| The Vickers Vimy, conceived in 1917, arrived to late to play any
active role in the war as a long-range bomber. Produced by Vickers Ltd., it could carry an 1,100 kg (2476 lbs) load of bombs and had
enough fuel for 9 hours of flight. Up to 4 machine guns could be installed for self-defense. |
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It was powered with two Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII V-12, 360 hp engines, allowing a
165 kph (103 mph) maximum speed. The service ceiling reached 3,000 m (10,500 ft) at a 3,100 kg (7,000 lbs) flight weight. Its wingspan
made it the largest biplane built in England. In 1919 it established several distance flight records and became the first airplane to
cross the North Atlantic Ocean from Newfoundland, Canada to Ireland. Several more record flights followed including England to
Australia and London to Cape Town, South Africa. |
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As commercial airliner, Vickers Vimy was deployed in
service from 1920 between London, Brussels, Cologne and Paris by Instone Airlines. In 1923 Instone Airlines merger into Imperial
Airways and it became the backbone of the fleet until 1929. |
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