Vickers Wellington

The Vickers Wellington was a type of aircraft flown on Earth in the 20th century. It was an anti-submarine bomber used during World War II and operated by Allied forces including Great Britain's Royal Air Force.

History
Between September 1939 and November 1942, a Royal Air Force Wellington from the No. 75 squadron bomber unit was stolen by a and brought to a museum on Beton III owned by a humanoid known only as the Collector. The aircraft was painted with green and brown camouflage and bore aircraft code AA, a standard RAF roundel and British fin marking.

By the 2260s, this Wellington was still in the Collector's museum. The aircraft was maintained in flight condition, fueled, and kept in an exhibit next to replicas of British pilots.

In the 2260s, Captain James T. Kirk and Commander Spock boarded and launched the Vickers Wellington in order to escape from the museum. In response, the Collector activated replica airmen to pursue in three Supermarine Spitfire aircraft fighters. Through creative maneuvering, Spock forced two of the spitfires to crash into one another, while Kirk fired the Wellington's aft machine gun turrets and shot down the third Spitfire. The Collector launched a rocket at the Wellington. Moments before the bomber blew up, Kirk and Spock materialized safety aboard the Enterprise. 

Background

 * The plane's paint scheme indicated service from earlier in World War II. (British Aircraft Markings and Camouflage page at the Boom and Zoom Graphics website)
 * Its AA marking identified it as being from the No. 75 squadron, which employed Wellingtons from September 1939 and November 1942, leaving that the only time when a vessel so marked could have been captured by The Collector.