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Westland Whirlwind

Started by The Rat, September 26, 2005, 03:21:27 PM

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NARSES2

Interesting re the 20mm sideways mounting Jon, and if I'd bothered to read my Putnam's properly it would have told me that  :banghead:. In the same book there's also a picture of a Mk I with an experiments nose mounted pitot and from a distance that might look like a canon....with my eyesight anyway. :-X


Quote from: joncarrfarrelly on September 21, 2020, 01:41:59 PM



Has there ever been an uglier head on view of an aeroplane ? Even some of the French 1930's "Gothic" designs would be pushed to beat it.
Do not condemn the judgement of another because it differs from your own. You may both be wrong.

Mossie

Looks like a machine gun armed spider.

It's up there, but I can think of a few.  The Martin B-10 comes to mind in the pre-approval war period.  There's a lot of modern special ops aircraft with all sorts of pimples and lumps that look awful head on.  The Canberra T.17 comes to mind too.
I don't think it's nice, you laughin'. You see, my mule don't like people laughin'. He gets the crazy idea you're laughin' at him. Now if you apologize, like I know you're going to, I might convince him that you really didn't mean it.

PR19_Kit

Plus the Viet Nam era B-57G.

Kit's Rule 1 ) Any aircraft can be improved by fitting longer wings, and/or a longer fuselage
Kit's Rule 2) The backstory can always be changed to suit the model

...and I'm not a closeted 'Take That' fan, I'm a REAL fan! :)

Regards
Kit

Mossie

I don't think it's nice, you laughin'. You see, my mule don't like people laughin'. He gets the crazy idea you're laughin' at him. Now if you apologize, like I know you're going to, I might convince him that you really didn't mean it.

Weaver

I'm thinking that the bike is a BSA Empire Star:

"Things need not have happened to be true. Tales and dreams are the shadow-truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes, and forgot."
 - Sandman: A Midsummer Night's Dream, by Neil Gaiman

"I dunno, I'm making this up as I go."
 - Indiana Jones

Old Wombat

I'm going with a 1935-ish BSA Blue Star (although Empire Star is a fair bet, too):

Has a life outside of What-If & wishes it would stop interfering!

"The purpose of all War is Peace" - St. Augustine

veritas ad mortus veritas est

NARSES2

Quote from: Mossie on September 22, 2020, 01:43:49 PM

It's up there, but I can think of a few.  The Martin B-10 comes to mind in the pre-approval war period. 

Don't you go insulting one of my favourite aircraft  ;D I've always liked the B-10 and am eagerly waiting my Azure/Fromm one, but I know what you mean.  ;)
Do not condemn the judgement of another because it differs from your own. You may both be wrong.

Mossie

Eye of the beholder and all that, I'm sure it has a lovely personality! :angel:
I don't think it's nice, you laughin'. You see, my mule don't like people laughin'. He gets the crazy idea you're laughin' at him. Now if you apologize, like I know you're going to, I might convince him that you really didn't mean it.

Weaver

Quote from: Old Wombat on September 23, 2020, 12:24:53 AM
I'm going with a 1935-ish BSA Blue Star (although Empire Star is a fair bet, too):

Fair suggestion. I couldn't say which model of Empire/Blue Star it was. It looks like it has a single cast pushrod tube, but then other things don't line up so well. You can't really judge it by accessories either, since seats, pillion pads, luggage racks etc, were all routinely replaced/customised.
"Things need not have happened to be true. Tales and dreams are the shadow-truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes, and forgot."
 - Sandman: A Midsummer Night's Dream, by Neil Gaiman

"I dunno, I'm making this up as I go."
 - Indiana Jones

zenrat

Unless someone has access to TV procedural cop show quality (read "magic") photo enhancement software < puts hand on hip - takes off sunglasses - makes quip - puts sunglasses back on > then we'll never know.

That Blue Star is a gorgeous looking little bike.  Nice and compact, its proportions are just right.
Fred

- Can't be bothered to do the proper research and get it right.

Another ill conceived, lazily thought out, crudely executed and badly painted piece of half arsed what-if modelling muppetry from zenrat industries.

zenrat industries:  We're everywhere...for your convenience..

Mossie

I know nowt about bikes, but I'm going to plump for Blue Star.  The signs for me are the angle of the frame between the tank and rear mudguard and the slight upward angle of the exhaust.  Other than that I find them very difficult to tell apart, even with the big images.
I don't think it's nice, you laughin'. You see, my mule don't like people laughin'. He gets the crazy idea you're laughin' at him. Now if you apologize, like I know you're going to, I might convince him that you really didn't mean it.

Stan in YUL

Quote from: Old Wombat on September 20, 2020, 11:33:36 PM
Why weaken the armament with .303s when you have a perfectly good 4 x 20mm arrangement in the nose? :o

The 37mm, I think, was trialed for either train-busting or anti-shipping op's.

One of the drawbacks to the 4 x 20mm was the short capacity ammo drums ( 60 rounds I think).  Replacing 2 of the 20s with 303s gives you plenty of room for a larger capacity belt feed system for the remaining 20s and a decent capacity for the 303s.  Faster firing, certainly still a match for any likely opponent, and not really lighter armed then the early sea hurricanes.  It's also known that some of those 4 x 20mm sea hurricanes removed two weapons from time to time to suit operational needs.  The real issue for a Sea Whirlwind would always have been the landing speed (90 knt approx )

jcf

The limited capacity of the drums was one of the main drivers of the revised nose configuration.
Adding ammo tanks and a feed system wasn't possible with the 'quad' arrangement, thus the
flattened four abreast layout.

Weaver

Good video on the Whirlwind which links to a site with new research about the aircraft. It seems that the problems with it may not have been as much to do with the Peregrine engine as with the choice of propellors and radiators:


This is the website mentioned: https://www.dingeraviation.net/westland/whirlwind.html
"Things need not have happened to be true. Tales and dreams are the shadow-truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes, and forgot."
 - Sandman: A Midsummer Night's Dream, by Neil Gaiman

"I dunno, I'm making this up as I go."
 - Indiana Jones

jcf

Petter spitting the dummy when his decisions were questioned wasn't helpful.