Vickers

Vivid

The Vickers Vivid was an all-metal version of the Vickers Vixen and was initially designated the Vixen VII.

 

Problems with the durability of the Vixen’s wooden wing structure in hot and humid climates suggested that an all-metal variant might be of interest to Chile, which had become an important operator of Vickers aircraft.  

 

The Vivid was built as a private venture by fitting a new all-metal wing structure to the Vixen III (G-EBIP).

 

It was initially completed as a landplane, powered by a 490 hp Napier Lion VA engine, receiving a new registration (G-EBPY).

 

It was flown for the first time at Brooklands on 27th June 1927.

 

 

The type was then modified to a floatplane configuration (with Short-designed floats).

 

It was tested initially at Hamble and officially evaluated at Felixstowe in May 1928. In this configuration, a 540 hp Napier Lion XI was fitted and the Vickers designation was changed to Type 146.

 

The Vivid then reverted to landplane configuration (as the Type 142) and was flown to Bucharest on 6th September 1928 to participate in trials against a Romanian requirement for a general-purpose biplane.

 

 

After the failure of these marketing efforts, Vickers sold the aircraft (G-EBPY) in 1931 to a private owner JR Chaplin, who proceeded (with Neville Stack as pilot) to set one day out-and-return speed records between Heston and Berlin, Copenhagen and Warsaw in April, May and June 1931. They also made an attempt on the England to Australia record.

 

The aircraft was subsequently sold and was unfortunately destroyed in a hangar fire at Broomfield Aerodrome, Chelmsford on 18th September 1932.