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The Canadian Vickers Vigil was a single-seat patrol aircraft designed to meet a
Royal Canadian Air Force
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...
requirement for a forest fire patrol aircraft.
Design and development
In 1926, the RCAF issued specifications for an aircraft to replace theAirco DH.4
The Aircraft Manufacturing Company Limited (Airco) was an early British aircraft manufacturer. Established during 1912, it grew rapidly during the First World War, referring to itself as the largest aircraft company in the world by 1918.
Air ...
aircraft used at the time. Canadian Vickers designed the Vigil which had steel-structured wings with aluminum skin throughout, and was a strut-braced sesquiplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a ...
. The aircraft was overweight, which impacted the aircraft service ceiling and performance, which in turn made it unsuitable for its role. Only one was ever built.
Operational history
Unfit for its intended role, the aircraft was sent to Rockcliffe Air Station inOttawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
, Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
. It was used by pilots stationed there for proficiency flying. The aircraft was used for airmail deliveries to Maritime Canada
The Maritimes, also called the Maritime provinces, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The Maritimes had a population of 1,899,324 in 2021, which makes up 5.1% of Ca ...
between January 1929 until February 1929. About a year later, the need for repair and overhaul became necessary and after assessment it was determined this was not cost effective, so the aircraft was scrapped.
Specifications
References
External links
{{Aircraft manufactured in Canada 1920s Canadian patrol aircraftVigil
A vigil, from the Latin ''vigilia'' meaning ''wakefulness'' (Greek: ''pannychis'', or ''agrypnia'' ), is a period of purposeful sleeplessness, an occasion for devotional watching, or an observance. The Italian word ''vigilia'' has become genera ...
Sesquiplanes
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1928