Westland Widgeon (helicopter)
- For the 1924 aeroplane, see Westland Widgeon (fixed wing)
| Westland Widgeon | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Westland WS-51A Widgeon on display at the Helicopter Museum (Weston) | |
| Role | Helicopter |
| Manufacturer | Westland Aircraft |
| First flight | 23 August 1955 |
| Number built | about 15[1] |
| Developed from | Westland Dragonfly |
The Westland Widgeon helicopter was a private venture by Westland Aircraft as an improvement on the Westland WS-51 Dragonfly.
Contents |
[edit] 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.[clarification needed]
[edit] Operational history
The Widgeon was a technical triumph.[citation needed] Widgeons flew in many parts of the world, but it never achieved commercial success.[citation needed]
[edit] Operators
[edit] 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.
[edit] Civilian operators
- Hong Kong Police operated two helicopters.
[edit] Specifications (Widgeon)
Data from Westland Aircraft since 1915[2]
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
[edit] See also
- Related development
[edit] References
- Notes
- ^ http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/west_dragon.php
- ^ James 1991, p.320.
- Bibliography
- James, Derek N. Westland Aircraft since 1915. London:Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1991. ISBN 0 85177 847 X.
- Flight 1955 WIDGEON AND WHIRLWIND —with Power by Alvis: A Report on Two Current Westland Developments
[edit] External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Westland Widgeon (helicopter) |
- Westland Widgeon pages at helis.com database
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
