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The Westland Whirlwind Reassessed 

Ed Nash's Military Matters
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My first ever "Forgotten Aircraft" video was on the Westland Whirlwind. But new research means I think it is time to look again at some old ideas on this aircraft.
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www.dingeravia...
www.whirlwindf...
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26 сен 2024

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Комментарии : 641   
@robertmusgrave9457
@robertmusgrave9457 3 года назад
The pilot shown at 6:45, with his plane "Comrades in Arms", was my uncle, Eddie Musgrave, an RAF pilot with 137 Squadron. Flying his "whirlybomber"", he attacked the German auxiliary cruiser Togo (setting out on her maiden voyage after conversion, and about to be renamed Coronel), forcing the ship back to port in Boulogne and ending its cruiser career before it begun. He was later shot down over France, and is buried at Pihen-lès-Guînes.
@aeelmore69
@aeelmore69 2 года назад
Wow. Thanks for that. What a neat connection to history. Unfortunate demise, but in service to country & kin in defense of an evil regime's onslaught. Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year to your family from Alabama.
@anthonysimpson8110
@anthonysimpson8110 2 года назад
@@aeelmore69 I am very lucky to be the proud owner of an original photo of Harold Penrose flying over Boscombe Down during a test flight. my father bless him was a design engineer for Westland's during the war and did much work with Harold on the Whirlwind and also a machine called the Welkin. On a number of occasions he travelled to London for meetings with Churchill. My father told me that Harold was the most amazing test pilot who was fearless in his professionalism. Father made a number of flights with Harold pulling wires etc on early fights.
@anthonysimpson8110
@anthonysimpson8110 2 года назад
i am very lucky to be the owner of a photograph of Harold Penrose in a Whirlwind over Boscombe Down. My father worked extensively with Harold during the war developing the Whirlwind and the Welkin. Harold was a truly wonderful test pilot and father had many escapades with him on early flights.
@homefront3162
@homefront3162 2 года назад
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from 🇺🇸👍🏻
@GB-vn1tf
@GB-vn1tf 2 года назад
Thanks for sharing that wee tale, I always have time to hear about these men and the sacrifice that was made. I sometimes think people are forgetting the carnage that happened so the stories must never be forgotten.
@trplankowner3323
@trplankowner3323 3 года назад
A person that is willing to look at their previous work and say they were mistaken, let alone publish their corrections, is a benefit to all of us that strive to remember the past as accurately as possible. Well done Ed and thank you!
@mark_delfino
@mark_delfino 3 года назад
Yes, the ability to revise and learn is the mark of an historian. There is definitely no such thing as the last word in the subject, we still seem to regularly change our minds about the Romans!
@iffracem
@iffracem 3 года назад
Well said.
@kimchipig
@kimchipig 3 года назад
Any honest person is capable of admitting their errors. It's a big part of being a mature adult. Most of us reach this at some point in our lives,
@trplankowner3323
@trplankowner3323 3 года назад
@@kimchipig My life experiences disagree. It's one thing to admit your mistakes and take responsibility for them when there will be no consequences, it's a different matter when admitting your mistakes will cost you something. If you're in the US, just observe the Legacy Media, there's hardly ever a break in the constant stream of lies and disinformation presented there. Mostly, the only thing at stake there is their pathetic egos.
@LupusAries
@LupusAries 3 года назад
@@kimchipig Well then, that means most Mainstream Media "Journalists" aren't adults then! And I most heatily agree, they are mewling infants that we'd best get rid off!
@sr20trx
@sr20trx 3 года назад
Probably one of my first Airfix kits I ever made, still have the 1977 Airfix catalog which the Whirlwind featured in and I always thought this was such a cool looking aircraft as a kid 👍
@svetovidarkonsky1670
@svetovidarkonsky1670 3 года назад
ditto!
@sirandrelefaedelinoge
@sirandrelefaedelinoge 3 года назад
Same here
@mearalain3006
@mearalain3006 3 года назад
As for me ; I bought a blister and built it with fever; 1974 as I can remember
@mikepette4422
@mikepette4422 3 года назад
I also had the airfix kit it came in that clear plastic case that so many of their 1/72 kits were in basically as cheap as you can package something. A Cardboard tag with colour picture of the plane and the clear plastic case showing you all the parts dangling below it LOL always made me laugh at how minimal Airfix was but it was actually a great idea as you could hang the all Airfix kits from rotating tree and it wouldn't take up much store space.
@davidmackie8552
@davidmackie8552 2 года назад
Me, too! I loved its looks.
@keltacuk8112
@keltacuk8112 Год назад
If we didn't make mistakes we wouldn't learn anything!....Great job mate!!!
@lanse77lithgow
@lanse77lithgow 3 года назад
Another point , 4 cannon Beaufighter was becoming available , with observer / navigator / radar operator. Also 4 cannon Hurris were in development too
@guygardiner1920
@guygardiner1920 3 года назад
Good point and the Mosquito as well
@lukewarmwater6412
@lukewarmwater6412 2 года назад
I think the whirlwind was just another of the aircraft that werent needed for the war effort. they only needed to move foreward with design and thats what this aircraft did. moved innovation foreward.
@TheDkeeler
@TheDkeeler 3 года назад
Apparently, the last flying Whirlwind was used as a private aircraft by Westland people in the late 1940's. What a shame they had to go and destroy it otherwise it would be sitting in a museum for us all to see today.
