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A planned upgrade the navy's Dragonflies to the Widgeon standard with a larger cabin, to be known as the Dragonfly HR.7, was dropped in 1957 due to defence cuts. [2] It was replaced in British service by the Westland Whirlwind , another derivative of a Sikorsky design, in the late 1950s.
Westland Wessex (Commando role) Westland Sea King HAR.5. The replacement of the Dragonfly and Whirlwind in the Royal Navy with the Westland Wessex in 1964 led to a greater maximum range of 478 nmi for these SAR units. The Wessex had a greater maximum airspeed of 115 kn and space to rescue 16 people.
The first Westland-built Wessex serial XL727, designated a Wessex HAS.1, first flew on 20 June 1958. [4] The first production Wessex HAS1 were delivered to Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm (FAA) in early 1960; the Wessex was the first helicopter operated by the FAA to be purpose-designed from scratch as an anti-submarine platform. [5]
Three Dragonfly Series 1As were converted to WS-51 Series 2 Widgeon specifications and the first one flew on 23 August 1955. One of these conversions, registration G-ANLW, was the first helicopter to land at the London Heliport on 8 April 1959, and later appeared in the 1971 film, When Eight Bells Toll .
Westland Dragonfly a license-built version of the American Sikorsky S-51; Westland Wessex a turbine-powered version of the Sikorsky S-58; Westland Whirlwind a license-built version of the U.S. Sikorsky S-55/H-19 Chickasaw with British engines. Westland Widgeon a private venture by Westland Aircraft as an improvement on the Westland WS-51 Dragonfly
From the mid-1950s the company came to increasingly concentrate on helicopters, eventually to the exclusion of other types. Production started with the Sikorsky S-51, which became the Westland Dragonfly, flying for the first time in 1948 and entering service with the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force in 1953.
Westland Wessex, and eventually Westland Sea King, helicopters later supplemented and eventually replaced Whirlwinds in this role. [7] The last Whirlwind was retired from service in 1982, and the last HAR.10 in 1981. [8] Two upgraded Whirlwinds (HCC.8 models) were added to the Queen's Flight in 1959, and eventually replaced by the Wessex ...
The Wessex was certified as the only commercial aircraft to use L'Eree. Cobham's airline, Cobham Air Routes Ltd, used the following Wessex aircraft: G-EBXK – Westland serial number 1771, granted its certificate of airworthiness on 21 March 1929. Originally the prototype Westland IV and retained as a demonstrator, later converted to a Wessex ...