S.A.M. #15: Fat-Cheeked Vs:

Vimy Commercial was probably the most radical warplane conversion available right after the Armistice. The prototype flew in April 1919. Three months later the design was featured in the Flight magazine:

WHEN you take one of the ten comfortable seats in Vickers “Vimy-Commercial” biplane and look around the handsomely-furnished, spacious cabin and out of one of the small circular windows at your side, nothing strikes you as being at all out of ordinary; you accept it as a matter of daily fact. It is only when the machine is up in the air with its load of passengers that you realise the true significance of things, and what an enormous stride has been made towards practical commercial aviation, when such machines as this can be designed and made successfully to fulfil all that is required of them.

In the case of the Vickers “ Vimy-Commercial,” the achievement to this end is all the more remarkable the when it is remembered that this machine is a standard War model, modified only to meet its new and more peaceful requirements. In fact, except for the fuselage, this machine is identical to the “Vimy” Bomber ; merely changing from one fuselage to the other—which can be done quite easily—transforms it from a peaceful general utility vehicle to a deadly weapon of war. This is a feature not to be ignored, in spite of the prevalent talk of “no more wars.” The Millemium had not yet arrived.

In describing the “Vimy-Commercial”, therefore, we will confine most of our remarks to the fuselage, having given the general characteristics of the Vimy Bomber in “ Milestones ” for FLIGHT of June 12 last. The fuselage is built up in two portions, the front half comprising the pilot’s cockpit, passengers’ and luggage cabin, tanks, etc., and the rear half carrying the tail. The forward or cabin portion is of monocoque construction, elliptical in cross-section ; the shell, or outer covering, is not of the usual threeply as generally employed in monocoque construction, but consists of a modification of the same known as “Consuta” — a system evolved by Messrs. S. E. Saunders, Ltd., of Cowes, who are now allied with the Vickers Company. In the “Consuta” construction, layers of selected spruce are placed with the grain located diagonally, glued and sewn together, each row of stitching being spaced about 1½ ins. apart. By this means considerable strength is obtained, which greatly increases the factor of safety of the whole construction of the fuselage.

The shell is attached to box-section formers built up of three-ply, as shown in one of the accompanying illustrations. On each side of the cabin are circular portholes glazed with Triplex, and at the forward end of the cabin, on the port side, is a door of the roller-shutter type. It is of interest to note that the whole of this fore part of the fuselage, including the door and windows, is watertight, enabling the machine, should occasion arise, to float in a normal position with safety on the water. The cabin, which is thus totally enclosed, has a seating capacity for ten passengers, each one of which has a separate and very comfortable armchair, with a window at the side; a gangway runs down the centre of the cabin, and there is ample space between the chairs. Both altitude and speed indicators are mounted on the front wall of the cabin for the benefit of these passengers anxious to be kept informed of the machine’s progress. Telephonic conversation can also be carried on between the passengers and the pilot. Cupboards are provided at the end of the cabin for the storage of light luggage.

Despite impressive presentation, good press and long-range flights (well, one of them ended in a crash at Tabora, Tanganyika) the commercialized Vimy failed to become the standard of newly-born airlines. It was produced in quite modest numbers. Wiki tells us: “A Chinese order for 100 is particularly noteworthy, although a failure to pay interest from April 1922 probably led to the order not being completed. Forty of the 43 built were delivered to China, but most remained in their crates unused, with only seven of these being put into civilian use. … After the First Zhili-Fengtian War, 20 aircraft were secretly converted into bombers under the order of the Zhili clique warlord Cao Kun, and later participated in the Second Zhili-Fengtian War. ”

Fifty-five military transport versions of the Vimy Commercial were built for the RAF as the Vickers Vernon:

There were also Vimy Ambulances (below), as well a number of military planes looking very similar to the Commercial.

The first of them, Vickers Victoria, used Vernon fuselage and wings of the Vickers Virginia bomber which replaced the Vimy in 1925:

The second, Vickers Valentia, was actually a Victoria with strengthened airframe, equipped with Bristol Pegasus engines:

The Valentia first entered service with No. 70 Squadron RAF at Hinaidi, Iraq in 1934, equipping British forces in India, Persia and Iraq. Like the preceding Vernons and Victorias, the Valentias were extensively used for transport operations in the Middle East, and when necessary used for bombing operations with bomb racks under the wings. Valentias were also fitted with loudspeakers for experiments with sky-shouting (i.e. using the loudspeakers to address people, in this case potentially rebellious tribes during air policing duties, while in flight).

The Valentia was also used for experiments with aerial refuelling by Alan Cobham.

Valentias were used for night bombing operations over the Western Desert in 1940 and remained in service with the Iraq and Persia Communications Flight until 1944. The South African Air Force pressed a Valentia into service as a bomber in the East African Campaign in 1940-41.

Thus a civil design born soon after “the war to end of wars” ended its days soldiering on in the time of another World War.

Wikipedia articles on Vickers Vimy and Vickers Valentia were used.