@Tomg32b
@Tomg32b 3 года назад
There's a picture of it here; www.google.com/search?q=westland+whirlwind&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwix5rHLrLXyAhVk4XMBHf6OAT4Q_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1424&bih=757 Here is a copy of it's Registration Certificate: cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AGOI.pdf
@TeaLuck1
@TeaLuck1 2 года назад
I'm sure they have replicas
@michaeltelson9798
@michaeltelson9798 2 года назад
One of the main squadrons to use it had a quite diversity of air that it used in WWII. RAF 263 started with Gloster Gladiators and was in Norway with them. On return they briefly flew Hurricanes until the Whirlwinds came to be. Typhoons were their next steeds. Finally (although a different unit taking over their squadron number) the Meteors. From biplane to jets in 6 years.
@olliefoxx7165
@olliefoxx7165 8 месяцев назад
They had to be remarkable pilots to fly such a wife range of aircraft. Very impressive.
@AndrewGivens
@AndrewGivens Год назад
For all of the problems and failures, it was still the most beautiful airframe, like flying Art Deco.
@bbrf033
@bbrf033 3 года назад
The best thing about this video is that it makes sense. Still. That was one hot looking airplane
@letsseeif
@letsseeif 2 года назад
Thanks for The Westland Whirlwind an aircraft that intrigued me as as kid and through adulthood. [from Australia]
@PeteSampson-qu7qb
@PeteSampson-qu7qb 3 месяца назад
Well done, Ed! Oh, those props! Everyone talks about the airframe and/or engines but a prop plane only functions as well as its prop. The Rotol constant speed props, for example, did as much to hold the line as the Spit, the Hurricane, or even the Merlin! It took several aeronautical engineering courses for me to understand that and I hope I can pass some of that along here. Anyone who knows much of anything about the P-47 Thunderbolt has heard of the "paddle blade propellors" that transformed it from adequate to excellent but almost no one explains why. I'll try to keep this simple. A propeller, like any airfoil, produces lift and drag and both increase with speed until, at some point, they cancel out. A thin airfoil, like a paddle blade prop or Rotol prop or F-104 wing, will continue to produce more lift than drag up to a high speed. An airfoil more like a Fokker D.VII hits that point at a much lower speed. Simple? Not really but we're getting.
@andymckee53
@andymckee53 3 года назад
The De Havilland Hornet was effectively a Whirlwind with Merlins. It was said to be the finest propellor aircraft ever by Winkle Brown. The Whirlwind was definitely ahead of its time and full of innovations which later other companies borrowed and used in their designs. DH Mosquito being one.
@johnp8131
@johnp8131 3 года назад
My father was a De Haviland rigger/engineer for over 50 years from 1931 onwards. He would be turning in his grave because of your initial statement! The DH 98 and subsequent 103 were derived mainly from the 88's and 91's technologies which both pre-dated Westlands concepts. Although I would have agreed if you'd have said Westland Welkin, which were stationed just up the road from where I was. Although quite a few years earlier.
@TheHarryMann
@TheHarryMann 3 года назад
I doubt the Mosquito was influenced at all by the Whirlwind. A really big problem with Westland was their lack of expansion of production capability... I think the dialogue says the de Havilland propellor was on the prototype which gave good performance... that’s the opposite way around to what was subsequently suggested! Peregrine production was terminated... Hives at RR just had to rationalise. But fantastic aircraft potential just the whole programme was 6 months behind requirements... NB. This was a high aspect ratio wing so potentially with development an excellent high altitude interceptor.. but not a dog fighter match for FW190 though
@andymckee53
@andymckee53 3 года назад
@@TheHarryMann Have a look at the cooling system on the Whirlwind, the placement of the radiators and you'll see it was copied by the De Havilland on the Mosquito.
@bobsakamanos4469
@bobsakamanos4469 4 месяца назад
@@andymckee53 the rad cooling system followed the concept layed down by the Meredith effect (1935). Many aircraft used it in the wing leading edges, as that caused the least drag for radiators...You'll find that the de Havilland Albatross also had rad inlets in the wing leading edges (1937). Corsair was another example designed in the 30's. The Whirlwind did however have the first bubble canopy.
@andymckee53
@andymckee53 4 месяца назад
@@bobsakamanos4469 the Albatross had air cooled engines. No radiators!
@paintnamer6403
@paintnamer6403 3 года назад
I enjoyed building and playing with the first Airfix Whirlwind model kit when I was a child. Always liked the looks of the Whirlwind.
@mikepette4422
@mikepette4422 3 года назад
Omg I had a kit too ! Was one of my fav's because you could really see how sleek the plane was. I loved Airfix they were such a good company back in the 70's and 80's the kits were everwhere
@gerhardris
@gerhardris 3 года назад
Again a great extra video on a potentiay great aircraft. I never knew that mach 1 problems with props were a large problem. The greatest reason for the failure was a wrong specification. The concept should of been something between an expert escort fighter and a concept
@anthonypetty9288
@anthonypetty9288 3 года назад
I also had an Airfix Whirlwind as a kid, which somehow disappeared over the years. About four years ago I saw another kit for sale and bought that without hesitation. Also still have my original copy of the comic 'Whirlwind in the sky'. Always loved the design.
@Shadamehr100
@Shadamehr100 3 года назад
I had that kit as well, loved it as a kid, beautiful looking aircraft, and up until now I always thought it had the Merlin engines
@stevenandrewedwardsedwards3080
@stevenandrewedwardsedwards3080 3 года назад
Me to. I bought one to because I didnt have enough for a Mosquito which I think was a series 3 and Whirlwind series 1 glad I didnt have enough that day.
@stevenmcnaughton7652
@stevenmcnaughton7652 Год назад
Excellent review of this fighter. Much better than many I have seen. There is real need for more videos like this of lesser know aircraft. Do we really NEED another video on the Spitfire or Hurricane? Keep up the great work.
