Off we go again with the first of my orphan backstories in search of a modeller for 2025.  As usual, please feel free to amend, augment, ignore or deride this offering.  There are so many abandoned British projects from the 1950,s and 1960's that deserve further consideration, hopefully, I can address more of  them in the coming year.


After the Second world war, several British helicopter manufacturers existed offering a considerable variety of designs.  Machines including the Cierva Air Horse, Saro Skeeter and Fairey Ultra-light  were designed and built in-house.  Westland at Yeovil chose to speed up the process by taking licences for proven Sikorsky designs  from the USA and "adjusting" them to suit British conditions.  The Sikorsky S-51 became the Westland Dragonfly/Wigeon , the S-55 became the Whirlwind and by 1954 the S-58 was in process of being  being anglicised as the Wessex.   Part of the Anglicisation was the replacement of American piston engines with turbines.  At this time, Westland were  exploring the possibilities of a large heavy lift helicopter and imported from Sikorsky the five bladed main-rotor, gearbox, tail-rotor, transmission and control systems of the S-56.  The Ministry of Supply chose not to provide official sponsorship or financial support  for this venture and so Westland went ahead with the project as a private venture. As a result, the project was run on a shoe-string with some components sourced from the Whirlwind and the Bristol Freighter. G-APLE, the first prototype , first flew on 15th June 1958 with a pair of Napier Eland turboshaft engines. Vibration issues were identified and the second prototype, G-APTX was fitted with the six-blade unit from the Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane   . 

In 1959, the British helicopter industry was undergoing a process of consolidation, with Westland acquiring the helicopter interests of  Saunders-Roe, Bristol and Fairey.  This resulted in the company falling heir to the government supported Belvedere and Rotodyne projects. These two projects carried government funding and the company was  therefore expected to devote the majority of their effort to expediting these helicopters.  There was also considerable pressure from the Lords of the Admiralty; "their warships" were concerned that any of these projects could delay development of the Wessex for the Royal Navy.  At this point in July 1960, Westland  were seriously considering abandoning their private venture, which by now had become known within the company as the Westland Westminster, and returning the Sikorsky components to the USA to avoid UK tax complications.

In the 1950's and 1960's , the US Mutual Defense  Aid Program [1] existed to provide economic assistance to  foreign projects that supported the defence capability of U.S. allies.  MDAP  monitoring groups regularly visited NATO aerospace companies to find projects  worthy of support.  Most US helicopters at this time were piston engined and MDAP were particularly interested in British developments with helicopter turboshaft engines.   Westland were offered limited development funds to produce five Westminster airframes with two Napier Eland  engines each  rated at 3000shp. These were produced and shipped to New River North Carolina for extensive testing by the US marines in January 1961. A production order followed for 50  airframes, the first 10 to be produced at Yeovil and the remaining 40 by Sikorsky in Connecticut. These were known to the USMC as the Sikorsky-Westland Wabash.  At this point the UK Ministry of Supply decided that  the Westland  Westminster was deserving of support, and ordered 5 Westminster Mark One troop carrying helicopters   These were augmented by a further order for 20  Mark Twos with Rolls Royce Tyne turbines.

Both the USMC and RAF Westminsters were regarded as an  interim design.  Sikorsky used their production to expedite the design of their own turboshaft helicopters and to a certain extent the RAF and British army looked on the Westminster as an answer in search of a problem; they had no immediate requirement for a helicopter capable of lifting 35 fully equipped troops or carrying a six ton underslung load.   Three Westminsters were fitted with a wide variety of armaments, from a pair of Bren guns in each loading door to a pair of fixed  forward firing 20mm cannon in a gondola under the fuselage. Inevitably, the  armed helicopters trialled by the A&AEE [2] at Boscombe Down became known as Westland WARminsters, to the extent that this name was used in several official reports.   Two further helicopters were used by RRE [3] at Malvern.  Flying from RAF either  Defford or RAF Pershore, they were used in trials sponsored by the Royal Navy into improvements in airborne radar, with a view to replacing radar picket destroyers.  Although a great deal of useful information was gathered, the project did not proceed beyond the trials stage.

