Price of new Vickers Wellington
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Price of new Vickers Wellington
Hi All,
We've tried everywhere else so you folks are our last hope! I have ben asked by a friend who is an author if I can find out how much a new Vickers Wellington bomber would have cost to produce in WWII? He is writing a book that involves Wimpeys so is trying to find out.
Can anyone help please?
Many thanks
Aviano
We've tried everywhere else so you folks are our last hope! I have ben asked by a friend who is an author if I can find out how much a new Vickers Wellington bomber would have cost to produce in WWII? He is writing a book that involves Wimpeys so is trying to find out.
Can anyone help please?
Many thanks
Aviano
Hi All,
We've tried everywhere else so you folks are our last hope! I have ben asked by a friend who is an author if I can find out how much a new Vickers Wellington bomber would have cost to produce in WWII? He is writing a book that involves Wimpeys so is trying to find out.
Can anyone help please?
Many thanks
Aviano
We've tried everywhere else so you folks are our last hope! I have ben asked by a friend who is an author if I can find out how much a new Vickers Wellington bomber would have cost to produce in WWII? He is writing a book that involves Wimpeys so is trying to find out.
Can anyone help please?
Many thanks
Aviano
“The wartime Ministry of Aircraft Production (MAP) did have a ‘Price Book’ setting out individual aircraft ‘prices’, though what was included/excluded looked to vary considerably. The published research paper ‘Britain 1939-1945: The Economic Cost of Strategic Bombing’ by John Fahey is both a fascinating read and a powerful reference document, which I would recommend your author friend studies in some detail so as to have a full understanding of the various costs involved before arriving at a figure.
Having said that pp189 of Fahey tells us “By 1946, Vickers had produced 11,460 Wellingtons, at an average cost of £14,367.77 per aircraft. The total cost of this aircraft type was £164,654,753 which makes this aircraft the second most costly after the Lancaster.”
Hope this helps
C
Having said that pp189 of Fahey tells us “By 1946, Vickers had produced 11,460 Wellingtons, at an average cost of £14,367.77 per aircraft. The total cost of this aircraft type was £164,654,753 which makes this aircraft the second most costly after the Lancaster.”
Hope this helps
C
Fahey also states that the 'MAP price books reflects the values of the..... Wellington after the British government had taken into account the subsidies and capital grants provided to the manufacturers'.
Is 20600 pounds in 1940 expensive? How does it compare to other costs? From internet, it seems, that a loaf of bread in 1940 would cost 4 pennies, which (I think, please correct this simple European citizen) is 1/240 pound sterling. A loaf nowadays would be around 2 pst. A 20600 pst Wellington of 1940 would therefore compare to 2 470 000 pst today, which is around 2 900 000 euro's. That sounds very cheap for a mid-size bomber.
I wonder if anyone has worked out the cost of the one particular Wimpey which was built, start to finish and test-flight, in 24 hours ? There's probably still a film lurking around somewhere.
Is 20600 pounds in 1940 expensive? How does it compare to other costs? From internet, it seems, that a loaf of bread in 1940 would cost 4 pennies, which (I think, please correct this simple European citizen) is 1/240 pound sterling. A loaf nowadays would be around 2 pst. A 20600 pst Wellington of 1940 would therefore compare to 2 470 000 pst today, which is around 2 900 000 euro's. That sounds very cheap for a mid-size bomber.
Don't forget you have to think about other factors: the equipment, wage rates, ease of construction, these and other factors back then all contributed to the overall costing.
"Mildly" Eccentric Stardriver
meleagertoo; give the guy a break. He's from the Netherlands, and I suspect, like most Dutchmen, speaks excellent English. He's probably never had to refer to pounds Sterling before. Before the Euro, would you have known the correct term for the Guilder?
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Yes, absolutely. It's "Guilder".
Random home-made acronyms instead of the internationally universal and standardised symbols/eesignations are guaranteed to cause confusion and not be understood, as was demonstrated here.
Just asking for clarity, that's all.
Random home-made acronyms instead of the internationally universal and standardised symbols/eesignations are guaranteed to cause confusion and not be understood, as was demonstrated here.
Just asking for clarity, that's all.
Last edited by meleagertoo; 1st Apr 2024 at 14:36.
ISTR that the abbreviation for Guilder was Fl.
Obviously.
Obviously.
Same in English - the Florin was the 2 shilling coin - one that was kept at decimalisation and is now the 10p coin.
I have a South African purchased HP laptop.....no £ symbol, although it does have a $. (I am writing this on my UK sourced Mac).My accountant understands UKP when I email her on my SA HP, and I got pst in a blink.....Nice thread BTW
Last edited by TCU; 1st Apr 2024 at 17:48.
Slightly off topic but (although not nearly as far as the abbreviations for various currency's), a couple years ago I came across webpage showing what the US Government was selling various surplus WWII aircraft for in 1946. Things like P-51 fighters and B-17 bombers for a few thousand US dollars.
Unfortunately, I'm unable to find the page anymore, but even after correcting for inflation the prices were amazingly low - especially considering what such aircraft go for today.
Unfortunately, I'm unable to find the page anymore, but even after correcting for inflation the prices were amazingly low - especially considering what such aircraft go for today.
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