@anthonysimpson8110
@anthonysimpson8110 2 года назад
very lucky to have a photo of Harold Penrose flying a Whirlwind over Boscombe Down. My father did much development work with Harold on the Whirlwind and the Welkin. Harold was a truly wonderful test pilot
@karlp8484
@karlp8484 2 года назад
Excellent analysis. You are correct, it's often not a case of why didn't they use so and so engine on this plane, it's a case of we want this plane *because* it uses another engine. People don't understand production.
@malcolmsmith650
@malcolmsmith650 3 года назад
A fitter (now deceased) who was a member of our club, Scarborough Historical Aircraft Club, was based at Hucknall which was Rolls-Royce's test airfield. He worked on the whirlwind and described the cooling system as, 'A dogs dinner'. He told us when they had sorted the cooling system out on the one they had the engines performed reliably.
@richardvernon317
@richardvernon317 3 года назад
Like all Petter designs what was under the skin was mostly a Dogs dinner. Lightning was another aircraft in that category. Canberra would have been as well, bar the fact that most of the kit the RAF wanted to put in it didn't fit or could be got to work in time, so the equipment fit of a Mosquito bomber ended up going into it.
@stuartbritton2417
@stuartbritton2417 2 года назад
Thank you for this very informative video. My great uncle (Allan Britton) flew and died in a Whirlwind fighter P6980 of 263 squadron. His plane crashed on a training gun run, on a set target in the Bristol Channel, about a mile off Burnham on Sea. 12th December 1940 aged 23. I'm really proud of him, he's mentioned on the Battle of Britain memorial in London. Any information about the Whirlwind and what part he played in WW2 I find fascinating and hope that my children will keep his story alive. Thanks again.
@emjackson2289
@emjackson2289 2 года назад
The Westland Whirlwind was - for my two pence - the perfect example of the very last of the first-half-of-the-war planes that simply couldn't be made any better than they were but were the ultimate expression of design and technology that had started with the Italian and Japanese (then German, British and Americans) c. 1934-35.
@stephensmith8255
@stephensmith8255 3 года назад
So glad I came across this clip , because the Westland whirlwind was my first air fix model as a child and I had forgotten I had built one until I came across this clip, thank you for bring back a very distant memory
@jjromeoeod2765
@jjromeoeod2765 3 года назад
Interesting and thorough perspective. I would be interested in a Greg's Airplanes viewpoint on the matter.
@slayerdeth0705
@slayerdeth0705 3 года назад
He is great. He doesn't leave anything out.
@johnhagemeyer8578
@johnhagemeyer8578 3 года назад
Humm..propellers. Cool. Do you know if it suffered from comparability issues? To me it kinda looks fast going downhill
@mikepette4422
@mikepette4422 3 года назад
I was JUST thinking this lol
@rovercoupe7104
@rovercoupe7104 3 года назад
“Greetings ... plane this ... plane that ...”. M.
@jackroutledge352
@jackroutledge352 3 года назад
@@johnhagemeyer8578 Sounds like compressibility was a problem at least for the props. I doubt it ever had much issues with compressibility with the wings though, since it didn't have the performance at altitude for that to be a problem.
@mbryson2899
@mbryson2899 3 года назад
I very much enjoy this channnel and this video underscores one of the reasons why. You share new information when you get it, regardless that it might contradict an earler vid, which shows your honest dedication. Well done, IMHO.
@willh1933
@willh1933 2 года назад
Great job Ed, no need to be so humble. Anyone who admits their mistakes is a mensch.
@stephenjacks8196
@stephenjacks8196 3 года назад
Same problem with Brit Air ministry as German RLM. Stuff (fuel, materials) was earmarked for existing designs before new designs. Mosquito was approved because it didn't use strategic Aluminum. Whirlwind used existing low demand engines. Problem with this and Me110 was that fighters require turning radius to turn with target when dogfighting. The weight of the engines extended out on the wings made banking, required for turns, slower than single engine aircraft without heavy wing weights. Only twins with competitive bank rate was Do335 and P-38 (not sure why ailerons were that effective).
@keithlemon457
@keithlemon457 3 года назад
I made the Airfix kit around 50 years ago. Today I have the 1/48 and recently took delivery of the new 1/32 version. A beautiful plane and so very similar to the post-war Hornet.
@AnthonyEvelyn
@AnthonyEvelyn 2 года назад
First saw this aircraft in a War Picture Library comic in the 70's. Always wondered why it wasnt as ubiquitous as the other great British twin engined strike aircraft such as the Mosquito and Beaufighter. Bill Gunston's book on British fighters cast the source of the problem as being the engines, but now I am seeing its much more than that. Another myth busting episode from Ed!
@whyjnot420
@whyjnot420 3 года назад
I think the biggest overall takeaway from this video for everyone should be: a reminder that "history" is a constant work in progress. (also, that reflecting on what you, as in anyone, already thinks, is a good thing to do too) I think most people know this, but it is said far too little.
@GBooth
@GBooth 3 года назад
As Faulkner noted, the past isn't dead - it's not even past.
@Ndqar
@Ndqar 11 месяцев назад
And that engineering is hard.
@taggartlawfirm
@taggartlawfirm 2 года назад
The Whirlwind was troubled by mismatched props and engine issues, but it was a wonderful aircraft.
@KapiteinKrentebol
@KapiteinKrentebol 3 года назад
The Whirlwind became a success eventually though when they replace the engines with jets moved the wings more aft and called it the Meteor.
