Vickers Varsity

The Vickers Varsity was a British twin-engined crew trainer operated by the Royal Air Force from 1951 to 1976. Vickers developed it from the Viking and the Valetta to Air Ministry Specification T.13/48, to replace the Wellington T10 and the Valetta T3 and T4 trainers. Its changes from the Valetta were wider-span wings, a longer fuselage and a tricycle undercarriage, plus a ventral pannier in which a trainee bomb aimer could lie prone and a bomb bay for smoke and flash bombs. The first prototype, the Type 668, flew from Wisley on 17 July 1949. The first production aircraft reached No. 201 Advanced Flying School at RAF Swinderby in 1951 to train pilots on multi-engined aircraft, and the type also equipped air navigator schools and the Bomber Command Bombing School, which trained V-bomber crews. Sweden flew a single Varsity from 1953 to 1973. A civil VC.3 version was dropped, and the RAF withdrew the Varsity in May 1976.