WS55 Whirlwind HAR10 Westland Helicopter Museum Weston-super-Mare Somerset England
The Helicopter Museum in Weston-super-Mare is the only one in Britain and is actually the largest collection in the world. The first prototype British Whirlwind flew in August 1953, with the 600 hp Pratt & Whitney R-1340-40 Wasp, and it entered service shortly afterwards. They served in non-combat roles, including search and rescue and communications functions. The had a larger 700 hp Wright R-1300-3 Cyclone 7 engine. It was not until 1955 that the flew for the first time with a British power plant, the Alvis Leonides Major. The became the first British helicopter designed for anti-submarine work in the front-line when it entered service in 1956. It was equipped with radar and dipping ASDIC for submarine detection and designed to be equipped with a torpedo, but could not carry both was powered by a 750 hp (560 kW) Alvis Leonides Major 755/1 radial engine. It had a hovering ceiling at 9,400 ft and a range of 334 miles at 86 mph. Later in their lives, some were converted to use the Rolls-Royce Gnome turboshaft engine. From its start with the Navy, the Whirlwind came to be used by the British Army and RAF. More than 400 Whirlwinds were built, of which nearly 100 were exported to the foreign customers. RAF service 68 built; RAF, transport and air-sea rescue operations
Size: 5477px × 3638px
Location: Westland Helicopter Museum Weston-super-Mare Somerset South West England
Photo credit: © David Gowans / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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