@johndavey72
@johndavey72 3 года назад
How on earth did you come to that conclusion ! There is absolutely nothing similar about this and the Meteor ! Apart from they both flew !
@davidleitch2298
@davidleitch2298 3 года назад
@@WALTERBROADDUS ......in a world where we are considered unscientific if we don't believe people were monkeys once upon a time, that statement isn't such a stretch of the imagination
@GBooth
@GBooth 3 года назад
"The Whirlwind became a success eventually though when they replaced the engines with jets swept the wings aft and called it the Me-262." Sorry Dot, but I can't help chuckling at broad oversimplifications like this! ;)
@anthonywilson4873
@anthonywilson4873 3 года назад
@@WALTERBROADDUS or could fly an aircraft!
@GSimpsonOAM
@GSimpsonOAM 3 года назад
@@davidleitch2298 The scientific suggestion is that there was a common ancestor. Not that humans were descended from current monkey species.
@robhenderson2477
@robhenderson2477 3 года назад
I think a point that is largely lost is that any enemy bomber hit by the whirlwinds four 20mm canon would never have bombed again!
@geordiedog1749
@geordiedog1749 3 года назад
Well done for this. Shows class mate! Being able to calmly reassess. Nice one.
@simonchaddock4274
@simonchaddock4274 2 года назад
It is worth noting that in the Whirlwind the layout of the Peregine allowed for an excellent level of cowl streamlining. Not realy equalled with the Merlin until the 'streamline' 130 & 131 versions that had repositioned ancilliaries as used in the DH Hornet but by then the Merlin was a very highly developed engine.
@PeteSampson-qu7qb
@PeteSampson-qu7qb 2 месяца назад
I've been building and flying RC models since 1971 and have owned several ultralight and a Aeronca Champ. Almost no one, including commercial pilots, seems to understand propellors! I did manage to educate a few by getting better performance from my engines but not many. Mostly though, they just go with the cheapest option and wonder why my Piper Cub is faster than their "speed models". Cheers!
@markfryer9880
@markfryer9880 2 года назад
I got to know the Whirlwind through a Commando cartoon magazine story in the 80s. Watching this video I just realised with it's development date that it must have been one of the first aircraft to feature the perspex tear-drop bubble canopy in 1940. That is far ahead of most other WWII fighters. I seem to remember that it also had hydraulic assisted control surfaces. I found this video interesting in that problems were not so much the engines but rather the propellers and constant speed hubs. The Whirlwind also fits into the same category as the Me 110 in the pre-war category of Heavy Fighter. The 110 was not without it's problems but found it's niche as a night fighter at great cost to Bomber Command.
@charlesrussell1764
@charlesrussell1764 3 года назад
I've always loved the look of the Whirlwind and thought it could have been a world - beater given time for development. But there's the rub. Time is a luxury in a war and there already were aircraft quite capable of taking it to the enemy. The Whirlwind's strengths lay in the superb view afforded its pilots by the bubble canopy and its armament.
@anthonysimpson8110
@anthonysimpson8110 2 года назад
I am very lucky to have a photo of Harold Penrose flying one over Boscombe Down. my father worked extensively with him on the development of the Whirlwind and the Welkin.
@charlesrussell1764
@charlesrussell1764 2 года назад
@@anthonysimpson8110 Treasure the photo, they were fascinating times.
@geordiedog1749
@geordiedog1749 3 года назад
I spoke with a geezer at a festival in Oxfordshire who said that his step father had flown WW’s and they had been trying to get the go ahead for ‘intruder missions’ (his term) during the B of B. They wanted to follow the bombers back to their aerodromes and hit them as they landed. However, the brass “fucked about too much” ( his words again) and by the time it was green lighted the battle had essentially ended. The only other thing I’d heard was the WWs were being looked at by the FAA. They wanted a navalised version but got bogged down with whether to have an extra crewman or not.
@slayerdeth0705
@slayerdeth0705 3 года назад
Top 10 Military history channels on youtube.
@tonyjedioftheforest1364
@tonyjedioftheforest1364 3 года назад
Indeed a very interesting video. I can remember as a child in the 1960’s building an Airfix model of of it, one of the first that I ever built.
@kellybreen5526
@kellybreen5526 3 года назад
Well that article made a lot of sense and certainly turned everything I thought I knew about this aircraft on its ear. As always, I really appreciate your work, and I guess in this case the work of your primary source as well.
@ofeliawotsits6080
@ofeliawotsits6080 3 года назад
Nice to hear that Rotol blades were a success in the prototype. Becoming an apprentice at Dowty in 1978, blades were still a big part of their business, and they are still going. Always loved the look of the Whirlwind, it really did look the part with the cannons all mounted in the nose, it looked deadly. Two engines and the thin wing made it look like a race aircraft, and it should have been very fast. One of the early Airfix kits my Dad ever made when I was a kid.
@stephengardiner9867
@stephengardiner9867 3 месяца назад
WWII "heavy fighters" were almost invariably, crewed by at least two crew. As a twin-engined single seat fighter, this aircraft was in a rare category that included the American P-38 and the idea saw it's best incarnation as the DH Hornet, just post-war. It showed great potential and it is a shame that it was not refined and developed further.
@baselhammond3317
@baselhammond3317 3 года назад
I titled my recent artwork of this aeroplane 'under powered perfection' in contrast to the 'overpowered perfection' Brown described with the Hornet. I'm going to have to give that second thoughts now!
