For the origin of the Vedette design one has to turn to the acquisition of a Napier Lion-powered Vickers Viking IV by Laurentide Air Service of Montreal in 1922. It went into service on their forestry operations in Quebec and Ontario, and Vickers in England closely followed the operations.
As a result of Laurentide's experience, two of their employees, C.S. (Jack) Caldwell and I. (Pete) Vachon prepared a report which, although it has not survived, its substance indicated that a smaller aircraft than the Viking IV was recommended for forestry operations, and one with a particularly good take off and climb. The requirements for forestry patrol aircraft were also reviewed by a committee of the Society of Forest Engineers, especially set up for the purpose. It was composed of Capt D.N. Johnson of the Ontario Forest Service, Ellwood Wilson, Chief Forester of the Laurentide Co, and Col. Stephenson, District Forester of Manitoba. This committee agreed with the Laurentide Air Service report.
In the meantime Vickers' Canadian subsidiary, Canadian Vickers Limited, had entered aircraft production with the construction of a batch of Viking IVs for the RCAF. Vickers Limited of Weybridge was determined to set up an aircraft design department in its Canadian subsidiary, intended to make aircraft specifically for Canadian requirements. To meet the Canadian forestry requirements, R.K. Pierson of the British company laid out the design of a small flying boat which later became known as the Vedette. Also, the British parent company hired Wilfred Thomas Reid, formerly of the Bristol Aeroplane Company as Chief Engineer of Canadian Vickers.
Reid arrived in Montreal in the latter part of June 1924 along with the plans for the new aircraft. Although he only had one experienced aircraft designer to help him, Reid put the detail design work on the Vedette in hand immediately. By July 16 the design was under way and a mockup of the forward portion of the hull started. Also, a wind-tunnel model of the Vedette was tested at the University of Toronto, the first time a model of a complete aircraft had been tested in Canada.
In the meantime, Laurentide Air Service's operations had been severely curtailed, but the RCAF stepped in and issued a specification for a forestry survey and fire protection patrol seaplane based on the original conception of the Vedette, the prototype to be ready in October. The takeover of the civil project by the RCAF had been done in the absence of Wing Commander E.W. Stedman, Technical Director of the RCAF, and upon his return to Ottawa Stedman found they were committed to the new machine. He greatly regretted that it embodied an old RAF 15 wing section and felt that one of the newer and thicker sections being developed in the United States should have been used. Stedman made efforts during the life of the Vedette to have a new wing section incorporated but this was never done.
The prototype was to be suitable for either the Rolls-Royce Falcon III , or a Wolseley Viper engine. By October 4, 1924 the hull shell was complete, as was the upper wing, and the lower wing was ready for covering. The engine had still not been received from the RCAF and this caused considerable apprehension as it was felt it might delay the whole project since the prototype had to be tested before the freeze up of the St. Lawrence at Montreal. A Falcon III arrived from Camp Borden on October 10 and was rapidly installed. The aircraft was complete and ready for flight test by the 31st.
It had been decided that Fl. Off. William Noble Plenderleith, RAF, of the flight department of Vickers in Weybridge, would be sent out for the initial test flying. He arrived in Montreal on November 3 and took the Vedette prototype for its first flight the following day. Ottawa officials had been invited to witness the testing of the aircraft but none was on hand so the initial flight was only observed by company personnel. The short first flight indicated that the short take off requirements had been met, and the maximum speed was also determined, but while the machine's general characteristics were satisfactory the aileron control was not and it was decided that the aircraft would not be flown again until the ailerons were modified to lighten the controls.
A program was put in hand immediately to introduce balanced ailerons, and at the same time it was, decided to install a Wolseley Viper engine so that some performance figures could be obtained for the aircraft with that engine. The new ailerons were made and fitted, the new engine installed, and the next flight was made on November 22 by Plenderleith. A period of extensive testing was undertaken until the freeze up in early December. Sqn. Ldr. B.D. Hobbs acted as an observer on December 2 and later piloted the aircraft, the first RCAF pilot to do so, and he took up J.A. Wilson, Secretary of the RCAF, as a passenger. The speed test of the aircraft was made on November 24 by Plenderleith, accompanied on that occasion by Fl. Lt. A.L. Johnson.
