AIR TEST ON VICKERS VALETTA – 1950
"Not A Journey For The Faint-Hearted!"
As Remembered By 4025440 Dave Bridger
Base 3 Inspection:
Two of us from the Servicing Team were detailed to go on an air test with pilot, P2 Garasmus (S.A.)
After the ground checks had been carried out we took off and at approximately 9000 ft the pilot feathered the port engine to do the usual manoeuvres on one engine – all ok? Well for some reason he feathered the starboard engine before restarting the port engine!!!
The Valetta had the gliding ability of a house brick and the aircraft fell away with every- thing shaking – stall warning alarm!! The desert was coming up fast!!
The Rotol Constant Speed Unit took 90 seconds to put the props back on restart and we landed back at Kabrit on our wheels!!
The Vickers Valetta - affectingly known as "the pig"
The Valetta C.1 was the standard RAF version for use by Airborne Forces; with various roles such as troop-carrying, freighting, paratroop-carrying, supply-dropping and as an ambulance. – 211 built.
The C.2 was a special VIP version for 9 to 15 passengers – 11 built.
The T.3 was designed specifically for the use as a navigational flying classroom – 40 built T.4 converted from T.3 with radar fitted in nose.
Power was provided by two 1,472kW Bristol Hercules 230 radial engines.
Door on port side only. It had a strengthened cabin floor and a sizeable pair of reinforced double-doors on the side of the fuselage for loading and unloading cargoes, and a reinforced undercarriage
The interior floor could support 1,500lb being exerted upon any single focused point; and was lined with anchoring points to secure cargoes to. Many of the interior furnishings were designed to be quickly-removable, enabling the aircraft to quickly be converted between roles; these included multiple styles of seating, a loading winch, vehicle ramps, floor rollers, glider-towing apparatus, additional fuel tanks, and side-wall soundproofing.
As a troop transport, up to 34 fully-equipped soldiers could be carried, while up to 20 stretcher-bound personnel, along with two medical attendants, could be transported in the air ambulance layout; the paratroop configuration accommodated as maximum of 20 para-troopers along with nine 350 lb air-droppable supply containers.