Vickers Vedette flying boat

[Dusty]

Hi list, been meaning to post some of this on our Vickers Vidette replica built for the Western Development Museum by our Vintage Aircraft Restorers group. The WDM head office in Saskatoon commissioned our VAR group to build same basically from scratch meaning very few detailed drawings and parts. So here starts my story, the Vickers Vedette was designed in Montreal at the Vickers Marine plant which later burnt down and this is the reason few of the original drawings didn't survive.



Our restorers group started this project early in 2007 with a budget of $30,000.00. We began with 10 elderly men from many professions ie: retired farmers to former RCAF aircraft technicians (pick me). Took us 10 years to complete as mentioned most everything was from hand made components with much thought and numerous prototypes all from scratch. Manhours: over the 10 years 23,535 hours. Final cost: $18,232.00. Under budget by: $11,768.00. Men starting the project: 10. Men finishing the project: 4 (all over 75 years of age). Biggest issue as I recall was keeping the hull keel straight, the rest became mostly trial and error. Picture of our group carefully setting the crucifix with engine attached onto the fuselage hard spots with our fork lift. I'm bent over beside the fork lift eye balling the distance of travel. Our Vickers Vedette replica was dedicated to the Western Development Museum Moose Jaw February 3rd 2017 and walks in our mayor to cut the ribbon. Need I mention the mayor is our grandson-in-law.

 

[Brent H]

WOW!!!!!

Bill that machine is a work of art!!! Wonderfully done !!! So cool looking and sleek!! BRAVO!!!

 

[CalgaryPT]

Spectacular. That's is something to be proud of. And for the record, it probably could ONLY be built be guys over 75 yrs. No one else has the patience it takes.

 

[DavidR8]

That is spectacularly awesome @Dusty!
Well done doesn’t even begin to describe it!
It’s really amazing that you could recreate one with only a few drawings.
Hats off to you and the team!

 

[PeterT]

Very cool, Bill.
I was curious about the powerplant in that aircraft. Not that this source is authoritative, but looks like it had a few flavors depending on the era & application. What is in the replica?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Vickers_Vedette

ps when I was a teenager I volunteer worked on the Sopwith triplane to factory plans when the shop was located in basement of Centennial planetarium. The project lead, Stan Green, sadly passed away around that time. It was about 80% framed & had a brand new engine in storage, salvaged from a barn. The plane sat in the bones for a few years & then ultimately relocated to current museum. It got covered but will never fly even though entirely airworthy. Maybe just as well, but I have mixed feelings.
https://www.thehangarmuseum.ca/exhibits/sopwith-triplane

 

[Dusty]

As mentioned earlier the Vickers Vedette all 26 of them was built in Montreal between 1926 -1935 for the Canadian government basically for maritime patrol after WW1 and forest fire surveillance. When the air force decided they were through flying same they were handed over to aerial mapping department of Canada who flew them across northern Canada photo mapping from the front of the aircraft. These photo maps are still used today. After the mapping section was finished with them what was left were sold to the Provinces as fire patrol observation platforms. Province of Saskatchewan bought five of these aircraft for $1.00, that's where our replica aircraft call letters CF-SAE story becomes interesting. One summer while CF-SAE was flying out of Sandy Bay in northern Saskatchewan she flipped over on her back by strong winds. The pilot told the engineer sitting beside him to bail out which he did followed by the pilot. For whatever reason the engineer's parachute didn't open, the bird crashed starting a forest fire with the pilot surviving. I'm told the pilots grandson resides somewhere in Alberta. That's me stand in front of the nose section with the glasses and former members of the group.

 

[Dusty]

Very cool, Bill.
I was curious about the powerplant in that aircraft. Not that this source is authoritative, but looks like it had a few flavors depending on the era & application. What is in the replica?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Vickers_Vedette

ps when I was a teenager I volunteer worked on the Sopwith triplane to factory plans when the shop was located in basement of Centennial planetarium. The project lead, Stan Green, sadly passed away around that time. It was about 80% framed & had a brand new engine in storage, salvaged from a barn. The plane sat in the bones for a few years & then ultimately relocated to current museum. It got covered but will never fly even though entirely airworthy. Maybe just as well, but I have mixed feelings.
https://www.thehangarmuseum.ca/exhibits/sopwith-triplane

Our engine was a variant used as a replacement in later Vedette's an Armstrong Siddeley Lynx which I believe was recovered from a river somewhere in northern Saskatchewan. Because I was designated the engine guy which was a huge mess it required being brought up to museum standards meaning all cylinders completely drained of oils and fuel, plus the fuel pump, fuel lines and carburetor basically due to insurance and fire marshal. I had a hell of a time doing that without any BSF/BSW wrenches. Exhaust pipes were made by a local muffler shop. Basically everything was touch and go right from the beginning meaning measure, remeasure then let someone else double check ones numbers.

 

[Dusty]

That is spectacularly awesome @Dusty!
Well done doesn’t even begin to describe it!
It’s really amazing that you could recreate one with only a few drawings.
Hats off to you and the team!

For me it became highly meaningful with our grandson-in-law, mayor of Moose Jaw cutting the ribbon.

 

[Dusty]

The bare bones frame was assembled and disassemble several times to ensure everything was correct also to measure the stainless steel cables for all controls plus upper and lower wing structures. You can see our build hangar in behind the assembled bare bones frame because the Vidette is much too big for same. Became a nightmare for us at times. original Vedette's were covered with linin then doped over with paint. Our replica is covered with modern day Ceconite a material which is used on home built aircraft of today.

SNR on the front nose of our Vedette stands for Saskatchewan Natural Resources who were tasked with flying them.

 

[Dusty]

For whatever reason I cannot get the only picture of a drawing to load. Any way here's the mostly cedar wood fuselage hanging on the gantry I designed and built. Had a professional welder do the welding and yes it will lift much more than a ton.

 

[Dusty]

Spectacular! That's is something to be proud of. And for the record, it probably could ONLY be built be guys over 75 yrs. No one else has the patience it takes.

Your comments are well taken and much appreciated. Makes me chuckle some, we had a couple of young bucks in their early twenties sent over by the museum manager drop in asking if they could help with building the Vedette. Then they asked how much we paid where they were politely told it was strictly volunteer work without pay. So they left..... Good by! LOL

 

[PeterT]

Our engine was a variant used as a replacement in later Vedette's an Armstrong Siddeley Lynx ....

Wow, quite the story. Well, its in a better home now. Was the engine run up or the prize was just getting it back together again?

One of the model engine builders from UK forum scratch built a 1/3 scale model of one of its cousins.
https://essmee.org.uk/pre2018/?p=782

 

[John Conroy]

Quite an accomplishment Bill, thanks for sharing. Next time I'm in MJ I'll try to get a look at it.

 

[Hacker]

Hi list, been meaning to post some of this on our Vickers Vidette replica built for the Western Development Museum by our Vintage Aircraft Restorers group. The WDM head office in Saskatoon commissioned our VAR group to build same basically from scratch meaning very few detailed drawings and parts. So here starts my story, the Vickers Vedette was designed in Montreal at the Vickers Marine plant which later burnt down and this is the reason few of the original drawings didn't survive.

View attachment 12874

Our restorers group started this project early in 2007 with a budget of $30,000.00. We began with 10 elderly men from many professions ie: retired farmers to former RCAF aircraft technicians (pick me). Took us 10 years to complete as mentioned most everything was from hand made components with much thought and numerous prototypes all from scratch. Manhours: over the 10 years 23,535 hours. Final cost: $18,232.00. Under budget by: $11,768.00. Men starting the project: 10. Men finishing the project: 4 (all over 75 years of age). Biggest issue as I recall was keeping the hull keel straight, the rest became mostly trial and error. Picture of our group carefully setting the crucifix with engine attached onto the fuselage hard spots with our fork lift. I'm bent over beside the fork lift eye balling the distance of travel. Our Vickers Vedette replica was dedicated to the Western Development Museum Moose Jaw February 3rd 2017 and walks in our mayor to cut the ribbon. Need I mention the mayor is our grandson-in-law.

What a wonderful legacy. It is beautiful!!

 

[Dusty]

Additional photos for the Vickers Vedette enthusiast. Our Vedette fuselage at different stages of construction and yes it is covered in cedar strips like the original before being covered with the Ceconite material. Once the Ceconite was glued on and dried it was heat treated sometime with a hand iron or hand held heat blower (like those used to remove paint) which tighten the skin like a drum.

 

[Dusty]

Photo copy of an original Vickers Vedette blue print, believe we only had but three drawings although they offered us much detail. The engine was kept to its original patina after cleaning and ready for installation. Note the exhaust pipes made by a local muffler shop with the engine sitting beside our Anson bomber (trainer). A Sandy Bay Vedette in the far north sitting at rest close by Island Fall dam which is somewhat north east of La Ronge. Besides forestry patrol Vedette's were also used to transport RCMP in the far north. From the last photo (lower rear) you can see the rudder with our build hanger in the background. Flying controls are very much functional although they have internal locks for safety. Museum exhibits are basically roped with warning signs to keep out and hands off. One summer afternoon I arrived at the museum to do some shop work and found two museum guests (Chinese ladies) sitting on the wing of the Vedette having their picture taken. When ask to step down they pretended not to understand even after my pointing to our warning signs.

 

[Dusty]

Photo of our Anson and Harvard and the nose section of an Airspeed Oxford sitting in the museum lobby allowing children time to practice their hangar flying skills. LOL

Visit our WDM here in Moose Jaw should you be passing by, lots to offer and you won't be disappointed.

https://wdm.ca/moose-jaw/

 

[Dusty]

Wow, quite the story. Well, its in a better home now. Was the engine run up or the prize was just getting it back together again?

One of the model engine builders from UK forum scratch built a 1/3 scale model of one of its cousins.
https://essmee.org.uk/pre2018/?p=782

The engine never ran after being recovered from its watery grave from somewhere up north. Fact being Peter we're looking for a test pilot with water skills, interested? LOL

 

[Dusty]

What a wonderful legacy. It is beautiful!!

Thank you much appreciated, that's what happens when aircraft get into your blood.

 

[Rotaxxx]

Very neat, next time I am near the Museum I will have to stop in to look at it with the kids. There is also a old blue Bombadier in that museum that my dad had the pleasure of driving for work before it was put in the museum. He always wondered what happened to it, then about 18 years ago we went to the museum for a family outing and sure enough he was re-united with it.