In the meantime the RCAF had lost interest in adopting the Wolseley Viper as a standard power plant and was turning towards adoption of a new radial air-cooled engine and in particular the Armstrong Siddeley Lynx which it had just started to operate. In the case of the Vedette there was concern about specifying a Lynx engine installation as there was no record of an air-cooled radial being operated satisfactorily as a pusher. Consequently, when the Wright Aeronautical Corporation offered a money-back guarantee of satisfactory performance of the J-4 Whirlwind engine when installed as a pusher, the offer was quickly accepted.
The Wright J-4 engine was fitted during the winter and the launching date, complete with an official ceremony, was set for May 9, 1925. There was some apprehension about meeting the date but in fact the machine was just completed and Hobbs made the initial test of the Wright-powered Vedette on the morning of May 9. The official ceremony was held that afternoon and the aircraft was flown by Hobbs before the Minister of National Defence, E.M. MacDonald, and his wife and other dignitaries.
The Vedette design was a conventional single-engine pusher biplane flying boat. The hull was constructed of cedar planking over laminated elm frames. The planking above the chine was of single thickness laid fore and aft and covered with two layers of linen. The bottom planking consisted of an inner layer laid at 45° and another layer laid fore and aft, with a layer of nainsook interposed between the two. The wings were of conventional wire-braced wood construction and the whole tail unit was made of steel tubing. The fuel system consisted of a header tank in the engine nacelle supplied by an engine-driven fuel pump from the main tank in the hull.
The prototype was immediately put into service by the RCAF to determine its suitability in operation. It worked out well and the Vedette was put into production in 1926 with only minor changes. During its life the Vedette was produced under the mark numbers, I, II, V, VA and VI . No contemporary listing detailing the differences between the various mark numbers has been found, and correspondence indicates that even RCAF Air Stations were not entirely clear as to what the differences were. Each version was produced with several optional engine types, and the differences consisted of small modifications not readily visible, with the exception of the Mk.VI in which a new and longer metal hull was installed. An amphibious version was produced of both the Mk.V and Mk.VA and no special designation was given to them. It has been stated that the Mk.VA was the amphibious version of the Mk.V but this is erroneous. The different Vedette versions were (with apparent changes from preceding version):
Mk.I. Prototype, flown November 4, 1924. Mk.II. Flown May 6, 1926. enlarged cockpit, modified flying controls *, vertical camera position added, tail plane adjusting gear altered and rudder balance area reduced. * It is believed that the flying controls were only altered after a failure on the Mk.II prototype G-CAFF
in the summer of 1926. During the Mk.II production the engine was tilted downward 3° to reduce
the trim change between engine-on and engine-off flight, but when this was done and whether it
was made retroactive is unknown. Mk.V. Flown July 11, 1928. Restressed to increased ICAN factors, steel-tube interplane struts after first two or three Mk.Vs. Mk.VA. Flown February 1930. Handley Page wing slots and other small modifications. Mk.VI. Flown May 8, 1930. Metal hull.
No record has been found of the two unproduced versions, the Mk.III and Mk.IV. However, on January 3, 1927, the RCAF requested Canadian Vickers to prepare a design for what was termed a 'Transportation Vedette'. This version was to have the pilot and two passengers in an enclosed cabin, with the pilot in the nose and the passengers seated side-by-side behind. Between the pilot and passengers was to be a space for luggage, and a glass partition was to separate the pilot from his passengers as in a chauffeur-driven limousine. It was intended that the last aircraft then on order, G-CYZK (CV 52), would be modified in this manner. The proposed design for this machine was submitted by Canadian Vickers and generally accepted on February 1 with minor modifications but this version was never produced. It is believed that this 'Transportation Vedette' may be the missing Vedette Mk.III.
The amphibious Vedette was developed specifically to meet the requirements of Chile and six were produced for export there. The amphibious landing gear installed was identical to that used on the Viking Mk.IV which had been made earlier by Canadian Vickers. It was a mechanically-operated manually-powered landing gear. The first amphibious Vedette, G-CAUU, was first flown at St. Hubert Airport on October 6, 1928, by C.S. (Jack) Caldwell. Six more amphibious Vedettes were later supplied to the RCAF, and one civil amphibian was made. It is believed that little use of Vedettes as amphibians was made in Canada and the landing gear was usually removed.
At least one of the RCAF Vedette amphibians was briefly used on skis. This was G-CYVP which was badly damaged on take off at St. Hubert on March 6, 1930. A bolt had sheared in both axles, allowing the skis to turn down and dig in which caused the back of the skis to penetrate both the lower wings and the hull. The aircraft was written off but the nose was preserved for instructional purposes and survives today at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum at Ottawa. No other record has been found of a Vedette operating on skis.
