Vickers Viking Amphibian & the Smith Brothers

The Smith brothers recently won the coveted 10,000 prize for flying from England to Australia. But the Smith brothers were not content to rest on their laurels. They planned another and a bigger venture-a round-the-world flight. For this they were going to use a Vickers amphibian called the Viking. Their old colleague Bennett was to be the mechanic. On 13 April 1922 all three were to go up on a test flight. Ross and the mechanic arrived on time. But a fog rolled down. It held up Keith, then on his way to the aerodrome. Fearing if they delayed any longer the conditions would be too bad for the flight, Ross and Bennett took off. What happened aloft no one else will ever know. But as Keith arrived on the aerodrome, it was to see the Viking hurtling down to death and destruction. So, in harness, died one of Australia's greatest sons and his trusted mechanic.

The Vickers Viking was a single-engined amphibious aircraft designed for military use shortly after World War I.

General characteristics
Crew: One: pilot
Capacity: 2 passengers
Length: 34 ft 0 in (10.36 m)
Wingspan: 50 ft 0 in (15.24 m)
Height: 15 ft 1 in (4.60 m)
Wing area: 594 ft² (55.2 m²)
Empty weight: 3,750 lb (1,701 kg)
Loaded weight: 5,600 lb (2,451 kg)
Powerplant: 1× Rolls-Royce Eagle piston engine, 360 hp (269 kW)
Performance
Maximum speed: 102 mph (164 km/h)
Cruise speed: 90 mph (144 km/h)
Range: 450 miles (724 km)
Service ceiling: 9,000 ft (2,743 m)
Rate of climb: 400 ft/min (121 m/min)
Wing loading: 9 lb/ft² (44 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 0.13 hp/lb (0.22 kW/kg)

Видео Vickers Viking Amphibian & the Smith Brothers канала Bomberguy