Vickers No 6 Monoplane

The Vickers No.6 Monoplane was built at Erith, Kent in June 1912 for the War Office Military Trials. It was flown at nearby Joyce Green by LF Macdonald and from there, it was flown to Brooklands on 15th June 1912.

 

It was a noticeably clean design, with the multi-strut, four-wheel undercarriage replaced by a two-wheel undercarriage with cross-axle and central skid.

 

Power was provided by a 70 hp Viale six-cylinder radial engine and the two crew members sat side-by-side, with an excellent forward view. This reflected one of the trials competition requirements that ‘… both occupants were to be afforded the best possible view of the ground in a forward arc.’

 

The fuselage was parallel-sided and fitted with an aerodynamically balanced rudder, with no fixed fin. The wingspan was reduced to 35 feet.

 

Although the aircraft was reported as flying very well, it was let down in the Trials (where it had competition number 3) by poor engine reliability. This prevented it from completing in the key flying tests and it was effectively eliminated from the competition. It was however, reported as flying 'excellently, whenever its motor would go'.

 

For obvious reasons, the Viale engine was later replaced by a 70 hp Gnome seven-cylinder rotary engine.

 

The Vickers No.6 Monoplane was later converted into a two-seat biplane, being flown from Joyce Green during December 1912. No photographs or drawings of this aircraft have ever been found.

 

Tragically, it crashed into the Thames on 13th January 1913, with the loss of the life of LF Macdonald and his passenger, Mr H England.