The final version of the Vedette was the metal-hulled Vedette Mk.VI in which the hull was lengthened to provide improved longitudinal stability, and an enclosure was provided for the pilot and co-pilot. The Lynx-powered Mk.VI prototype, G-CYWI, was first flown on May 8, 1930, by E.J. Cooper. The Lynx engine was quickly changed to a 300 hp Wright J-6 and in fact the Lynx engine is never referred to in any documents on the Mk.VI. In service with the RCAF, it was found that the cockpit enclosure restricted the field of view too much and the access doors were susceptible to damage so it was soon removed. It was then planned to modify the existing Vedettes in RCAF service by fitting them with the new metal hull. The modified machines were to be known as the Mk.VAM but in fact only one was modified before the budget restrictions of the depression years forced the abandoning of the modification program.
A further development of the Vedette was planned which was given a new type name. It was to be known as the Vassal and was to be similar to the Vedette Mk.VI. It was intended for use on customs patrol and for sale to eastern countries. It incorporated wings of Clark Y section, and the fuel tank was removed from the hull and placed within the upper wing. A 420 hp Pratt & Whitney Wasp C engine was to be installed but the Vassal was never built.
The Lynx engine powered the majority of the Vedettes because of the attempt by the RCAF to standardize on this engine. However, it was not popular with other customers who all specified Wright engines. The lower power of the Lynx reduced the aircraft's performance and in addition there was a problem with the Lynx exhaust valve seats. They were attacked by the leaded petrol in common use in North America and gave trouble in service. Canadian Vickers, who were the Canadian representatives for Armstrong Siddeley, attempted to have this defect corrected but Sir John Siddeley was reported to have refused to take any corrective action saying that anything the Wright engine could do the Lynx engine could do also. As a result of this Canadian Vickers gave up the Lynx agency.
Martin J. Berlyn, Reid's assistant designer, has reported that a Wasp engine was actually installed in the Vedette and that to accommodate the greater propeller diameter a trough was cut in the top of the hull of a machine. There is no record of this but it seems that it must have been done and would have been carried out during the later part of 1927, and very probably one of the derated Wasp engines supplied for the Canadian Vickers Velos would have been used for the experiment. One Vedette Mk.V, CF-OAB, which had been supplied to the Ontario Provincial Air Service in 1929, was returned to Canadian Vickers and had a 300 hp Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior engine fitted in 1933. The engine was installed in a cylindrical nacelle below the upper wing and presented quite a different appearance to that of any other Vedette engine installation. This was the only installation of a Wasp Junior engine in the Vedette.
In RCAF service the Vedettes were well liked and did their photographic and forest patrol duties in such a manner that they are remembered with affection by RCAF personnel. With the curtailment of funds for the RCAF in the depression, some Vedette Mk.IIs were transferred to the Manitoba Government for a dollar each in 1932 on the understanding that the crews hired to operate them would be ex-RCAF personnel. Shortly after this some other Mk.II Vedettes were transferred to the Saskatchewan Government under a similar arrangement. These Vedettes were used for forestry patrols in the two provinces. This hurt the business of local commercial operators and consequently the action of the Canadian Government in making what was in reality a gift of the aircraft to the provinces was not liked by the commercial operators.
Vedettes continued in R C A F service until the early days of WW II at which time they were serving as instructional machines at the Seaplane School at Vancouver. The last Vedette in service was operated by the Ontario Provincial Air Service and was retired at the end of the war.
The Vedettes bought by Canadian civil operators were far outnumbered by the RCAF machines but those that served in Quebec on forestry patrol seemed to be well liked. However, they were too small and lacked the capacity to do serious transport work in the northern areas. Western Canada Airways was persuaded to lease two Vedettes in 1928 for a trial on the west coast fishery patrol. In comparison with the Wasp-powered Boeing B-1E flying boats which were also being used on the patrol, WCA did not find the Vedettes satisfactory. One crashed in fog and the other was returned to Canadian Vickers after one season's use.
In 1927 a wealthy American, J.D. McKee, bought two Vedettes, G-CAGA and G-CAGB, with the intention of making an expedition into the Canadian Arctic together with his Douglas MO-2BS, now Wasp-powered. Unfortunately, on June 9, 1927, McKee was killed when making an alighting on glassy water in the Vedette G-CAGB at Lac La Peche in Quebec. The projected trip was then inevitably called off.
