54 RAF CENTENARY CELEBRATION PATROLLERS AND AIRLIFTERS
VICKERS
VALETTA
1947 TO 1960
1918 2018T
he Vickers Viking was
developed just after World
War Two as a short-range
airliner derived from that company’s
Wellington bomber.
It secured reasonable sales successes
but the availability of war-surplus
Dakotas, and the imminent arrival
of turboprop-powered airliners
such as the Vickers Viscount, limited
its appeal.
It did, however, entice the Royal
Family, with four examples joining
the King’s Flight in 1947. The
aircraft’s potential was not lost on
the RAF, which commissioned a
military version of the Viking, to be
dubbed the Valetta.Above
The King’s Flight
operated four versions
of the Vickers Viking,
including VL246.Below
Vickers Valetta VW140
fi rst fl ew on July 22,
1948 but was written off
on August 5, 1955.Type: Four-crew medium-range transport aircraft
First fl ight: June 30, 1947; entered service May 1949
Powerplant: Two 1,976hp (1,474kW) Bristol Centaurus radials
Dimensions: Span 89ft 3in (27.20m), length 62ft 11in (19.18m)
Weights: Empty 24,854lb (11,274kg), all-up 36,500lb (16,556kg)
Max speed: 258mph (415km/h) at 10,000ft (3,048m)
Range: 1,410 miles (2,269km)
Capacity: 20 paratroops or 34 troops
Replaced: Douglas Dakota
Taken on charge: 251 (190 C Mk.1, 21 C Mk.2 and 40 T Mk.3)
Replaced by: Blackburn BeverleyVICKERS VALETTA C MK.I