Percival Vega Gull

The Vega Gull of the British aircraft manufacturer Percival Aircraft Co. is a single-engine, civil aircraft of the 1930s. The Vega Gull is a four-seat development of the Percival Gull series, which only had two seats and was built in 1935 in different versions. From 1939 it was also produced in special versions for the Royal Air Force, where it was used as a communication and training machine.

Record flights

The machines of the type Vega Gull have a good reputation because of their use in record flights.

Transatlantic non-stop flight

The pilot Beryl Markham flew for the first carried out from England solo non-stop crossing of the Atlantic from east to west ( Lindbergh flew in 1927 from West to East ) on 4 September 1936, a borrowed Vega Gull, with a 200 horsepower engine, navigation instruments ( However, no radio equipment) and external fuel tanks was fitted. Markham started on September 4, 1936 by 20 clock in the evening in London and reported by telephone from the fishing village of Baleine in Nova Scotia. Because of icing problems in the fuel line failed on Nova Scotia their engine. When emergency landing in a peat cutting machine stuck his nose into the ground.

Distance records

More Records with the Vega Gull were set by the New Zealand pilot Jean Batten, eg 1936 on the track England - New Zealand. Your Vega Gull is exhibited at the Auckland International Airport.

Technical data of the Vega Gull Mk 4

• Length: 7.77 m (25 ft 6 in )
• Height: 2.14 m ( 7,021 ft)
• Wingspan: 12.04 m (39 ft 6 in )
• Maximum take-off weight: 1474.0 kg ( 3250 lbs)

Flight performance of the Vega Gull Mk 4

• Maximum speed: 241 km / h (130 kts )
• Service Height: 5,182 m ( 17,000 ft)
• Range: 1062 km ( 574 nm)