On 17 May, 1929, Caldwell was testing Vedette G-CYZF (CV 122), when on entering a spin he found he was unable to recover. He abandoned the machine by parachute and landed safely on an island in the St. Lawrence and became the first Canadian to save his life by parachute. An accident inquiry found that the machine was only carrying 45 lb (20 kg) of ballast in the front cockpit although a minimum of 150 lb (68 kg) was specified when the machine was flown light. Nevertheless, the RCAF was concerned about the possibility of spinning problems with the Vedette and as a result of this accident introduced Handley Page slots on the Mk.VA version that appeared shortly afterwards.
No complete Vedette survived, although salvaged parts are preserved at various locations. The Western Canada Aviation Museum at Winnipeg, Manitoba, has a replica since 2002, while the Western Development Museum at Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, is building a replica for completion in 2015.
First flown November 4, 1924. Delivered to RCAF, first noted July 17, 1925, crashed at Torrance, Ontario, August 1927.
Registered to Fairchild Aerial Surveys Company of Canada, May 8, 1926. Severely damaged at Round Lake, Ontario, August 3, 1927.
To RCAF, first noted August 20, 1926.
To RCAF, first noted September 10, 1926, last noted July 20, 1927.
To RCAF, first noted August 20, 1926. Registered to Government of Saskatchewan as CF-SAD on May 5, 1936, withdrawn from use May 5, 1937.
To RCAF, first noted August 3, 1926.
To RCAF, first noted March 24, 1927, crashed September 10, 1929, last noted November 16, 1929.
To RCAF, first noted March 15, 1927, last noted January 8, 1931.
To RCAF, first noted May 17, 1927. Registered to Government of Saskatchewan as CF-SAB on June 1, 1933, withdrawn from use May 28, 1937.
To RCAF, first noted August 26, 1927, damaged June 18, 1929, last noted September 5, 1929.
To RCAF, first noted September 17, 1927, reserialed 11 ca. 1928. Registered to Government of Saskatchewan as CF-SAB on June 1, 1933, withdrawn from use May 23, 1935.
Registered to Canadian Vickers May 17, 1927. Registered to RCAF as G-CYGA, August 2, 1927. Registered to Government of Saskatchewan as CF-SAE on September 27, 1934, lost May 27, 1936. In bad weather crew thrown from aircraft, pilot George James Clifford Upson becoming first person in Saskatchewan to save his life through the use of a parachute, firefighter Philip Clement was killed.
Registered to Canadian Vickers May 26, 1927, damaged beyond repair at Lac La Peche, Saskatchewan, June 9, 1927.
First Vedette delivered with strengthened front hull and wing carry through structure, later retrofitted to all surviving aircraft. To RCAF, first noted March, 1928, damaged July 17, 1930, last noted September 4, 1930.
To RCAF, first noted March 3, 1928, last noted May 23, 1929.
To RCAF, first noted March 18, 1928, struck off May 13, 1932. Registered to Manitoba Government Air Service as CF-MAB, June 2, 1932, withdrawn from use May 9, 1935.
To RCAF, first noted June 14, 1928, struck off May 13, 1932. Registered to Manitoba Government Air Service as CF-MAE, June 2, 1932, destroyed by engine fire at Cranberry Portage, Manitoba, July 28, 1932.
To RCAF, first noted June 14, 1928, last noted November 25, 1931.
Registered to Canadian Airways, June 12, 1928, later to International AW; A. Nihon of Montreal, Quebec; Ontario Provincial Air Service. Rebuilt with wings from CV 75 in 1932, again in 1941 with wings from CV 129.
Registered to International AW, June 12, 1928, later to Ltd.; A. Nihon of Montreal, Quebec. Scrapped in 1932, wings used to rebuilt CV 74.
To RCAF, first noted June 16, 1928, struck off May 13, 1932. Registered to Manitoba Government Air Service as CF-MAC, June 2, 1932, withdrawn from use May 23, 1935.
To RCAF, first noted June 16, 1928, struck off May 13, 1932. Registered to Manitoba Government Air Service as CF-MAD, June 2, 1932, withdrawn from use May 13, 1935.
Registered to Canadian Vickers, August 11, 1928, crashed near Porcher Island, British Columbia, August 15, 1928.
Amphibian version. Registered to Canadian Vickers. To Chilean Navy, September 1928.
Registered to Canadian Vickers, September 14, 1928 and leased to Western Canada Airways, withdrawn from use September 14, 1929. Registered to Manitoba Government Air Service as CF-MAF on May 14, 1935, withdrawn from use April 16, 1937.
