Valmet Vihuri

Infobox Aircraft
name=Valmet Vihuri


caption=
type=Trainer
manufacturer=Valmet
designer=
first flight= February 6 1951
introduced=
retired=1959
status=
primary user=Finnish Air Force
more users=
produced=
number built=51
program cost=
unit cost=
developed from=
variants with their own articles=

Valmet Vihuri (Finnish for "Gale") was a Finnish advanced two-seat fighter trainer aircraft, serving in the Finnish Air Force between 1953 and 1959.

History

In spite of their economical problems, the aircraft manufacturer Valmet began designing a new aircraft in the beginning of the 1950s, to replace the aging FAF VL Pyrys. Martti Vainio was the chief designer of the project. Most of the planning was made by the aeronautic engineers L. Hämäläinen and T. Mäntysalo in 1948–49. The Bristol "Mercury" was chosen as the engine, since there were no other alternatives. The Mercury was license made in Finland for the Bristol Blenheim bomber. The prototype (VH-1) made its first flight on February 6 1951 in Tampere, piloted by captain Esko Halme. After the successful test flights, the FAF ordered 30 aircraft of the production series, called Valmet Vihuri II on February 27 1951. In the autumn of 1954, the air force ordered a further 20 aircraft of the developed version Valmet Vihuri III. All the aircraft of the third version were handed over to the air force on January 15 1957.

Valmet built 51 Vihuri's in three different series (I-III) in Kuorevesi and Tampere. The aircraft had the registration codes VH-1 – VH-51.

Operational use

The aircraft became the most used aircraft in FAF service by the mid-1950s. The aircraft was subject to many accidents and the press raised a lot of noise about these. The safety of the Vihuri even became a matter for the government. In May 1959, the aircraft was permanently grounded after the death of the Finnish prime minister's son in the aircraft type. Attempts were made to sell the aircraft to Tunisia without success.

After the inspection it became apparent that the type and its design was sound; most of the accidents were due to pilots' often grave flight regulations violations, and the fact all airframes were well worn by the end of the fifties. The planes were sold to scrap to Moser OY. One airframe, VH-18, survives in Central Finland Aviation Museum, and fore fuselage of another, VH-25, is being restored. The canopies of the scrapped aircraft remain today as the roof windows of the Kuusakoski metal recycling plant in Espoo.

pecifications (Valmet Vihuri III)

aircraft specification

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
ref=
crew=Two
length main=8.85 m
length alt=29 ft 0 in
span main=10.4 m
span alt=34 ft 1 in
height main=3.66 m
height alt=12 ft 0 in
area main=18.86 m²
area alt=203 sq ft
empty weight main=2,174 kg
empty weight alt=4,793 lbs
loaded weight main=
loaded weight alt=
max takeoff weight main=2,704 kg
max takeoff weight alt=5,961 lbs
engine (prop)=Bristol Mercury VIII 9-cyl. air-cooled radial
type of prop=9-cyl.
number of props=1
power main=626 kW
power alt=840 hp
power original=
max speed main=444 km/h
max speed alt=276 mph
at sea level=
at 4000 metres=
at 8000 metres=
max speed more=
cruise speed main=
cruise speed alt=
cruise speed more=
range main=665 km
range alt=413 mi
range more=2.5 h
ceiling main=8,200 m
ceiling alt=26,900 ft
climb rate main=8.1 m/s
climb rate alt=26.6 ft/s
loading main=
loading alt=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
Propellar=
Gunsight=
Radio=
armament=
*2× 7,7 mm Browning machine guns
*4× 25 kg bombs

Preserved aircraft

The Central Finland Aviation museum is displaying the VH-18, which is the only preserved Vihuri. It gathered 802 flying hours, after which the aircraft served as an educational machine at the Air Force Academy in Kauhava.

ource

* Kalevi Keskinen, Kari Stenman, Klaus Niska: "Suomen ilmavoimien historia 14 - Suomalaiset hävittäjät", AR-Kustannus ky, 1990. ISBN 951-95821-0-X

External links

* [http://www.sci.fi/~ambush/faf/vihuriscrap.html Pictures from the scrapping of the Vihuris]