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Westland Widgeon (helicopter)
- For the 1924 aeroplane, see Westland Widgeon (fixed wing)
The Westland Widgeon helicopter was a private venture by Westland Aircraft as an improvement on the Westland WS-51 Dragonfly.
Contents
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.Template:Clarifyme
Operational history
The Widgeon was a technical triumph. Widgeons flew in many parts of the world, but it never achieved commercial success.
Operators
Military operators
- Biafran Air Force operated three helicopters.
- Brazilian Navy operated three helicopters.
- Royal Ceylon Air Force operated two helicopters.
- Royal Jordanian Air Force operated two helicopters.
- Nigerian Air Force captured one Biafran helicopter at Udi and impressed into service as NAF510.
Civilian operators
- Hong Kong Police operated two helicopters.
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
- 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
Lists relating to aviation | |
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| General | Timeline of aviation · Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines |
| Military | Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft |
| Notable incidents and accidents | Military aviation · Airliners · General aviation · Famous aviation-related deaths |
| Records | Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft |
References
- ↑ James 1991, p.320.
- James, Derek N. Westland Aircraft since 1915. London:Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1991. ISBN 0 85177 847 X.
Lists relating to aviation | |
|---|---|
| General | Timeline of aviation · Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines |
| Military | Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft |
| Notable incidents and accidents | Military aviation · Airliners · General aviation · Famous aviation-related deaths |
| Records | Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft |
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| This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Westland Widgeon (helicopter)". |