@pingpong5000
@pingpong5000 Год назад
Teddy Petter's obsession was to create small, lightweight, low-drag aircraft, if they wished to put Merlin's on it, they would have had to redesign the whole aircraft to carry the extra weight and power/torque, and that aircraft would have been the Welkin. The air ministry was looking for an aircraft to act as a flying test bed for the Frank Whittle jet engine and the Whirlwind was looked at for this but it was realized that even those jets would have been too heavy for the aircraft which is why it was left to Gloster to build one from scratch. The horsepower created by the early Merlin was less than a thousand so not much more than the Peregrine for a much heavier engine, also as all these engines were only around 40% efficient, the engines were actually producing near to 3000 HP but most of this was wasted due to heat, noise, friction drag, regarding the drag of the thick propellers and their extra drag and supersonic drag, keep in that mind.
@thewatcher5271
@thewatcher5271 3 года назад
Hey Ed, Yeah Everyone Should Ramble As Well As You! You're Definitely King Of The "What Ifs!" I Wonder How They Performed In Aerial Combat?
@rhannay39
@rhannay39 2 года назад
A great video.I went on to read the articles linked in the description. Talk about " so near, yet so far". This could have been a truly great aeroplane.
@Charlesputnam-bn9zy
@Charlesputnam-bn9zy Год назад
I remember seeing - that was in 1962 - in a 1944 (forgot the month) issue of the American FLYING Magazine an advertisement for scale models of warplanes of the time, including the Brewster Buffalo, Lockheed Hudson (with the tagline "Used with terrific results against Japs in the Solomons" !), the nazi Focke-Wulf FW-190, and the Westland Whirlwind. That's my 1st knowledge of this plane.
@nonsequitor
@nonsequitor 9 месяцев назад
Great video, and your "pushing air out of the way" explanation was bang on. Doesn't oversimplify.... that's really what's happening.
@johncrispin2118
@johncrispin2118 3 года назад
Thanks Ed, an excellent and concise summary of Petter’s little masterpiece (if a little flawed..the aircraft that is). The history of Petter with his superb designs and his career from Lysander to Lightning is truly revelatory, a lonely genius. His ‘peice de resistance’ the Canberra is testimony to his talent.
@joschmoyo4532
@joschmoyo4532 2 года назад
Canadair developed in the fifties an aircraft called the dynavert. It had tilting wings to provide vertical lift. Look it up on RU-vid. But what very few know is that the whirlwind was designed so that it could do the exact same thing. THAT is why it was developed with an engine that could run in both directions. Teddy Petters uncle Percy was the big driving influence in developing STOL/VTOL. The genius lay in adapting an airframe that could be converted to the same. Combining a tilting wing with fowler flaps thrust vectoring gave classified variants the ability to do high speed channel crossings and still land on very short to non existent landing site's in occupied France in particular. These variants though few in number were flown by the most highly skilled pilot's who built what they flew and knew the aircraft litteraly inside and out. The conventional wing spar was replaced by a tubular sleeved spar. All classified variants were fitted with self destruct to avoid the technical specifications falling in to enemy hands.
@assessor1276
@assessor1276 3 года назад
Excellent video! I must admit that I have alway had a soft spot for the rakish lines of the Whirlwind.
@cheesenoodles8316
@cheesenoodles8316 2 года назад
I am liking the Whirilwind even more.
@andreww9252
@andreww9252 8 месяцев назад
It's a wonderful-looking aircraft, I first saw its outline in a WWII comic book as a child, and I've always loved it despite its issues. What a cool looking plane!!
@PrivateWalker
@PrivateWalker 2 года назад
Really enjoyed your write up - Thank You! 👍👍👍
@promerops
@promerops 3 года назад
I hadn't known it was a Teddy Petter design. What a career that men had!
@sky_professor3051
@sky_professor3051 3 года назад
I still think this is one of the coolest looking British planes of ww2. This and the Mosquito are my favorite.
@andrewbranch4918
@andrewbranch4918 2 года назад
I still think it was a crying shame that she wasn't developed. The Whelkin proved it could be done. Beautiful aircraft. Imagine if we had her in time for the battle of Britain?
@ngauruhoezodiac3143
@ngauruhoezodiac3143 3 года назад
A twin engine layout reduces roll rate but can carry more concentrated firepower. The P 38 Lightning was quite successful.
@carlbillingham2670
@carlbillingham2670 3 года назад
Wow, wow, wow. Hold on a minute. The Kestrel engine was used in the prototype Messerschmidt Bf109. I wasn’t aware of that, now that, would make an excellent topic for a video! Keep up the great work Ed, I’ve been following your videos for a while now and the production has improved dramatically, your research is very thorough and the topics always interesting with just the right amount of quirky to catch my eye 👍
@EdNashsMilitaryMatters
@EdNashsMilitaryMatters 3 года назад
Thanks Carl
@Steve-GM0HUU
@Steve-GM0HUU 3 года назад
BF 109 production continued after WW2 in Czechoslovakia and Spain. I believe that a number of the Spanish built aircraft had Merlin engines. I also believe that today, if you see a Bf 109 flying, chances are it will have a Merlin.
@drfill9210
@drfill9210 3 года назад
Yeah the rolls Royce connecting to the me 109 is well known
@carlbillingham2670
@carlbillingham2670 3 года назад
Yes, I was familiar with the Merlins added to the Spanish variants after WWII, just not the Kestrel added to the German prototype before the war. Still think it would make for an interesting video…
@davidjones332
@davidjones332 2 года назад
The prototype Ju 87 also had a Kestrel -the German engine manufacturers were lagging behind at that point.
