| 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 |
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.
The Widgeon was a technical triumph. Widgeons flew in many parts of the world, but it never achieved commercial success.
Data from Westland Aircraft since 1915[2]
General characteristics
Performance
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