paratroopers and supplies. Into flight The first prototype Valetta, which had originally been built as a standard Viking (c/n 158), was completed during the first half of 1947. On 30 June 1947, this prototype performed the type's maiden flight from Brooklands, piloted by Vicker's test pilot Mutt Summers. Although the Valetta was named after the Maltese capital Valletta, the aircraft's name is spelt with only a single "l". The Viking and Valetta provided the basis of the Varsity. The Varsity, although similar, was slightly larger and had a tricycle undercarriage arrangement and was equipped with a distinctive under-fuselage pannier for accommodating a bomb-aimer and up to 24 practice bombs. Design The Vickers Valetta was a twin-engine military transport aircraft. The fundamental differences between the Valetta and its Viking predecessor consisted of the fitting of more powerful engines, the installation of a strengthened cabin floor and the presence of a sizable pair of reinforced double-doors on the side of the fuselage for loading and unloading cargoes. The use of more powerful engines was largely necessitated by the aircraft's roughly 2,000 lb increase in all-up weight over that of the Viking. The engines fitted to the Valetta were a pair of Bristol Hercules 230 radial engines, each capable of providing up to 2,000 hp. To best accommodate its use as a transport aircraft, Valetta was designed to accommodate various-sized military cargoes, even relatively bulky ones; thus the interior floor was designed to support as much as 1,500 lb being exerted upon any single focused point of contact; this floor was lined with anchoring points from which to secure cargoes to. Furthermore, many of the interior furnishings were designed to be quickly-removable, enabling the aircraft to quickly be converted between roles; these furnishings included multiple styles of seating, a loading winch, vehicle ramps, floor rollers, glider-towing apparatus, additional fuel tanks, and side-wall soundproofing measures. As a troop transport, up to 34 fully-equipped soldiers could be carried by a single Valetta, while up to 20 stretcher-bound personnel, along with two medical attendants, could be transported in the air ambulance layout; the paratroop configuration accommodated as maximum of 20 paratroopers along with nine 350 lb air-droppable supply containers. Several external provisions for handling various payloads were present, such as the carriable of supply containers upon twin racks installed under the centre fuselage. To enable gliders to be towed, the rear fuselage featured a pyramid-shaped structure