Now that's flying !!

[rogerk]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article4144915.ece

:D:D

[S'land]

Flying indeed. It is interesting to note that it was again a Vimy that was involved in the adventure.

[David Layne]

This is the aircraft involved.

K107 was the prototype Vickers Vimy Commercial, making its first flight on 13th. April 1919 at Joyce Green (http://amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0333930924?ie=UTF8&tag=root-21&link_code=em1&camp=2502&creative=11114&creativeASIN=0333930924&adid=afc2f15b-1ca6-4b0c-9def-884d64249ac4) Airport in Kent. Initially it bore the interim civilian registration K 107. It was then allocated the civilian registration G-EAAV.

This aircraft was used on an attempt on the Cairo to Cape Town (http://amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1868720608?ie=UTF8&tag=root-21&link_code=em1&camp=2502&creative=11114&creativeASIN=1868720608&adid=12ff1463-b922-4b10-90dd-ae45d6008520) record with a prize of £10,000 from the Daily Mail. Flown by Vickers pilots S,Cockerell and F.C.G Broome it crashed at Tabora, Tanganyika on 27th. Feb. 1920

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q137/DavidLayne/index.jpg

[Warmtoast]

I had a look at The Times for early 1920 recounting the adventures of the expedition. It makes fascinating reading. Here's what it says about the aircraft:

THE MACHINE.
MODERATE SIZE AND GOOD SPEED.
1,000 MILES NON-STOP FLIGHT CAPACITY.

The machine is- a Vickers-Vimy-Rolls-Commercial, slightly modified for the journey. It has already made a number of successful flights, several journeys to Holland among them. One hundred machines of this pattern have been ordered by the Chinese Government and are now being built at Weybridge. It had originally room for 15 passengers in her oval-shaped cabin, but in order to. find space for an extra fuel tank and for lockers in which to carry spares,-food, and kit much of the seating accommodation has been removed. The aeroplane originally had circular windows, but oblong sliding windows were substituted immediately after the flights over the North-Sea.

The machine is not of great size when compared with others that have made, long-distance flights, her span being only 67ft. The most striking outward feature about her is the grey stream-lined fuselage,. in the forefront of which is the cockpit For; the pilots. Immediately behind the cockpit is the cabin, entered at the forward end by a door that rolls-up like the cover of a roll-top .desk, and. separated from the cockpit by a thin partition fitted with glass windows. At the other end of the cabin is a second door, hinged at the bottom and fitted on the inner side with steps, so that when it is let down it form a ladder.

The cabin, which is covered over, is connected with the cockpit by a speaking-tube and furnished with an altitude recorder and a speed indicator. Only three of the armchair seats have been left. Of these two are forward for the use of the mechanic and., rigger, and the third is at the far end of the cabin and will be used by Dr. Chalmers Mitchell; The whole of the centre floor space is occupied-by the enormous fuel tank and the-lockers, but it; is possible to step over them and to move from one-end of the cabin to the other.

The measurements of the machine are as follows:
Overall length: 47ft. 8ins.
Overall height: 15ft. 2ins.
Span: 67ft.
Gap: 10ft.
Chord: 10ft. 6ins.
Area of main planes: 1,330 square ft
Weight -per sq. foot: 9.4 pounds
Weight per. horse power: 17.0 pounds

The engines are two Rolls-Royce “Eagle” Mark viii., each of 350 horse-power. These engines are identical with those used on the machines that carried the late Sir John Alcock across the Atlantic Ocean and Sir Ross Smith to Australia. The machine has a speed near the ground of 115 miles per hour, reduced to 105 miles at an altitude of 6,000ft. and to 99 miles at 10,000ft. The aeroplane can climb to 6,000ft, in 17 minutes and to 10,000ft. in 48 minutes.

The standard Vickers-Vimy-Rolls can carry out a flight of 450 miles, with a single charge of petrol, but the extra fuel space fitted for the journey to. the Cape will enable her to carry 350 gallons of petrol, enough for a flight of a thousand miles without recharging. Flying on one engine only, the machine develops a speed of 70 miles per hour, and lands at 45. For the greater part of the present journey she will probably be throttled down to 80 or 85 miles per hour.

SUPPLIES CARRIED.
Only a minimum quantity of spares, kit, and rations, are-being carried. The- party arranged to collect their tropical clothing in Cairo. There will also, be on board a supply of water, a store of compressed food, for use in an Emergency, 46 gallons of oil and 22 gallons of, water for . the radiators. The spares include valves; carburettors, and sparking plugs for the-engines, and for the aeroplane itself; dope, fabric, wire, one-wheel complete with tire and inner tube, wheel repair outfit, axle, machine covers, and. propeller covers.

There, are also being carried a camera, a cinematograph camera, some rifles and ammunition, while Dr. Chalmers Mitchell is taking, a certain amount of apparatus for preserving small specimens.

The instruments, which are arranged on a board immediately in front of the pilots seats, are themselves- worth studying,, and have been supplied by Messrs. S. Smith and Sons, and include an engine revolution indicator, an airspeed indicator—two types, one registering in miles and the other in knots—an altitude recorder, thermometers for recording the heat of the oil and the radiators, and a time trip clock

...and a photo of the aircraft and crew.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/VimytoCapeTownJan1920-TheAircraf-1.jpg