Amphibian version. Registered to Canadian Vickers. To Chilean Navy, October 1928.
Amphibian version. Registered to Canadian Vickers. To Chilean Navy, October 1928.
Registered to Canadian Vickers. To RCAF, first noted January 17, 1929, reserialed 108 early 1930s, last noted September 7, 1935.
Registered to Canadian Vickers. To RCAF, first noted January 5, 1929, reserialed 109 early 1930s, last noted June 14, 1933.
Registered to Canadian Vickers. To RCAF, first noted January 10, 1929, reserialed 110 early 1930s, last noted September 17, 1934.
Amphibian version. To Chilean Navy, serialed 92.
Amphibian version. To Chilean Navy, serialed 98.
Amphibian version. To Chilean Navy, serialed 99.
Crashed before delivery, May 17, 1929. Replaced by CV 149.
To RCAF, first noted June 12, 1929, reserialed 816 early 1930s. Damaged and rebuilt with metal fuselage as Mk.VAM, new c/n CV 170, November 26, 1936.
To RCAF, first noted July 12, 1929, reserialed 806 early 1930s. Crashed at Trenton on 29 October 1936, Struck off January 18, 1937.
First RCAF Vedette with wing slots, first noted July 9, 1929. Registered to Government of Saskatchewan as CF-SAC on August 19, 1933, withdrawn from use May 21, 1936.
To RCAF, first noted June 19, 1929, reserialed 807 early 1930s, last noted January 15, 1940.
To RCAF, first noted June 15, 1929, destroyed by storm while moored in Manitoba, last noted October 21, 1929.
To RCAF, first noted August 27, 1929, reserialed 805 early 1930s, last noted January 15, 1940.
Registered to Ontario Provincial Air Service August 7, 1929. Re-engined with Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior, 1933. Damaged at East Bay on Lake Nipigon, Ontario, August 30, 1940, further damage on landing at Orient Bay, Lake Nipigon, wings used to rebuild CV 74 in 1941.
To RCAF, first noted July 29, 1929, reserialed 803 early 1930s, last noted December 27, 1935.
To RCAF, first noted February 4, 1930. Subsequently used for ski trials, registered as CF-AIR. Badly damaged when ski fitting failed during take off at St. Hubert, Province of Quebec, March 6, 1930, last noted December 29, 1930. Nose section now at Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Ottawa, Ontario.
Amphibian version. Built in 1929, aircraft was stored, registration CF-AIS not taken up. Registered to Manitoba Government Air Service as CF-MAG, July 21, 1934. After engine failure on September 7, 1937, aircraft landed in swamp, too small to allow take off, subsequently it was cannibalized and burned.
Registered to Canadian Vickers August 21, 1929, withdrawn from use August 20, 1930.
Replaced CV 122. To RCAF, first noted August 8, 1929. Registered to Manitoba Government Air Service as CF-MAA, June 2, 1932. Withdrawn from use April 15, 1937.
Amphibian version. Built in 1929, aircraft was stored, registration CF-AIU not taken up. To RCAF as G-CYWS, first noted November 6, 1929, last noted October 18, 1935.
Amphibian version, built for RCAF. A few days after first flight, while on another test flight (between October 25 and November 4, 1929) and temporarily registered CF-AIV, aircraft crashed in suburb of Montreal, Quebec. F/O P.G. Stanley and F/O J. McLaughlan killed. RCAF registration G-CYWR not taken up.
Amphibian version. To RCAF, first noted January 20, 1930. Crashed in British Columbia June 17, 1930, written off August 26, 1930.
Amphibian version. To RCAF, first noted January 31, 1930, last noted July 23, 1935.
Amphibian version. To RCAF, first noted February 4, 1930, crashed at Vancouver, British Columbia March 2, 1931, written off June 16, 1931.
To RCAF, first noted May 8, 1930, reserialed 184 early 1930s. Crashed in a lake near Brighton, Ontario, September 23, 1937. Hull fragments salvaged 1977 and now at Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Ottawa.
To RCAF, first noted May 8, 1930, reserialed 813 early 1930s, last noted April 3, 1940.
To RCAF, first noted May 8, 1930, reserialed 812 early 1930s, last noted January 11, 1941.
To RCAF, first noted May 8, 1930, reserialed 811 early 1930s, last noted November 17, 1937.
To RCAF, first noted May 8, 1930, reserialed 810 early 1930s, last noted January 15, 1940.
To RCAF, first noted May 8, 1930, reserialed 809 early 1930s, last noted January 29, 1941.
