Westland PV-3
| Westland PV-3 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Torpedo bombers |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
1931 |
| Number of pieces: |
1 |
The Westland PV-3 was a two-seat British torpedo bomber built by Westland Aircraft in the 1930s . It was a private development (PV = Private Venture) based on the Westland Wapiti and was never mass-produced. It was one of the two planes that flew over Mount Everest together for the first time .
history
The aim of the development of this aircraft, flown for the first time in 1931, was to arouse interest in the British Air Ministry in a torpedo bomber version of the Westland Wapiti. After this failed, the model aircraft registered as G-ACAZ was converted. It received an additional rear cabin and a 391 kW Bristol Pegasus engine in order to attempt to fly over Mount Everest in 1933. During a test flight started in Yeovil , the aircraft reached an altitude of 35,000 feet (10,668 meters) on January 25, 1933.
On April 3, 1933, the Westland PV-3 , flown by Lord Clydesdale and accompanied by a Westland PV-6 , was one of the first two aircraft to fly over Mount Everest. In July of the same year it was displayed in a Selfridges department store in London .
In December 1933 it was handed over to the Bristol Aircraft Company as a test vehicle for engines with the military registration number "K4048" . The aircraft is sometimes referred to as "Houston Westland" in honor of Lady Houston, who financed the expedition in 1933.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 2 |
| length | 10.41 m |
| span | 14.17 m |
| height | |
| Wing area | 46.45 m² |
| Wing extension | |
| Empty mass | 1624 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 2209 kg |
| Top speed | 262 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 10,668 m |
| Range | |
| Engines | 1 × Bristol Pegasus - radial engine , 391 kW |
| Armament |
swell
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985) . Orbis Publishing (English).
- AJ Jackson: British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 3 . Putnam, London 1974, ISBN 0-370-10014-X (English).