Westland Pterodactyl Mk1 A and MK 1B
You just have to love a plane that it's own designers named after an extinct flying lizard.
In the early 1920's G T R Hill began studying aircraft design in order to design a plane with better low speed stability and handling. He and his wife built a glider that he demonstrated to the British Air Ministry (yes, this series of planes was actually ordered by the British Government, unlike so many American weird planes that the designers had to fund themselves). Sufficently impressed, a powered version was built (using a 34 hp British Cherub Engine). This was later modified to a Mk 1b with 70hp Armstrong Siddeley Genet and small rudders. Two seater with a wingspan of 45 ft 6 inches.
You just have to love a plane that it's own designers named after an extinct flying lizard.
In the early 1920's G T R Hill began studying aircraft design in order to design a plane with better low speed stability and handling. He and his wife built a glider that he demonstrated to the British Air Ministry (yes, this series of planes was actually ordered by the British Government, unlike so many American weird planes that the designers had to fund themselves). Sufficently impressed, a powered version was built (using a 34 hp British Cherub Engine). This was later modified to a Mk 1b with 70hp Armstrong Siddeley Genet and small rudders. Two seater with a wingspan of 45 ft 6 inches.
This lead to the
Pterodactyl Mk IV-1931
A three-place cabin aircraft powered by a 120hp D.H. Gipsy III four-cylinder air-cooled engine. With a wingspan of 44 ft 6 inches, a max speed of 113 MPH, and a max altitude of 17,000 feet. This very capable plane was able to do acrobatics. One feature it had was a gear, by which it was possible to sweep the wings backward and forward through an angular range of 4.75°. This operation, which enabled the machine to be trimmed when the centre of gravity was varied by alternative loadings, could be effected by the pilot while in flight.
Pterodactyl Mk IV-1931
A three-place cabin aircraft powered by a 120hp D.H. Gipsy III four-cylinder air-cooled engine. With a wingspan of 44 ft 6 inches, a max speed of 113 MPH, and a max altitude of 17,000 feet. This very capable plane was able to do acrobatics. One feature it had was a gear, by which it was possible to sweep the wings backward and forward through an angular range of 4.75°. This operation, which enabled the machine to be trimmed when the centre of gravity was varied by alternative loadings, could be effected by the pilot while in flight.
The success of the MkIV lead to the ultimate Pterodactyl
Westland Pterodactyl Mk V-1932
The other Pterodactyls had been experimental planes of limited military use, The Mk V was an attempt to use the concepts that the early planes had developed to build a proper military aircraft. A 2- seater fighter it had a 600hp Rolls Royce Goshawk steam-cooled vee-type engine, a wingspan of 47 ft 8 inches, a max speed of 190 mph, and a max altitude of 30,000 feet (for comparison a Hawker Demon 2 seat fighter from the same time had a max speed of 182 MPH and a ceiling of 27,500 ft). Armed with twin Vickers it was also to have an electrically-operated twin-gun turret that had an incredible field of fire. Fully acrobatic and capable of inverted flight.
Westland Pterodactyl Mk V-1932
The other Pterodactyls had been experimental planes of limited military use, The Mk V was an attempt to use the concepts that the early planes had developed to build a proper military aircraft. A 2- seater fighter it had a 600hp Rolls Royce Goshawk steam-cooled vee-type engine, a wingspan of 47 ft 8 inches, a max speed of 190 mph, and a max altitude of 30,000 feet (for comparison a Hawker Demon 2 seat fighter from the same time had a max speed of 182 MPH and a ceiling of 27,500 ft). Armed with twin Vickers it was also to have an electrically-operated twin-gun turret that had an incredible field of fire. Fully acrobatic and capable of inverted flight.
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