To RCAF, first noted May 1, 1930, crashed at Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba, May 18, 1933, written off August 8, 1933.
To RCAF, first noted May 5, 1930, reserialed 808 early 1930s, last noted January 15, 1940.
Sole Mk.VI, metal hull, enclosed cockpit, first flown May 8, 1930. To RCAF on May 13, 1930, cockpit enclosure soon removed, reserialed 817 early 1930s, last noted January 11, 1941.
Damaged CV 123 rebuilt with a Mk.VI metal hull, November 26, 1936. Resulting machine redesignated Mk.VAM (not included in total of sixty Vedettes made), last RCAF noted May 26, 1941.
**** Aircraft of the Canadian Air Force (formed in 1918), renamed Royal Canadian Air Force in 1924, had initially a 'civil' registration, all starting with 'G-CY', followed by
**** two characters that were shown on the fuselage.
**** Serials were allotted from the late 1920s on, most registrations were replaced by serials during the early 1930s.
**** 'First noted' and 'last noted' preceding a date indicate the date of entry in the records, not necessarily the actual date of the recorded event.
Specifications
Power plant:
Span upper:
Span lower:
Length:
Height:
Wing area:
Empty:
Loaded:
Max speed:
Cruise speed:
Climb:
Ceiling:
Mk.I
200 hp R-R Falcon III
200 hp Wolseley Viper
200 hp Wright J-4
185 hp A.S. Lynx IVB
42 ft 0 in (12.80 m)
42 ft 0 in (12.80 m)
32 ft 10 in (10.00 m)
11 ft 9 in (3.58 m) *** & **
11 ft 0.25 in (3.36 m) ø
495.6 sq.ft (46.04 sq.m)
2,140 lb (971.6 kg) **
1,908 lb (866.2 kg) ø
3,155 lb (1,432 kg)
95 mph (152.8 kmh) ***
98 mph (157.7 kmh) **
87 mph (140 kmh) ø
650 ft (198 m)/min * & **
13,000 ft (3,962 m) ** & ø
Mk.II
200 hp Wright J-4
220 hp Wright J-5
185 hp A.S. Lynx IVB
42 ft 0 in (12.80 m)
42 ft 0 in (12.80 m)
32 ft 10 in (10.00 m)
11 ft 0.25 in (3.36 m)
495.6 sq.ft (46.04 sq.m)
1,942 lb (881.7 kg)
3,200 lb (1,453 kg) †
92 mph (148 kmh) øø
-
-
13,000 ft (3,962 m) øø
Mk.V
185 hp A.S. Lynx IVB
220 hp Wright J-5
300 hp Wright J-6
42 ft 2.75 in (12.86 m)
42 ft 0 in (12.80 m)
32 ft 10 in (10.00 m)
11 ft 0.25 in (3.36 m)
495.6 sq.ft (46.04 sq.m)
2,500 lb (1,135 kg)
3,800 lb (1,725 kg) ††
92 mph (148 kmh) øø
108 mph (170.5 kmh) øøø
76 mph (122.3 kmh) øø
94 mph (151.2 kmh) øøø
450 ft (137 m)/min øøø
9,000 ft (2,743 m) *
13,000 ft (3,962 m) øøø
Mk.V amphibian
300 hp Wright J-6
42 ft 2.75 in (12.86 m)
42 ft 0 in (12.80 m)
32 ft 10 in (10.00 m)
12 ft 6 in (3.81 m)
495.6 sq.ft (46.04 sq.m)
2,650 lb (1,203 kg)
4,000 lb (1,816 kg)
105 mph (168.9 kmh)
92 mph (148 kmh)
430 ft (131 m)/min
12,000 ft (3,657 m)
Mk.VI
300 hp Wright J-6
42 ft 2.75 in (12.86 m)
42 ft 0 in (12.80 m)
35 ft 2.125 in (10.72 m)
11 ft 3 in (3.43 m)
495.6 sq.ft (46.04 sq.m)
2,722 lb (1,235.8 kg)
4,000 lb (1,816 kg)
111 mph (178.6 kmh)
85 mph (136.8 kmh)
680 ft (207 m)/min
12,600 ft (3,840 m)
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
**
***
ø
øø
øøø
†
††
Armstrong Siddeley Lynx IVB version
Wolseley Viper version
Rolls-Royce Falcon III version
Wright J-4 version
Wright J-5 version
Wright J-6 version
later increased to 3,575 lb (1,623 kg)
later increased to 4,000 lb (1,816 kg)