_in_a_Wellington_bomber's_rear_turret_at_No_12_Operational_Training_Unit_(OTU)_at_Chipping_Warden%2C_Northamptonshire%2C_17_September_1944._CH13880.jpg)
10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Vickers Wellington: Photographer not identified, so UK Copyright contended to have lapsed 50 years after publication.· Public domain
- 2. 15-year-old cadet Tommy McMordie from Luton Air Training Corps (ATC) in a Wellington bomber's rear turret at No 12 Operational Training Unit (OTU) at Chipping Warden, Northamptonshire, 17 September 1944. CH13880: Royal Air Force official photographer, Penfold (Fg Off)· Public domain
- 3. De Vickers Wellington met het serienummer L7788 en de rompcode KX-E 2189-01-21-005: Vliegvelden in oorlogstijd· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 4. Dwi wellington front: Royal Air Force official photographer· Public domain
- 5. New Zealand Wellington Bombers in England1939: RAF serviceman, in the course of duties in 1939.· Public domain
- 6. Vickers Wellington - Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1939-1941. CH478: Stanley Arthur Devon· Public domain
- 7. Vickers Wellington Mk2: British Government.· Public domain
- 8. Vickers wellington MF628: Kroidkrensen· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 9. Vickers wellington frame: Kroidkrensen· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 10. Wellington GR Mk XIII IWM CNA 3535: Baker L H (Flt Lt), Royal Air Force official photographer· Public domain
what is it?
The Vickers Wellington (nicknamed the Wimpy) is a twin-engined, long-range medium bomber designed and primarily produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Vickers-Armstrongs. It was the only British bomber that was produced for the duration of the Second World War, and was produced in a greater quantity than any other British-built bomber. Development had been started in response to Air Ministry Specification B.9/32, issued in the middle of 1932, for a bomber for the Royal Air Force.
How to recognise it: 2 piston engines with propellers · 26.3 m wingspan
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 90 years ago, in 1936.
- Top speed is 2.9× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 26.3 m: about 6 cars parked nose to tail.
- Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 2 African elephants (~6 t each).
- Range of 4,106 km: 23× Amsterdam to Brussels.
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1936-06-15
- introduced
- 1938
- retired
- 1953
- status
- retired
- number built
- 11,461
- role
- medium bomber, anti-submarine aircraft
- origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- makers
- Vickers-Armstrongs
- engines
- 2× Bristol Pegasus Mark XVIII
- length
- 19.7 m
- wingspan
- 26.3 m
- height
- 5.3 m
- max take-off weight
- 12.9 t
- top speed
- 378 km/h
- range
- 4,106 km
- ceiling
- 5,486 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q850244, Wikipedia: Vickers Wellington (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.