A civilianised version of the Westminster was proposed but despite some  initial interest and a possible requirement for 12 for BEA this became another dead end. Alan Bristow acquired three airframes in 1965 for heavy lift work outside the UK and Manx Air Transport used two  for flight from Blackpool Squires Gate to Ronaldsway on the Isle of Man. This service only lasted for two years, after which both Westminsters were sold to a Malaysian logging company and no further information is available.  One of the RAF helicopters was transferred to the Queen's Flight, and briefly appeared in the red and blue livery of the flight. It was referred to by the flight ground crew as a Westland Windsor.  However, it was deemed unsuitable as being the "wrong size" and returned.

The Westland Sea King replaced the RAF Westminsters in 1970, with the US Marine Corps buying  the remaining aircraft for spares, the Sikorsky-Westland Wabash having given Yeoman service in Vietnam, lifting supplies from vessels offshore to land bases and occasionally acting as a flying crane to recover downed light helicopters. None were lost to enemy action, but in-flight incidents and subsequent hard landings saw twelve written off. Fifteen of the type have been noted cocooned at  Davis-Monthan Airforce Base, Arizona in the charge of  309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group [4].   It is believed that the National Trust have the rotor-less fuselage of an ex RRE Westminster  in a shed at their Croome Court [5] property, of which the ex-RAF station at Defford is part.

[1]  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutual_Defense_Assistance_Act
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroplane_and_Armament_Experimental_Establishment
[3] https://malvernmuseum.co.uk/tre/
[4] https://www.dm.af.mil/About-DM/Units/Mission-Partners/309-AMARG/
[5]  https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/worcestershire-herefordshire/croome/raf-defford-museum

Now that's VERY interesting and thought provoking.

Remembering what the Westminster looked like, building it model form wouldn't be the easiest job, but there's lots of Whiffed possibilities of course, and in this case Kit's 2nd Rule could be reversed, so the model looks like the backstory. 



I like the thought of a productionised Westminster/Warbash in a VietNam scheme, maybe with a damaged F-100F hung underneath it. 

Quote from: PR19_Kit on February 09, 2025, 03:17:05 PM

I see "fat Blackhawk" in the basic shape

That chopper has me interested in a possible future project....ive got a couple of 35th scale Blackhawks 

Are there any scaled drawings of this?

Gondor

Below is a link to all that Qoogle can offer.  I'll keep looking, but don't hold out much hope.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=westland+westminster+drawings&sca_esv=a38431949a6ac76a&hl=en&sxsrf=AHTn8zqJ7vmoSXs-e5czZh01o73dRxtPQw%3A1739309357637&source=hp&ei=LcGrZ_K6JP6_hbIP46GW4Q0&iflsig=ACkRmUkAAAAAZ6vPPf7sx-k5ZyPlSHlTvLDPiygel7-W&ved=0ahUKEwiyhaijyLyLAxX-X0EAHeOQJdwQ4dUDCB8&oq=westland+westminster+drawings&gs_lp=Egdnd3Mtd2l6Ih13ZXN0bGFuZCB3ZXN0bWluc3RlciBkcmF3aW5nczIFECEYoAEyBRAhGKABSK-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&sclient=gws-wiz

Quote from: Rheged on February 11, 2025, 02:19:56 PMBelow is a link to all that Qoogle can offer.  I'll keep looking, but don't hold out much hope.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=westland+westminster+drawings&sca_esv=a38431949a6ac76a&hl=en&sxsrf=AHTn8zqJ7vmoSXs-e5czZh01o73dRxtPQw%3A1739309357637&source=hp&ei=LcGrZ_K6JP6_hbIP46GW4Q0&iflsig=ACkRmUkAAAAAZ6vPPf7sx-k5ZyPlSHlTvLDPiygel7-W&ved=0ahUKEwiyhaijyLyLAxX-X0EAHeOQJdwQ4dUDCB8&oq=westland+westminster+drawings&gs_lp=Egdnd3Mtd2l6Ih13ZXN0bGFuZCB3ZXN0bWluc3RlciBkcmF3aW5nczIFECEYoAEyBRAhGKABSK-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&sclient=gws-wiz

That's the kind of results I came up with the last time I looked. Pity, it would be an interesting looking aircraft.