@patrickmichaelspencecooler4768
@patrickmichaelspencecooler4768 3 года назад
Makes perfect sense. Another thing to consider. As a Peregrine powered Whirlwind meant two less Hurricanes, a Merlin powered Whirlwind meant two less Spitfires, the one aircraft giving Göering nightmares. The Hurricane was an excellent ground attack aircraft and the Spit was excellent at altitude and outclassed all German fighters until the arrival of the Fw 190. The Whirlwind seemed to suffer from similar problems to the Me-110 basically and without on board radar it wouldn't cut the night fighter role. To put the nail in the coffin, The De Havilland Mosquito arrived in 1941. Game Over. They must have done something right with the airframe in the way of stability under high powered engines as the airframe is very similar to the Gloster Meteor. I built a model of a Whirlwind as a kid, along with most other popular combat aircraft of the European and Pacific theatres, I recognised it instantly.
@tommiatkins3443
@tommiatkins3443 2 года назад
My great grandfather flew whirlwinds and said that they were a great airplane. Took a while to get used to, but a lot of the problems he had was his Internet connection made the whole game laggy
@mark_delfino
@mark_delfino 3 года назад
Really good video Ed, you never stop learning with history, that's what is so fascinating about it. Engine/airframe mismatches is a favourite topic of mine - the struggles of the Merlin powered Halifax is a prime example. Thanks for sharing and linking to the Whirlwind project too.
@doglover31418
@doglover31418 3 года назад
Everyone knows the the Halifax went better with Hercules, but stranger is that the Lancaster BII went worse with Hercules.
@mark_delfino
@mark_delfino 3 года назад
@@doglover31418 Yep, true, also Eric Brown claimed he liked the mk II Lanc, although he may have been referring only to the experimental powered controls he was testing at the time. Airframe/engine matching is a great topic, the Mk 1 Buccaneer and Victor showed that sometimes less is more, although with some of their charactieristics sometimes less is just plain less:-)
@GBooth
@GBooth 3 года назад
@@mark_delfino A great observation!
@doglover31418
@doglover31418 3 года назад
@@mark_delfino Thanks. Since posting I've remembered that the Beaufighter also went better with Hercules than Merlin. I'd love to see an analysis of Halifax/Lanc/Beau to explain all this.
@richardvernon317
@richardvernon317 3 года назад
@@doglover31418 The problems with the Merlin powered Beaufighter and Halifax were the Tailfin / Rudder area wasn't big enough to deal with an engine failure. Thus if an engine was lost, the aircraft went out of control as the pilot didn't have enough control authority to deal with asymmetric thrust (which was greater on the merlin powered versions due to the props being much more forward of the wing than those on the Hercules powered ones (which was marginal to start with on the Beaufighter anyway)).
@colinmartin2921
@colinmartin2921 3 года назад
It was certainly a futuristic design, and was an exceptionally clean looking aircraft. Maybe with further development it could have been a major player in WWII.
@dphalanx7465
@dphalanx7465 3 года назад
While the Peregrine is the key problem, there are a lot of other things you could fix that would enhance and extend the service of the Whirlwind. 1] Belt feed for the cannon; doubling ammo load. 2] Cross-piping of fuel tanks; increasing range & mitigating battle damage. 3] Replacement of air intake filters with larger, more efficient types; improving engine performance. 4] Extension and further streamlining of nose; easier access to armament & increase in speed. 5] Removal of leading-edge slats; reduce landing problems & save weight. It would have surpassed the Hurricane and kept up with the Typhoon to the start of 1944 probably, seeing another year in service. In fact, a Whirlwind Mk.II with improved Peregrines; 100 octane fuel, and the improvements listed above might have delayed/reduced the numbers of Typhoons produced, if not stymied the type altogether.
@anthonyjackson280
@anthonyjackson280 2 года назад
I have often speculated on how a jet powered conversion of the Whirlwind would have performed.
@C90C60C30
@C90C60C30 2 года назад
Like your style mate. Interesting and informative. You have my subscription.
@Theogenerang
@Theogenerang 3 года назад
If you want a really good analysis of an aircraft type you have to look past accepted folklore and speak to someone like the late Captain Eric Brown. Someone with experience in a wide variety of aircraft will always be able to pick an aircrafts strong and weak points. I suspect many of the folks who wrote about the Whirlwind in the 1950's had little to no experience in the type, let alone test pilot experience. Glad to see this interesting aircraft given a second look.
@annoyingbstard9407
@annoyingbstard9407 2 года назад
Bit of a medium are you? 😂
@dimitrihayez6502
@dimitrihayez6502 Год назад
Thanks for this video.
@AdmV0rl0n
@AdmV0rl0n 2 года назад
This aircraft which has various failures laid against it, served in its latter role of attack aircraft - flying Rhubarb missions over Europe. The low numbers of planes (114) that got into service - did not stop these units becoming a royal pain in the arse to the Germans. They caused far more effect given their number than one might think. They became a scourge for enemy shipping, and train engines. They were well known also for being a match for the ME109 down low, and no pushover.
@romanbrough
@romanbrough 3 года назад
I recall reading an account by a Whirlwind pilot. He liked it, but he suggested that it needed three changes. 1. Switch to Merlin engines. 2. More ammunition. 3. The ability to move fuel between engines. Their squadron gave up the Whirlwinds and were given Hurricanes. They were not at all impressed.
@wingmanjim6
@wingmanjim6 2 года назад
As always a superb presentation ! Thank you so much for all of your videos - great stuff !
