From ‘Vickers Aircraft since 1908’ by CF Andrews and EB Morgan
On 4th November, 1932, Mutt Summers, by then chief test pilot of Vickers received a letter from an officer of 216 (Bomber Transport) Squadron requesting that the Victoria should be re-engined with the Bristol Pegasus and provided with wheel brakes and a tailwheel. He also suggested that the aeroplane should be fitted with a swing tail to enable heavy and bulky loads to be loaded easily into the cabin, the fuselage being trestle for the purpose.
The book goes on to say that Vickers were already investigating the Pegasus option but doesn’t seem to say anything else about the swing tail.
Now, could the Victoria have been fitted with a swing tail?
The Zeppelin-Staaken bombers had a nose wheel undercarriage, with tail skids so could the Victoria have been designed and built as a nose wheel design aircraft and if so, what does that do for the possibility of a swing tail or swing nose?
On 4th November, 1932, Mutt Summers, by then chief test pilot of Vickers received a letter from an officer of 216 (Bomber Transport) Squadron requesting that the Victoria should be re-engined with the Bristol Pegasus and provided with wheel brakes and a tailwheel. He also suggested that the aeroplane should be fitted with a swing tail to enable heavy and bulky loads to be loaded easily into the cabin, the fuselage being trestle for the purpose.
The book goes on to say that Vickers were already investigating the Pegasus option but doesn’t seem to say anything else about the swing tail.
Now, could the Victoria have been fitted with a swing tail?
The Zeppelin-Staaken bombers had a nose wheel undercarriage, with tail skids so could the Victoria have been designed and built as a nose wheel design aircraft and if so, what does that do for the possibility of a swing tail or swing nose?
