Vickers Venture
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2017}}
{{Infobox aircraft
|name = Venture
|image = Vickers Venture.jpg
|caption =
|type = Reconnaissance aircraft
|manufacturer = Vickers
|designer =
|first_flight = 3 June 1924
|introduction =
|retired =
|status =
|primary_user = Royal Air Force
|more_users =
|produced =
|number_built = 6
|unit cost =
|developed_from = Vickers Vixen
|variants =
}}
The Vickers Type 94 Venture was a British army cooperation biplane of the 1920s, designed and built by Vickers, as a development of the Vixen. While six were built for the Royal Air Force, they were found unsuitable and were used for experimental work.
Development and design
The Venture was a further development of the Vixen II to meet the requirements of Air Ministry Specification 45/23, six aircraft being ordered. The Venture, like the Vixen which formed its basis, was a single-bay biplane with a steel tube fuselage and wooden wings. It used the wings of the Vixen II with the lengthened fuselage of the Vixen III. The first Venture flew at the Vickers factory at Brooklands on 3 June 1924,{{harvnb|Andrews|Morgan|1988|pp=178–179}} being sent to the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment at Martlesham for evaluation. While demonstrating what was said to be "docile" handling,{{harvnb|Andrews|Morgan|1988|p=179}} further testing showed that the aircraft had poor longitudinal stability, had a long landing run and was considered too large for use in army cooperation, where it would be expected to operate out of small airstrips.{{harvnb|Mason|1994|pp=154–155}} While it underwent brief service trials with No. 4 Squadron, the six Ventures were relegated to experimental purposes, the final aircraft being struck off charge in January 1933.
Operators
;{{UK}}
Specifications (Venture)
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=The British Bomber since 1914{{harvnb|Mason|1994|p=154}}
|prime units?=imp
|genhide=
|crew=2
|capacity=
|length m=
|length ft=32
|length in=0
|span m=
|span ft=40
|span in=0
|height m=
|height ft=13
|height in=3
|wing area sqm=
|wing area sqft=526
|wing area note=
|aspect ratio=
|airfoil=
|empty weight kg=
|empty weight lb=3140
|empty weight note=
|gross weight kg=
|gross weight lb=4890
|gross weight note=
|fuel capacity=
|more general=
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=Napier Lion I
|eng1 type=12-cylinder water-cooled broad arrow engine
|eng1 kw=
|eng1 hp=450
|prop blade number=
|prop name=
|prop dia m=
|prop dia ft=
|prop dia in=
|prop note=
|perfhide=
|max speed kmh=
|max speed mph=129
|max speed kts=
|max speed note=at {{convert|10000|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|cruise speed kmh=
|cruise speed mph=
|cruise speed kts=
|never exceed speed kmh=
|never exceed speed mph=
|never exceed speed kts=
|range km=
|range miles=
|range nmi=
|combat range km=
|combat range miles=
|combat range nmi=
|endurance=
|ceiling m=
|ceiling ft=19200
|g limits=
|roll rate=
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate ftmin=
|lift to drag=
|wing loading kg/m2=
|wing loading lb/sqft=
|wing loading note=
|more performance=
|guns=
- 2 × forward-firing .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine guns
- 1 × .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis Gun on Scarff ring in observers cockpit
|bombs= 4× {{convert|112|lb|kg|abbr=on}} bombs on underwing racks
|avionics=
}}
See also
{{aircontent
|related=
|similar aircraft=
|lists=
|see also=
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References
{{commons category|Vickers Venture}}
{{Reflist}}
- {{cite book |last1= Andrews|first1=E. N. |last2=Morgan |first2=E. B. |title= Vickers Aircraft Since 1908 |edition= Second |year= 1988 |publisher= Putnam |location= London |isbn=0-85177-815-1 }}
- {{Cite book |last=Mason |first= Francis K. |title=The British Bomber since 1914 |publisher=Putnam Aeronautical Books |location= London |year=1994 |isbn= 0-85177-861-5 }}
{{Vickers aircraft}}
Category:1920s British military reconnaissance aircraft
Category:Single-engined tractor aircraft