@nickbrough8335
@nickbrough8335 2 года назад
Looking at the success of the Mosquito and P-38, there is no doubt that the W Whirlwind would have been very welcome addition during the Battle of Britain. Thereafter the RAF didnt have much tactical need for such an aircraft and in the ground attack the Beaufighter and Mosquito were both more than adequate. In hindsight, if there had been fewer issues with the Peregrine engine, then there ought to have been more opportunity to test out other aspects of the design (cooling, flaps and propeller) before the WW entered service.
@shawnbeckmann1847
@shawnbeckmann1847 2 года назад
Although it never lived up to expectations that's one of my favorite aircraft I just love the way it looks
@mattthomas2836
@mattthomas2836 2 года назад
Winner , informed, ace .
@leftcoaster67
@leftcoaster67 3 года назад
You need to tutor the guy that makes dark skies. You do everything better. Good pace, well researched. Well done!
@NeilFLiversidge
@NeilFLiversidge 2 года назад
Whatever else, it sure was a beautiful aircraft.
@firemonkeyzodiac1018
@firemonkeyzodiac1018 3 года назад
Flaps were not only used for take-off and landing but also in high G turns.
@tartan_ninja69
@tartan_ninja69 2 года назад
Very informative, love these Videos, keep em coming Ed :)
@FAMUCHOLLY
@FAMUCHOLLY 3 года назад
Excellent analysis Ed. THANKS!
@jackthebassman1
@jackthebassman1 3 года назад
Excellent piece on a rare-ish aircraft, many thanks for posting.
@demos113
@demos113 3 года назад
Really good job on the update. :-)
@pushbikeman
@pushbikeman 3 года назад
Remember building an Airfix model when about 12 and thinking this is my favourite! - So much for if it looks right it flies right - as the aircraft looks fantastic!
@JunkMan13013
@JunkMan13013 3 года назад
It was pretty, got to give it that
@AnthonyHandcock
@AnthonyHandcock 3 года назад
It certainly is and that's more than good enough for me to call it a great aircraft. If anybody says otherwise I'll either have to hunt them down like the dogs they are or ignore them.
@drfill9210
@drfill9210 3 года назад
I always liked it.
@GBooth
@GBooth 3 года назад
Definitely a good-looking machine. Sadly, kind of like the knockout that's fun to be around for brief periods, but can't hold up a long conversation and turns out to be a limp noodle in bed! Yes, I know I'll get smacked for this.
@daszieher
@daszieher 3 года назад
@@GBooth 😃 Like your humour. Although it cannot have been that bad up close and personal, as the pilots who flew it seem to have been fond of it.
@alanrainey5022
@alanrainey5022 2 года назад
I like the comment about aircraft during wartime need to be as simple as possible.
@billdyke9745
@billdyke9745 3 года назад
So De Havilland scuppered the Whirlwind in order to make the Mosquito look good... The buggers!.. Having been born and raised in Yeovil I've always had a soft spot for Westland products. So many thanks, Ed, for shifting the responsibility for the failure of this gorgeous aircraft to a rival factory. (Joking)... A very interesting reassessment, as ever. 👍
@GBooth
@GBooth 3 года назад
I don;t recall that De Havilland was mentioned anywhere in the video. Where on earth did you come up with that?!?
@billdyke9745
@billdyke9745 3 года назад
@@GBooth the propeller that worked less well than the one on the prototype was made by De Havilland.
@GBooth
@GBooth 3 года назад
@@billdyke9745 That's a stretch. The Mosquito was designed to a totally different purpose and specification than the Whirlwind, and one that came some time later, as well. There's zero evidence of any attempt by DeHavilland to saddle the Whirlwind with poor props. Rather, it was a problem that was evident on many aircraft of the period in Britain, as well as the US and Germany. The difficulty - and it wasn't limited solely to DeHavilland's propeller division - was that the trans-sonic aerodynamics of propellers were poorly understood at that time. The shame is that no one in the RAF, at Westlands in the MAP or at the A&AEE or RAE ever thought to ask why the performance of the second prototype Whirlwind was superior at altitude to the production examples. Given the economic and resource considerations already in play in the Air MInistry and the MAP in the late '30's however this understanding - had it come - would likely have been too late to save the Whirlwind in any event.
@billdyke9745
@billdyke9745 3 года назад
@@GBooth I was, of course, joking...
@johndell3642
@johndell3642 3 года назад
I think you're mixing up the Westland Whirlwind with the Westland Wyvern. I can't find any description of the crash you describe that matches any crash of a Whirlwind. However, it matches exactly the loss of the second Westland Wyvern prototype (VP113) on 31st October 1949. During a demonstration flight the engine failed and the pilot (Squadron Leader Michael A Graves) tried to make an emergency landing but overshot - Killing 5 year old Ann Wilkins and 40-year-old Edith Brown. 57-year-old Elsie Hockey died of her injuries shortly afterwards. Full details of the crash are on the Aviation safety website. aviation-safety.net/wikibase/74680
@RedXlV
@RedXlV Год назад
Before you even got to the explanation of the real rason why a Merlin-powered Whirlwind was never made, I was already saying "It's because it would use twice as many Merlins as a Spitfire or Hurricane." Though honestly it would've been really interesting if the RAF had stripped a few Merlins out other, less useful aircraft for testing in the Whirlwind.
@pizzagogo6151
@pizzagogo6151 3 года назад
That was great thanks, like everyone I always looked at it as great plane bad engines...The whirlwind still comes across as missed opportunity but exactly as you describe also people can forget the context of Britain’s wartime realities, not persisting with too many projects but sticking to making a lot of what was known to work ( especially for an aircraft that didn’t seem to have a role)- did make practical sense. (In a direct contrast to so a lot of Germanys lack of sense in project management). Sad , as it would be awesome if these had made in enough numbers for some to still be around & flying today.
