Canadian Vickers
FC-2
The Canadian Vickers FC‑2 was a single‑engine, high‑wing monoplane developed in the late 1920s for civil and military use in Canada’s north. Built by the subsidiary of the British Vickers company, it entered production in 1929 as a rugged adaptation of the American Fokker Super Universal, incorporating a wooden fuselage with plywood skin and a steel tube frame. Powered typically by a 225‑hp Wright Whirlwind radial engine, the FC‑2 could carry three passengers or a small cargo load and featured generous windows and a large door for loading supplies. Its high wing and wide‑spaced struts gave excellent ground clearance, vital for operations from rough tundra strips and float‑equipped seaplane bases. Over 70 examples were built, serving the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Department of Naval Aviation, and remote mining companies. The type proved crucial in establishing year‑round air service to isolated communities, performing aerial survey, mail delivery, and medical evacuation. The FC‑2’s reliability and ease of maintenance set a standard for later bush aircraft, and its success demonstrated the viability of domestically produced, cold‑weather aircraft, influencing later designs such as the Norseman.