Westland Widgeon (helicopter)
- For the 1924 aeroplane, see Westland Widgeon (fixed wing)
| Widgeon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Westland WS-51A Widgeon on display at the Helicopter Museum (Weston) | |
| Role | Helicopter |
| Manufacturer | Westland Aircraft |
| First flight | 23 August 1955 |
| Number built | 12 new built plus 3 conversions[1] |
| Developed from | Westland WS-51 Dragonfly |
The Westland Widgeon helicopter was a private venture by Westland Aircraft as an improvement on the Westland WS-51 Dragonfly.
Design and development
Westland Aircraft decided to make a private venture improvement on the Westland WS-51 Dragonfly, which was a licensed Sikorsky design, helicopter by increasing the cabin capacity and replacing the Dragonfly's rotor head, blades and gearbox with the units used in the Westland Whirlwind. Three Dragonfly Series 1As were converted to WS-51 Series 2 Widgeons, and the first one flew on 23 August 1955.
There was a plan to take up to 24 existing Fleet Air Arm Dragonflies to Dragonfly HC.7 standard (as the Naval Widgeon was to become) but this was abandoned and it contributed to the decision to stop progress.
Operators
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Specifications (Widgeon)
Data from Westland Aircraft since 1915[1]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Capacity: 4 passengers
- Length: 41 ft 10 in (12.75 m)
- Rotor diameter: 49 ft 2 in (14.99 m)
- Height: 13 ft 4 in (4.07 m)
- Disc area: 1,898 ft² (176.4 m²)
- Empty weight: 4,322 lb (1,969 kg)
- Loaded weight: 5,900 lb (2,682 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Alvis Leonides 521/2 nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, 520 hp (388 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 109 mph (95 knots, 175 km/h) at sea level
- Range: 310 mi[7] (270 nmi, 500 km)
- Service ceiling: 11,800 ft (3,600 m)
- Rate of climb: 700 ft/min (3.6 m/s) at sea level
See also
- Related development
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
References
Notes
- 1 2 James 1991, p. 320.
- ↑ Flight International 13 July 1967, p. 58.
- ↑ Flight International 13 July 1967, p. 60.
- ↑ Iliffe-Moon, Peter (17 May 1973). "The unarmed air force". Flight International. Vol. 103 no. 3349. p. 759.
- ↑ Flight International 13 July 1967, p. 62.
- ↑ Flight International 11 July 1968, p. 55.
- ↑ Apostolo 1984, p. 103.
Bibliography
- Apostolo, Giorgio. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Helicopters. New York: Bonanza Books, 1984. ISBN 0-517-439352.
- James, Derek N. Westland Aircraft since 1915. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1991. ISBN 0-85177-847-X.
- "Widgeon and Whirlwind —with power by Alvis: A Report on two current Westland developments." Flight, 1955.
- "World Helicopter Market". Flight International, 13 July 1967. pp. 57–71.
- "World Helicopter Market". Flight International, 11 July 1968. pp. 48–60.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Westland Widgeon (helicopter). |
- Westland Widgeon pages at helis.com database