@PedroConejo1939
@PedroConejo1939 3 года назад
Well, that told me. Everything I thought I knew about the Whirlwind, apart from its name, was wrong. Not that I knew a great deal anyway.
@EdNashsMilitaryMatters
@EdNashsMilitaryMatters 3 года назад
Me too 😁
@GBooth
@GBooth 3 года назад
"if it looks right, it is right." Not so much...
@darkiee69
@darkiee69 3 года назад
@@GBooth Until some bean counter screw it up by changing something..
@daszieher
@daszieher 3 года назад
You knew it was pretty. That is still right.
@pnkemp
@pnkemp 3 года назад
So a far better solution to the Whirlwind’s problems would be to find another smallish engine that might suit it, perhaps even a radial to eliminate the troublesome radiators.
@mr.gunzaku437
@mr.gunzaku437 3 года назад
OMG!!!!! MY FAVORITE WW2 FIGHTER GETS ITS OWN, ABOVE 5-MINUTE VIDEO!!! I remember when you did that original video and thought "holy crap! My favorite WW2 fighter gets its own video!" Thank you much for both! Sounds like the production was set to fail from the start due to its design compromises, prop changes, and bureaucracy.
@michaeldillon3022
@michaeldillon3022 3 года назад
Love that plane!!!....nice to see a vid on it!!
@markgranger9150
@markgranger9150 3 года назад
It amazes me that the smaller less powerful Kestrel engine had a three bladed prop and the Spitfire and Hurricane with the more powerful Merlin had a two bladed wooden prop.
@JohnyG29
@JohnyG29 3 года назад
No, the Spits and Hurricanes quickly switched to 3 bladed props.
@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935
@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935 11 месяцев назад
You think of time🙄 There was no Whirlwind when the wooden fixed pitch props were in use.
@keithlemon457
@keithlemon457 3 года назад
The ironic thing is that the P-51 Mustang had a dire performance with its original Alison engine, but when they put in a Packard-Merlin it was transformed into the world beater it became. As the narration said, IF ONLY they had tried a Merlin in the Whirlwind, who knows it might have proved as good as the post war Hornet...........
@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935
@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935 11 месяцев назад
Nonsense, the Mustang I was exceptionally fast at low and medium altitudes, the RAF used them for fast low level photo reconnaissance until the end if the war. No more were made after the development of the Merlin P-51.
@LMTDDS
@LMTDDS Год назад
Beautiful design. Esthetically pleasing. Too bad such a short service life.
@Simon_Nonymous
@Simon_Nonymous 3 года назад
Thanks Ed - Dinger's webpages look great, and his page on the Whirlwind was fab. As someone else has said, I wonder what Greg's Airplanes would make of this.... (probably an excellent 45 minute video with lots of NACA references and at least three graphs!)
@steveduvall3137
@steveduvall3137 2 года назад
Thank you. That was fascinating.
@tomroland2315
@tomroland2315 2 года назад
Adding to the "what if" debate regarding use of Rolls-Royce Merlin engines I think it should be recognised that the Merlin was initially not suited to mass production. The engine was built on the bench with components hand fitted. The Americans were the first to truly mass produce the engine on an assembly line using new drawings with tighter tolerances. This radically increased the number of engines available.
@adolfshitler
@adolfshitler 2 года назад
No matter how hard you try, you just can't beat the good old Mozzy!
@barryervin8536
@barryervin8536 3 года назад
Re-powering the Whirlwind with Merlin engines would have required it to be made into almost a different airplane. It's surprisingly small and light for a twin engine fighter. The original concept was a fighter with high power from 2 relatively small engines. A Merlin powered Whirlwind would have had to be the size of the Mosquito.
@stevejohnson4774
@stevejohnson4774 3 года назад
Westland themselves proposed a Merlin powered Whirlwind and is evidenced by the letter mentioned in the video which survives in the national archive although a copy can be found on the secretprojects site. It maybe a widely held belief a Whirlwind could not accept Merlins but is one that holds no water - you are essentially arguing against the designers and manufacturers
@jerryavalos9610
@jerryavalos9610 3 года назад
Perhaps not, look at the DeHavilland Hornet. Small twin engine fighter with two 2000 hp Merlins.
@SvenTviking
@SvenTviking 3 года назад
If they had developed the Peregrines, in the same way as the Merlin, they could have seen 12-1,350 hp and well over 400 mph. But it was a single aircraft engine, and as such, not worth keeping the production line open,
@pylon500
@pylon500 3 года назад
One almost wonders if they would have just got ONE of the latest Merlin, and stuck it on the nose and put the canons out in the wings...
@nicholasconder4703
@nicholasconder4703 3 года назад
@@stevejohnson4774 Barry has a point. The issue lies in weights and balances. Adding two Merlins to the airframe would have increased the weight in front of the centre of lift, a change in the centre of mass requiring a redesign of the wings, changing the fuselage, or some other change to facilitate using the larger and heavier engines. It would be like the Boeing 737 Max-8 problem all over again, without computer assistance to compensate for the change in aerodynamic performance of the aircraft.
@gerhardris
@gerhardris 3 года назад
Great video. Indeed puts all I thought I knew onthis may I state brilliant combat aircraft. Mach problems with props at the start of the war is a problem new to me. Yet seeing your great video Ed the reason this plane failed is the concept requirement of an interceptor in stead of longrange escort as primanal war.
@jimsvideos7201
@jimsvideos7201 Год назад
Minor point: The speed of sound appears to vary with altitude, but it varies only because of temperature; the appearance is of course due to temperature decreasing with altitude.
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