Vickers Wellesley

When Specification G.4/31 was issued Vickers took the unusual route of building both a bi-plane, which the specification called for, and a monoplane, the Wellesley, version to the specification requirements. The bi-plane version flew on the 16th August 1934 followed ten months later by the monoplane version on the 19th June 1935 and as a result an order for 96 Wellesleys was placed.

Produced to a new Specification 22/35 the first production version flew from Brooklands on the 30th January 1937 before the Royal Air Force received the type on the 18th March 1937 so the Aircraft and Armament Experimental Establishment based at Martlesham Heath could conduct it's customary trials on the new aircraft. The second production plane was to undergo service trials with No. 76 Squadron based at Finningley who would go on to be the first squadron re-equipped with the Wellesley. The Mk I featured a distinctive double canopy and by the time the Mk II was produced this had been changed into one long canopy, the armament of the Wellesley consisted of up to 1,000lb bombs or two 250lb depth charges.

Serving in both the United Kingdom and aboard by the time the Second World War began Wellesleys serving in Bomber Command had been replaced by a number of aircraft including the Vickers Wellington, although some would remain in operational use overseas until 1944 by which time they had also been replaced. The Wellesley operated in a number of roles including anti-submarine and reconnaissance.

The Wellesley did, however, have one major achievement when during 1938 in just over 48 hours it recorded a flight of 7,162 miles and this was a world long distance record, and with a total of 176 built the Wellesley may not have played a major role in the air war of World War 2 but it would be the aircraft that would introduce Barnes Wallis geodetic construction method enabling a plane to be strong but without the associated weight.