Mystery Aircraft

[Bowser]

Hi there

For my first I would like to ask a favour. I am trying to locate an airfix model which I built as a boy, but cannot for the life of me remember the name of. The aircraft is British, I believe came out towards the end of the war. It is a T tailed, low wing monoplane with a low wing configuration, twin engined and (I think) a bubble cockpit above a thin fusilage.

Can anyone help me out with the name, and if possible the spec of the aircraft.

many thanks

 

[pbfoot]

hows this westland whirlwind

 

[Bowser]

Brilliant.

Any idea of spec, history or pilots experiences - or where I could find out about it

Many thanks

 

[syscom3]

Amazing to think that this aircraft was a "peer" of the P38 Lightning.

 

[k9kiwi]

Here are some rare ones for you

 

[syscom3]

Its a beautifull airplane.

 

[mkloby]

Its a beautifull airplane.

She definitely has some interesting lines... kind of a more subtle beauty than say, the Spit...

 

[Chingachgook]

nice pics! beautiful plane. Always liked the Whirlwind. Shame about the engines...

 

[Gnomey]

Certainly is a good looking aircraft. Here are some specs:

British Aircraft of World War II - WESTLAND WHIRLWIND I

www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org - British Aviation Resource Center - Westland Whirlwind

 

[R-2800]

always liked the wirlwind

 

[Matt308]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but were there rather severe stability problems with this bird? And didn't it also suffer from severe mach tuck during dives?

 

[twoeagles]

It had some tail flutter that was cured by that odd arrangement with the
intersection of horizontal stab and fin. Still, just sitting between those
lovely RR engines must have been sweet - kind of a girly F7F Tigercat
(sorry, not meant in an ugly way).

 

[twoeagles]

I wonder if you were thinking of the DH 103 Sea Hornet? A far superior
aircraft to the Westland...

 

[Matt308]

Yeah maybe so. That's some decent firepower concentrated in that nose. And I liked your F7F analogy. Spot on.

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

Amazing to think that this aircraft was a "peer" of the P38 Lightning.

why's that? and why does she have to be compared to the P-38?

 

[Matt308]

You always have to aspire to be something grand.

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

the whirlybird was out killing in mid '41 when the P-38 was completely useless as a combat aircraft........

 

[Matt308]

Well you had to use what you had, I guess.

 

[johnbr]

Love the look of it.But it would have better with the RR Exe.

 

[Matt308]

C'mon. Looks like a cowboy riding rigid on a mean bull. The plane looks marvelous, but the perpendicular lines are counterintuitive to a streamlined airplane. That cowboy is never gonna make the run...