More Helicopters

More on Helicopters …

Another type of helicopter present in the Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum is the Westland Whirlwind; once again we have two. They are very different versions as I will explain.

The Whirlwind started life as the Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw, used by the US armed forces in large numbers. The H-19 was rather larger than anything that the UK had at the time so Westland undertook to license build it as the Whirlwind. Earlier versions were direct copies of the original, but as time progressed Westland added improvements.

The first UK versions used either the same Pratt and Whitney R1300/1340 engine, or the Alvis Leonides Major. These were radial (reciprocating) engines, the engine sat at the very front of the helicopter powering both main and tail rotors via a shaft that ran just behind the flight crew. The noise in these was described as “incredible”.

In later versions, Westlands replaced the radial engine with the Bristol Siddeley Gnome turbine engine. Once again this powered the rotors via the same shaft arrangement. Whilst the helicopter was still very noisy, it wasn’t QUITE as bad. The new arrangement provided approximately an additional 300 Horsepower.

The first example in the museum is an HAS.7, displayed in its later colours. Built as an anti-submarine aircraft it was equipped with various detection devices. The best-known device for locating submarines is sonar. The Whirlwind contained equipment to monitor sonobuoys which it could drop into the water. Less well known is Magnetic Anomaly Detection (MAD), this detects changes in the earth’s magnetic field, caused by passing close to a large metal object such as a submarine. The helicopter is considered ideal as a submarine detection platform due to its ability to listen in the hover, then quickly move to a new position.

Later in its life, the detection equipment was removed from XN304, and it was displayed as a troop transport as used by the Royal Navy/Royal Marines, hence the colours in which it is displayed. We still have the detection equipment and intend to place this in the helicopter as it would have been originally. This aircraft has the Alvis Leonides Major engine.

The second aircraft is XR485, one of the last Whirlwinds built for the UK services and has the Gnome engine. Although built as an Air Sea Rescue HAR.10 version our aircraft was delivered to 2 Flying Training School (2 FTS) for use training helicopter pilots. It spent its entire career with this unit. The HAR.10 was slightly longer than previous versions.

The Whirlwind provided a much needed increased rescue capacity than the Sycamore previously used in the role, able to rescue four people in one flight (provided enough fuel had been burned off). This version was based at RAF Coltishall as part of No 202 Squadron D Flight.

One of my own first flights was in a Whirlwind HAR.10, from Waxham beach to RAF Coltishall. I didn’t need rescuing, it was part of an exercise and reward. I have previously mentioned that I was an Air Scout at RAF Coltishall (2^nd Coltishall, Sir Douglas Bader’s Own). As part of the winning patrol for that month, we were rewarded with a flight. My father took half of my patrol and I (the other half flew in the afternoon, the crews changed at lunchtime) to Waxham beach and left us there with a Scout Leader and a (practice) Sarbe location emergency locator beacon.

At the appointed time the beacon was switched on and the helicopter quickly found us. Much to the amazement of local fishermen the crew then winched us up and flew off. A great experience.

Author:: Steve Bell

Images of the Whirlwinds

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