Vickers Vespa

Vespa
The Vickers Vespa VII which reached a world altitude record
Role	Army Cooperation Aircraft
Manufacturer	Vickers Limited
First flight	1925
Introduction	1928
Retired	1940
Primary users	Bolivia Irish Air Corps
Number built	15

The Vickers Vespa was a British army cooperation biplane designed and built by Vickers Limited in the 1920s. While not adopted by Britain's Royal Air Force, small numbers were bought by the Irish Free State and Bolivia, the latter of which used the type during the Chaco War. One modified Vespa was used to set a world altitude record of 43,976 ft (13,407 m) in September 1932.

The Vespa was designed by Vickers as a private venture to meet the requirements of Air Ministry Specification 30/24, the first prototype, the Vespa I being flown in September 1925. The Vespa, which was a single-engine biplane with a slim fuselage suspended between closely spaced and highly staggered two-bay wooden wings, was delivered for evaluation by the Royal Air Force, but crash landed owing to engine trouble on 24 June 1926 and was badly damaged. It was then rebuilt with steel, fabric-covered wings as the Vespa II, but this was unsuccessful in getting orders from the RAF.

It did, however, attract attention from Bolivia, which ordered six Vespa IIIs, an improved all metal version, in 1928, and the Irish Free State, which ordered four Vespa IVs in 1929 and a further four Vespa Vs in 1930.

The prototype Vespa was modified as the Vespa VI for demonstration to the Central Chinese government, but was not purchased, so was returned to Britain. It was rebuilt as the Vespa VII, with a supercharged Bristol Pegasus S engine for an attempt on the world altitude record, setting a record of 43,976 ft (13,407 m) on 16 September 1932.

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