WIX Archives
Re: Westland Wyvern and Contra props
Posted by Ron Henry on Wed Feb 19, 2003 06:18:15 AM
In reply top Westland Wyvern and Contra props posted by Joe Scheil on Tue Feb 18, 2003 08:57:32 PM
:
: What British single engine aircraft had counter-rotating
: props?
:
: A good trivia question to be sure, I will start with the S
: pitfire (too many different ones to list)Seafire, Seafang,
: the MB-5, the Supermarine Seagull, Short Sturgeon, Hawker Fury I, Wyvern, Fairey Gannet...others?
:
: As for the Wyvern only one example survives, VR137 a RR Ea
: gle powered example. Seven were made with VR137 being the
: last. It is now at Yovilton I believe, and is reported t
: o have never flown, as the Eagle was cancelled in Dec. 194
: 6. The Eagle was perhaps the greatest production Rolls Roy
: ce piston engine, a 24 cylinder H configuration that first
: flew in that same year. The 7 reciprocating Eagle Wyvern
: s were used in trials and expended in tests. The producti
: on Wyvern used a Armstrong-Siddeley Python turboprop and w
: as long in development (6 years). The Wyvern production e
: xample also was very large, same as a C-47 and twice the w
: eight of a Firebrand! It was the first turboprop combat a
: ircraft, and the knowledge gained from the program attempt
: ing to tame the engine for carrier use was invaluable. Un
: fortunatly no examples of the production aircraft survive,
: though several were ditched, one in Falmouth Bay (VW868),
: and not recovered. (Tony, Cees?)
: Hope this helps.
Although the Wyvern was big, the Fairey Spearfish (a torpedo bomber that never got beyond 3 flying prototypes due to end of WW2) was the biggest Brit, single-engined (Centaurus), shipboard aircraft. It was only slightly smaller than the biggest of all single- engined shipbaord aircraft, the Martin Mauler.
The Wyvern had a very prolonged gestation period, and only a short time in front line service (it wasn't alone in this - for the effort and cash put into post-WW2 Brit naval a/c R&D, a lot of it was wasted). As Joe says, its development period wasn't a happy one and there were several accidents. IIRC, one turboprop Wyvern (the T Mk 3 trainer prototype?) forced landed into a marsh near Westland's factory, and was left there.