Gondor

Some of those drawings could be scaled to 1/72, enough to rough out a model I'd have thought.

Imagine that in 48th or even 35th   
I don't know why but I keep thinking of this but with the entire nose of a UH-60 ..super easy way to get a complete cockpit 

Quote from: Wardukw on February 11, 2025, 08:46:45 PMImagine that in 48th or even 35th   
I don't know why but I keep thinking of this but with the entire nose of a UH-60 ..super easy way to get a complete cockpit 

Worked for the Sea King/SkyCrane...
All you'd need would be a multitude of packs of Contrail/Evergreen rod...

Quote from: Rick Lowe on February 11, 2025, 11:02:44 PM

Quote from: Wardukw on February 11, 2025, 08:46:45 PMImagine that in 48th or even 35th   
I don't know why but I keep thinking of this but with the entire nose of a UH-60 ..super easy way to get a complete cockpit 

Worked for the Sea King/SkyCrane...
All you'd need would be a multitude of packs of Contrail/Evergreen rod...

Yeah the same thing I was thinking...all I'd have to do is figure out what size tubing I'd need...and about $35 bucks worth of Evergreen 😆

Quote from: Wardukw on February 11, 2025, 11:10:41 PM

Quote from: Rick Lowe on February 11, 2025, 11:02:44 PM

Quote from: Wardukw on February 11, 2025, 08:46:45 PMImagine that in 48th or even 35th   
I don't know why but I keep thinking of this but with the entire nose of a UH-60 ..super easy way to get a complete cockpit 

Worked for the Sea King/SkyCrane...
All you'd need would be a multitude of packs of Contrail/Evergreen rod...

Yeah the same thing I was thinking...all I'd have to do is figure out what size tubing I'd need...and about $35 bucks worth of Evergreen 😆

I think 2mm is about the largest rod, but tubing goes up from there... Just Trying To Help...

Quote from: Rick Lowe on February 11, 2025, 11:24:06 PM

Quote from: Wardukw on February 11, 2025, 11:10:41 PM

Quote from: Rick Lowe on February 11, 2025, 11:02:44 PM

Quote from: Wardukw on February 11, 2025, 08:46:45 PMImagine that in 48th or even 35th   
I don't know why but I keep thinking of this but with the entire nose of a UH-60 ..super easy way to get a complete cockpit 

Worked for the Sea King/SkyCrane...
All you'd need would be a multitude of packs of Contrail/Evergreen rod...

Yeah the same thing I was thinking...all I'd have to do is figure out what size tubing I'd need...and about $35 bucks worth of Evergreen 😆

I think 2mm is about the largest rod, but tubing goes up from there... Just Trying To Help...

Matey you'd be shocked at the amount of styrene I've got 😳
Over 50 packets of bar..rod and tubing and the like 👍 😄
Don't ask how much packs of sheet I've got   
Hell it's making me wonder how many ivd got now 🤔 😅

Quote from: PR19_Kit on February 09, 2025, 03:17:05 PM

It looks like a CH-53 did the wild thing with a UH-60 & the resulting offspring was left to starve to death in a desert, then re-animated.

And I could see a RAAF or RNZAF version operating in Vietnam.

Quote from: Old Wombat on February 12, 2025, 07:58:48 AM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on February 09, 2025, 03:17:05 PM

It looks like a CH-53 did the wild thing with a UH-60 & the resulting offspring was left to starve to death in a desert, then re-animated.

And I could see a RAAF or RNZAF version operating in Vietnam.

😆 🤣 😂
So beautifully put mate 
You can see why I thought Blackhawk for the cockpit eh? ...it looks extremely close and with some mucking around the engines could be used too ..I'd need to look abit closer at that tho .
Could also use wheels ..tail with some mods and rotors.