Valmet Vihuri
The Valmet Vihuri is an advanced trainer aircraft of the Finnish manufacturer Valmet, which was used by the Finnish Air Force from 1953 to 1959.
History and construction
Despite economic problems, the aircraft manufacturer Valmet end of the 1940s began to develop a new aircraft to replace its aging VL Pyry. Chief designer of the project was Martti Vainio. Most of the planning was done by the aeronautical engineers L. Hämäläinen and T. Mäntysalo in 1948-49. As the Bristol Mercury VIII engine was chosen because there were no other alternatives, because it was produced in Finland for the Bristol Blenheim bombers under license. The Vihuri was designed as a low-wing monoplane with retractable seats and located one behind the other spur wheel chassis. The prototype (VH -1) first flew on February 6, 1951 in Tampere. After the successful test flights, the Finnish Air Force ordered 30 aircraft on February 27, 1951 with the name Valmet Vihuri II in the fall of 1954, 20 machines of the further developed version Valmet Vihuri were ordered III. The planes of the third version were handed over to the Air Force on 15 January 1957.
Valmet built a total of 51 Vihuri in three different series (I- III) in Kuorevesi and Tampere.
Military use
- Finland Finland