark VII.

The Mark X was introduced in late 1924 and featured a duralumin and steel structure covered in faberic, aluminum, and wood.

124 Virginias were built in total, of which fifty were Mark X.

Operation

The first squadron of Mark I Virginias was assembled in 1924. Despite mediocre performance the aircraft served front line units until 1938, when it was replaced by the newer Wellingtons, Hampdens and Whitleys. 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Vickers Wellington was a twin-engine, medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs Chief Designer, R.K. Pierson. ... The Handley Page HP.52 Hampden was a twin-engine medium bomber of the Royal Air Force that was one of the main front-line bombers at the start of World War II. Along with the Whitley and Wellington bombers, the Hampden bore the brunt of the early bombing war... The Armstrong Whitworth A.W.38 Whitley was one of three twin-engine, front-line medium bombers in service with the Royal Air Force at the outbreak of World War II. Along with the Handley Page Hampden and the Vickers Wellington, it bore the brunt of the early fighting, seeing...

The final almost all-metal Virginia Mark X were the most numerous RAF bombers until the ascendance of the Heyford in 1934. After its technical obsolescence as a bomber it was used for photography and for parachute training, with jump platforms installed behind the engine nacelles. On June 26 1940, a committee discussing the need for airborne cannon against invasion tanks included the perhaps non-serious suggestion of equipping Virginias with the equally antiquated 37mm COW gun. This was not acted on. Virginias continued in support roles until 1941. The Handley Page Heyford was a British biplane bomber of the 1930s. ...

In the 1930s the Virginias were used in some of the first tests of midair refueling, although they were never used in this role outside of tests. Boom and receptacle: USAF KC-135R Stratotanker, two F-15s (twin fins) and two F-16s, on an aerial refueling training mission Probe and drogue: USAF HC-130P refuels a HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter Aerial refueling, also called in-flight refueling (IFR) or air-to-air refueling (AAR), is...

The Virginia was developed in parallel with the Victoria freighter, and the two planes had much in common, notably sharing the same design of wing. The Vickers Type 56 Victoria was a freighter and troop transport aircraft of the RAF, which flew for the first time in 1922. ...

The Virginias were highly accident prone, with 81 lost in this manner.

Specifications (Virginia X)

General characteristics

• Crew: Four
• Length: 52 ft 3 in (15.93 m)
• Wingspan: 87ft 8 in (26.77 m)
• Height: 18 ft 2 in (5.54 m)
• Wing area: 663.85 ft² (202.34 m²)
• Empty weight: 9,650 lb (4,377 kg)
• Loaded weight: lb (kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 17,620lb (7,993 kg)
• Powerplant: 2× Napier Lion VB Inline Piston , 580 hp (432.7 kW) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 108 mph (173 km/h)
• Range: 985 miles (1585 km)
• Service ceiling: 15,500 ft (4,725 m)
• Rate of climb: ft/min (m/s)
• Wing loading: lb/ft² (kg/m²)
• Power/mass: hp/lb (kW/kg)

Armament

• 3× .303 Vickers machine gun
• 3,000 lb (1,360 kg) of bombs

The distance AB is the wing span of this Aer Lingus Airbus A320. ... In aviation, the Maximum Take-Off Weight (or MTOW) is the maximum weight with which an aircraft is allowed to try to achieve flight. ... General characteristics Layout W-block inline Cooling water-cooled Cylinders 12 Valve type poppet Displacement 1462 in³ (25 l) Rotation rate 2050 rpm Power 500 hp Power 370 kW Weight 858 lb (290 kg) The Lion was a 12-cylinder W-block inline aircraft engine built by Napier & Son starting... VNO of an aircraft is the V speed which refers to the velocity of normal operation. ... The maximal total range is the distance an aircraft can fly between takeoff and landing as limited by its fuel capacity. ... In aeronautics, the service ceiling is the maximum density altitude where the best rate of climb airspeed will produce a 100 feet per minute climb(twin engine) and 50 feet(single engine) at maximum weight while in a clean configuration with maximum continuous power. ... This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ... In aerodynamics, wing loading is the loaded weight of the aircraft divided by the area of the wing. ... Power-to-weight ratio is a measure commonly used when comparing various vehicles (or engines), including automobiles, motorcycles and aircraft. ... .303 cartridge The . ... The Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a name primarily used to refer to the water-cooled . ...

Operators

• United Kingdom
  • Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ...

References

Winchester, Jim [2003]. Bombers of the 20th Century (in English). United Kingdom: Airlife Publishing LTD, 10. ISBN 1-84037-386-5.

Designation sequence

Vickers Vernon - Vickers Victoria - Vickers Virginia - Vickers Vildebeest - Vickers Vanox - Vickers Vincent - Vickers Valentia The Vickers Vernon was the first dedicated troop transport aircraft of the RAF, entering service in 1921. ... The Vickers Type 56 Victoria was a freighter and troop transport aircraft of the RAF, which flew for the first time in 1922. ... The Vickers Vildebeest was a very large 2- to 3-seat single-engined biplane acting as a light bomber, torpedo bomber and in the army cooperation role. ... The Vickers Vildebeest was a very large 2- to 3-seat single-engined biplane acting as a light bomber, torpedo bomber and in the army cooperation role. ... The Valentia or Type 264 was a British biplane cargo aircraft built by Vickers for the Royal Air Force. ...