Saunders-Roe P.531
| Saunders-Roe P.531 | |
|---|---|
 Saunders-Roe P.531
|
|
| Type: | light multipurpose helicopter |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
July 20, 1958 |
| Commissioning: |
1959 |
| Production time: |
1958-1960 |
| Number of pieces: |
5 |
The Saunders-Roe P.531 was a five-seat light helicopter produced by the British company Saunders-Roe . It is a further development of the two-seater Saunders-Roe Skeeter and is in turn the forerunner of the Westland Scout family.
history
With the successful takeover of the two-seat Cierva Skeeter as the first helicopter in the Saunders-Roe portfolio, the idea of developing an enlarged version with 5 seats was born. In just two years of development work, a total of six machines were created, but series production only started under the new owner Westland Aircraft . While the name P.531 was initially retained after the takeover, Westland changed the name to Westland Scout in 1961. This final model of the helicopter had several, sometimes only minor, changes and improvements compared to the original P.531, but the dimensions of the helicopter were significantly larger and the performance of the turbines used was better than the Saunders-Roe P.531.
construction
Like the Skeeter, the P.531 had a two-part fuselage structure made of an aluminum alloy. The front fuselage section comprised the fully glazed cabin, the fuel tanks and the engine area. The rearward tapered boom formed the rear fuselage section, which ended in a fin with the balance rotor. Basic elements such as the structure of the tail boom or the rotor configuration were also adopted from the Skeeter and only enlarged in size to take account of the increased weight. The cabin was extended for a rear bench seat.
Versions
The two prototypes of the P.531 manufactured under the direction of Saunders-Roe were supplemented by further prototypes after the takeover by Westland. Since these were initially based on the P.531, they are also listed here.
- Saunders-Roe P.531
- First prototype, equipped with a Blackburn Turbomeca Turmo 603 free-wheeling shaft turbine with 294 kW (400 PS), throttled to 242 kW (325 PS). It made its maiden flight on July 20, 1958.
- Saunders-Roe P.531-0
- The second prototype, also equipped with the Blackburn-Turbomeca Turmo. It differed from its predecessor through changes to the tail boom. Its first flight was on September 30, 1958.
- (Westland) P.531-1
- First test specimen under the direction of Westland, equipped with the Bristol Siddeley Nimbus turbine with a throttled 467 kW (635 PS) output. Its first flight took place on August 9, 1959.
- (Westland) P.531-2
- Second Westland test copy, this time with a throttled de Havilland Gnome H.1000 turbine that delivered 504 kW (685 hp). First flight: May 3, 1960.
- (Westland) P.531-2 Scout AH.Mk 1
- Pre-production model of the later Westland Scout, delivered to the British Army. Driven by the later standard Bristol Nimbus 101/102 turbine with 722 kW (980 hp), this machine took off on August 4, 1960.
The following series models no longer bore the designation P.531, so that the P.531-2 Scout AH.Mk 1 represents the last version in the history of this type.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data P.531 |
|---|---|
| Construction year | 1958 |
| Manufacturer | Saunders-Roe Ltd. |
| Rotor diameter | 9.91 m |
| Hull length | 8.84 m |
| height | 2.90 m |
| crew | 2 + 3 |
| Top speed | 195 km / h |
| Range | 390 km |
| Engine | Blackburn-Turbomeca Turmo shaft turbine , throttled to 242 kW (325 PS) |
literature
- Peter London: Saunders and Saro Aircraft since 1917 . Putnam Publishing, London 1988, ISBN 0-85177-814-3 .
- Giorgio Apostolo: World Encyclopedia of Airplanes, Volume 3 . Südwest-Verlag, Munich 1984, ISBN 3-517-00851-6 .