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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 0480.PDF
FLIGHT, 15 /lj>ri/ 1955 WINGS FROM THE WEST . . . for the Barracuda; but so heavy were its Spitfire and Seafirecommitments that it withdrew from the scheme after -building eighteen of the Fairey torpedo bombers. Westlands, too, built alarge number of centre-sections for the Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle; and they were responsible for a great amount of Spit-fire and Seafire repair work, and for the armour and armament of Curtiss Hawks, Tomahawks and Kittyhawks. (Mr. Penroserecalls the trouble experienced in getting the American engines to work because they were so full of inhibitors. He made severalforced-landings on this account.) In June 1943 the services of Mr. Eric Mensforth, the managingdirector, were loaned by the Board to the Minister of Aircraft Production. His new post was that of chief production adviserto Air Marshal Sir Wilfrid Freeman, Chief Executive, M.A.P.— an eloquent testimony to the esteem in which the company washeld at the highest level. For the Welkin fighter the company had developed an auto-matic pressure-control valve, the success of which is attested by the fact that it was used on every pressurized British military air-craft built during the late war. To exploit this valve and asso- ciated equipment in post-war years a subsidiary company,Normalair, Ltd., was formed in 1946. Normalair continues at the present time with the development of equipment for cabinair-control in high-altitude flight, and has two overseas sub- sidiaries, Normalair (Canada), Ltd., and Normalair (Australia)Pty., Ltd.; and Normalair equipment is used today not only in every British pressurized aircraft but in a number of foreigntypes also, including the Avro Canada CF-100 and 102. With peace came the realization that the helicopter would bedemanded on an ever-increasing scale for numerous and novel applications in the civil and military fields. But it was realizedalso that not a single British project for a helicopter existed. Thus, in Flight of January 23rd, 1947, it is recorded that arrangementshad been completed whereby Westland Aircraft, Ltd., would build in this country the Sikorsky S-51 type of helicopter. "Itwill be recollected," runs the item, "that Westlands are not new- comers to the rotating-wing field. Many years ago they builtthe Westland-Lepere gyroplane, but official interest was some- what lukewarm and nothing much came of the venture. Thistime the firm has the approval of the Ministry of Supply, and it may be expected that progress will be rapid and that the West-land-built S-51 will appear before very long not only in England but in European countries." From the Yeovil works variants of the S-51, built to British (Above) The Wapiti line at Yeovil. (Top left) Wapiti lias of No. 30 Squadron patrolling the mountains of Kurdistan in 1934. (Lower left) Wallace Is of No. 501 (City of Bristol) (Bomber) Squadron—a Cadre unit based at Bristol—also photographed in 1934. standards from British materials, and powered in most caseswith the British Alvis Leonides engine, were—and are still being —delivered to civilian operators, airlines and military arms. By1951 a second production line was being established at Yeovil for an anglicized version of the larger S-55, the qualities of whichassure it of an even wider success than that achieved by the S-51. In the fixed-wing field the company produced, in 1946, thefirst piston-engined version of a naval strike fighter, which was to be progressively developed with turboprop power and eventu-ally to enter service with the Fleet Air Arm as the standard aircraft of its class. Although this machine—the Wyvern—is nota seaplane, it is truly a modern counterpart of the N.16 and N.17, being a single-seat ship-borne aircraft of high performance andcarrying a projectile load in addition to heavy gun armament. The contention that the development of the present-dayWyvern has occupied the whole of the elapsed period since the first flight of the original piston-engined machine late in 1946is unfair. Of two available types of turboprop, only the Rolls- Royce Clyde could be installed in the existing fuselage, and itcan now be said that the Westland pilots were strongly in favour of this version. They were convinced that it could be deck-landed within a few months of its first flight. The Armstrong Siddeley Python, however, offered greater power, and this con-sideration, coupled with the manufacturer's production facilities, proved decisive. To helicopters, however, the company's resources are prin-cipally committed at this time, and it is significant that the con- siderations which in the first place led Westlands to enter into alicensing agreement with Sikorsky are not by any means restric- tive. On the contrary, the company are free to develop, modify,re-engine and otherwise improve basic Sikorsky designs for which they hold the licence, and thus are not compelled to lag behindthe American company. In fact, there may on occasions be a return flow of information and, as a result, an even closer under-standing based on an exchange of technical experience between the two companies is foreseen. Current activities and plans for the near future give promisethat the name of Westland will figure to an increasing extent in world helicopter affairs. Indeed, though in no sense a matter ofpolicy, the demands which rotating-wing types are making on the company's technical resources may of necessity result in a tem-porary cessation of fixed-wing work. The need for helicopter instructional facilities has been largelymet by the Westland school, upon which converge the pilots of civil airlines, private operating concerns, and military arms ofmany nations. Five S-51s are available, and of these two or three are usually in the air, together with Dragonflies and Whirlwindsequipped with trial installations on behalf of the Ministry of Supply. Tuition is necessarily expensive: to purchasers ofS-51s the cost is £45 per hour, with the first ten hours free. To non-purchasers the cost is £49 per hour. Buyers of S-55sgenerally convert to their own machines, but eventually an aircraft of this type may become available for tuition at about £60 anhour. Production of the S-51 continues, and Westland now have aworld franchise, as the production line at Bridgeport is occupied by later and larger models. A quite small but steady demandfor the S-51 remains, particularly for use abroad, where a well-
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