|
|||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Westland Wapiti |
| Westland Wapiti | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Role | general purpose |
| Manufacturer | Westland Aircraft |
| Designed by | Arthur Davenport |
| First flight | 7 March 19271 |
| Introduced | June 1928 |
| Primary users | Royal Air Force IAF, RCAF, AAF |
| Number built | 558 + 27 licence built in South Africa1 |
| Variants | Westland Wallace, Westland PV-3 |
The Westland Wapiti was a British two-seat general purpose military single engined biplane of the 1920s built by Westland Aircraft Works to the Air Ministry Specification 26/27 for a replacement of the Airco DH.9A in Royal Air Force service.
Contents |
To save time and because such parts were plentiful, the Air Ministry specification called for the use of a high proportion of Airco DH.9A components. Westland had an advantage in that it was already a prime contractor for the DH.9A and won an initial contract for 25 aircraft. The prototype first flew on 7 March 1927.2 The Wapiti was a conventional equal span biplane with slight stagger. It had tandem open cockpits and a fixed main undercarriage plus tail-skid.
The type entered service with No. 84 Squadron RAF in Iraq in June 1928. It was heavily used in Iraq and India in the Army Co-operation role, acting also sometimes as a bomber or reconnaissance aircraft. Wapitis of No. 20 squadron escorted Victoria troop carriers in the evacuation of Kabul (the Kabul Airlift) in December 1928. It was still in service in India until 1939. In Britain, Wapitis served with the Auxiliary Air Force from 1929-37. It was also flown by Australia and Canada, where it saw service at the start of the Second World War.
The prototype Wapiti V, registered G-AAWA, was used for demonstration flights in Argentina and Uruguay on floats, powered by a 550 hp Armstrong Siddeley Panther IIA engine3. It was later modified as the Bristol Pegasus powered Westland PV-6 or Wapiti VII, re-registered G-ACBR (also known as the Houston-Wallace), for an attempt to fly over Mount Everest. Flown by Flt Lt D. F. McIntyre and accompanied by a Westland PV-3 the two aircraft became the first to fly over Mount Everest on 3 April 1933. The PV-6 was later designated the Wallace Mk I, bearing serial K3488 which introduced a number of improvements. A total of 68 Wapitis were converted to Wallace Mk I standard.
Australia
Canada
China
India
South Africa
United Kingdom(in India)
(in Iraq)
(in the U.K)
All built by Westland at Yeovil
Data from The British Bomber since 19146
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
Related development
Comparable aircraft
|
||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |