User:Nigel Ish/Sandbox3

The Vickers Vendace was a British trainer aircraft of the 1920's. Originally designed as a float plane trainer for the Royal Air Force, three were sold to Bolivia.

Development
The British Air Ministry issued Specification 5A/24 for a float plane trainer in October 1924. To meet this requirement, Vickers designed a two seat biplane, the Vickers Type 120 Vendace I. The Air Ministry placed an order in August 1925 for a single prototype, as well as competing aircraft from Parnall and Blackburn (the Parnall Perch and Blackburn Sprat).

The Vendace I was a two bay biplane with folding wooden wings and a steel tube fuselage, powered by a Rolls-Royce Falcon engine. Its undercarriage could be changed from floats to wheels in 10 minutes, while its fuel supply was held in two streamlined tanks above the upper wing.

The Vendace was flying by March 1926, and underwent successful trials as a landplane in 1926, including operation from the aircraft carrier HMS Furious. , these being followed by testing in seaplane mode at Felixstowe the following year. Despite the successful trials, the RAF did not order production, although they did retain the aircraft for experimental purposes.

Vickers built a second aircraft, the Type 157 Vendace II, as a private venture, with an ADC Nimbus (an inline six-cylinder engine derived from the Siddeley Puma replacing the Falcon of the Vendace I. This first flew in November 1927, being sold to the Aircraft Operating Company for survey operations in South America.

Development continued with the Hispano-Suiza 8F powered Type 155 Vendace III, of which three were sold to Bolivia for use as trainers.

Operational history
The three Bolivian Vendaces entered service with the Escuela Militar de Aviación in October 1928, They experienced some engine problems, blamed on the dusty conditions in the Bolivian summer, but remained in service until 1933.

Variants

 * Type 120 Vendace I
 * Prototype convertable landplane/seaplabe for RAF, powered by 275 hp (207 kW) Rolls-Royce Falcon III engine. One (serial number N208) built.


 * Type 157 Vendace II
 * Private venture aircraft powered by 300 hp (224 kW) ADC Nimbus engine. One (registered G-EBPX) built, converted for airborne survey purposes.


 * Type 155 Vendace III
 * Trainer for Bolivia, powered by 300 hp (224 kW) Hispano-Suiza 8F engine. Three built.