What british airplane is this

[gwc656g]

was watching a wartime RAF film on dvd and have never seen this plane nor could i find it anywhere. what is it? am trying to attach photo but not sure it is working so it is in my album.

http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/members/gwc656g/albums/what/171863-what.JPG

 

[buffnut453]

Vickers Wellesley

 

[GrauGeist]

Looks like a Vickers Wellesley

 

[FinishForty]

I guess the pilot could see to his right or left and straight up. Ah- now I see the cockpit forward.

 

[Catch22]

That's an...interesting looking aircraft.

 

[gwc656g]

thanks guys, I knew somebody would recognize it. a couple minutes of flight shots in the dvd. thanks again.

 

[vikingBerserker]

...and welcome aboard gwc.

 

[Wayne Little]

Did Terry fly in one of those....

 

[evangilder]

That's an...interesting looking aircraft.

Is that your way of saying that it is fugly? It's quite an unattractive hunk of metal.

 

[Catch22]

Is that your way of saying that it is fugly? It's quite an unattractive hunk of metal.

Pretty much.

 

[Airframes]

I heard that Wayne !

 

[buffnut453]

Is that your way of saying that it is fugly? It's quite an unattractive hunk of metal.

Actually less a "hunk of metal" than a collection of meccano bits with fabric over the top. The Wellesley was the first aircraft to use Barnes Wallis' geodetic construction later put to such good use on the Wellington. The Wellesley first entered service in 1937 and for a time held the long-distance record for flight. From Wikipedia (for what that's worth):

On 5 November 1938, three [Wellesleys] under command of S/L R. Kellett flew non-stop for two days from Ismailia, Egypt to Darwin, Australia (7,162 mi/11,525 km) setting a world distance record. All three aircraft succeeded in breaking the existing record, but No. 2 aircraft landed in West Timor, 500 mi (800 km) short of the final objective. The Wellesley's record remained unbroken until November 1945. To this day, though, this flight remains the longest by a single engined aircraft.

 

[vikingBerserker]

I think she's a beauty. Of course I also think the A-10 is a thing abeauty too

 

[Gnomey]

She is not a good looker in my opinion but then the interwar period wasn't renowned for good looking aircraft...