British fighter aircraft
Type 121
|
|
Role
|
Fighter
Type of aircraft
|
Manufacturer
|
Vickers
|
First flight
|
1926
|
Introduction
|
1926
|
Retired
|
1934
|
Primary user
|
Chile
|
Number built
|
26
|
Developed from
|
Wibault 7
|
The
Vickers Type 121 Wibault Scout
was a British
fighter
built by
Vickers
in the 1920s. It was a licensed version of the
French
Wibault 7
aircraft
, with 26 being sold to
Chile
in 1926, where they served until 1934.
Design and development
[
edit
]
Vickers
set up a partnership with the French aircraft manufacturer,
Societe des Avions Michel Wibault
to exploit the patented system of all-metal construction developed by
Michel Wibault
. This used corrugated light alloy skin panels, and made for easy maintenance and inspection.
[1]
As part of this partnership, Vickers placed an order with Wibault for a single Wibault 7, re-engined with a
Bristol Jupiter
VI
radial engine
, to act as a prototype for potential licensed production. The Wibault 7, and therefore the Vickers licensed copy, were single-engine high-wing
parasol
monoplanes
.
The prototype, which differed from the standard Wibault 7 by having a new
undercarriage
and British instruments, was delivered to Britain in February 1926
[2]
and was later fitted by Vickers with strengthened wing
struts
. The durability of the aircraft's all-metal structure, together with promised good altitude performance, attracted the attention of the
Chilean Military Air Service
, which, after evaluating the prototype, placed an order for 26 aircraft, known as the
Vickers Type 121
, or
Vickers-Wibault Scout
.
[3]
The first Vickers built Type 121 flew at the end of June 1926, but crashed following an inverted spin on its first flight. This was found to be due to problems with the aircraft's centre of gravity, which were resolved by modifying the
tailplane
.
[4]
Operational history
[
edit
]
The first Type 121s were delivered to Chile in November 1926, partly equipping the
Groupo Mixto de Aviacion
1, with deliveries continuing until October 1927.
[2]
Several were lost in accidents, with at least one losing its wing in flight,
[2]
but it remained in service when the
Chilean Air Force
was formed from the air components of the Chilean Army and Navy, finally being retired in 1934.
[2]
Operators
[
edit
]
-
Chile
Specifications (Type 121)
[
edit
]
Data from
The British Fighter since 1912
[4]
General characteristics
- Crew:
1
- Length:
23 ft 2 in (7.06 m)
- Wingspan:
36 ft 1 in (11.00 m)
- Height:
11 ft 6 in (3.51 m)
- Wing area:
237 sq ft (22.0 m
2
)
- Empty weight:
1,920 lb (871 kg)
- Gross weight:
2,970 lb (1,347 kg)
- Powerplant:
1 ×
Bristol Jupiter
VI nine cylinder
radial engine
, 455 hp (339 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed:
154 mph (248 km/h, 134 kn) at sea level; 144 mph (125 kn; 232 km/h) at 15,000 ft (4,600 m)
- Range:
300 mi (480 km, 260 nmi)
- Service ceiling:
23,000 ft (7,000 m)
- Time to altitude:
7 min 40 s to 10,000 ft (3,000 m)
Armament
See also
[
edit
]
Related development
References
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
Andrews and Morgan 1988, pp. 207?209.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Green and Swanborough 1994, p. 579.
- ^
Andrews and Morgan 1988, pp. 209?210.
- ^
a
b
Mason 1992, pp. 179?180.
Bibliography
[
edit
]
- Andrews, E.N. and Morgan, E.B.
Vickers Aircraft Since 1908, Second edition
. London: Putnam, 1988.
ISBN
0-85177-815-1
.
- Green, William and Swanborough, Gordon.
The Complete Book of Fighters
. New York: Smithmark, 1994.
ISBN
0-8317-3939-8
.
- Mason, Francis K.
The British Fighter since 1912
. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1992.
ISBN
1-55750-082-7
.
External links
[
edit
]
Media related to
Vickers Wibault
at Wikimedia Commons
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