G-EBBL  Vickers 61 Vulcan                                    (c/n  1)

                              

                                  Although concerned mainly with military aircraft in the early 1920s, Vickers did not ignore the
                                  civil market entirely.   One such machine produced in that era was the Vulcan, seen above in the
                                  livery of Instone Air Line Ltd.  This company operated from 1919 to 1924 with a London-Paris
                                  route.  In 1923 the British Government "suggested" that all the smaller carriers should merge, and
                                  form a national airline, to be named Imperial Airways,  Instone was one of the airlines absorbed
                                  by that carrier, which flew its first services on 1 April 1924.   G-EBBL did fly for a short while
                                  with Imperial, but was withdrawn from service in May, 1924.   For whatever it's worth, Instone's
                                  scheduled time for London to Paris (admittedly Croydon to le Bourget) was a scant 15 minutes
                                  longer than today's BA flights between the same cities!  This is progress?