Westland Widgeon (fixed wing)

Westland Aircraft

Industry	Aerospace
Founded	1915 in Yeovil, United Kingdom
Headquarters	Yeovil , United Kingdom
Products	Aircraft including Westland Widgeon, Westland Wapiti, Westland IV airliner

For the 1950s helicopter, see Westland Widgeon (helicopter).

The Westland Widgeon was a light British aircraft from the 1920s era. Featuring a single engine and a parasol monoplane configuration, it was manufactured in limited quantities before Westland ceased its production in 1929.

Development and design

In 1924, the British Air Ministry aimed to stimulate the creation of affordable civil aircraft tailored for private owners and flying clubs. To achieve this, they sponsored a competition for a two-seat ultralight plane powered by an engine no larger than 1100 cc in displacement and capable of carrying at least 340 lb (150 kg) of payload. In response, Westland Aircraft designed two models: the biplane Westland Woodpigeon and the parasol monoplane Widgeon. Unable to determine which design would perform better, Westland proceeded to produce both.

The Widgeon had its maiden flight at Westland’s factory in Yeovil on 22 September 1924, just eight days following the first Woodpigeon. Its fuselage shared many similarities with that of the Woodpigeon, constructed from a combination of steel tubing and wood. The wooden parasol wing, tapered in both chord and thickness, was designed to fold for convenient storage. Power was supplied by a single 1,090 cc three-cylinder radial engine, the Blackburne Thrush, delivering 35 hp (26 kW).

The Air Ministry’s Light Aircraft competition took place at Lympne Aerodrome, Kent, commencing on 27 September. Due to the underpowered nature of the Thrush engine—an issue shared with the Woodpigeon—the Widgeon crashed on the initial day of trials. Despite this early failure, it became evident that the Widgeon showed greater potential than the Woodpigeon. The damaged prototype was subsequently rebuilt as the Widgeon II, fitted with a more powerful 60 hp (45 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Genet engine. Although heavier, this upgrade significantly enhanced performance, increasing speed by nearly 40 mph (64 km/h). On 18 September 1926, the Widgeon competed in the Grosvenor Cup air race held at Lympne. Despite achieving an average speed of 105 miles per hour (169 km/h), the fastest recorded in that event, it did not win due to the handicapping rules; victory went to a Blackburn Bluebird. The only Widgeon II was sold in January 1928 but met with a fatal accident on 10 October 1930.

Building on these developments, Westland opted to produce the Widgeon for private ownership. The design was simplified by replacing the tapered wing of earlier versions with a constant chord wing to facilitate manufacturing. This version, known as the Widgeon III, could be equipped with either radial engines like the Genet or inline engines such as the Cirrus. The first flight of the Widgeon III occurred in March 1927, with production commencing later that year. Further improvements led to the Widgeon IIIA, featuring a fuselage constructed from duralumin tubing and a redesigned undercarriage.

Despite its qualities, the Widgeon was relatively costly compared to rival models. Altogether, only 26 units across all variants—including prototypes—were produced before manufacturing ceased in 1930. Westland then redirected focus toward producing military aircraft like the Westland Wapiti and commercial planes such as the Westland IV airliner.

Variants

Widgeon I

Equipped with a single 35 hp Blackburne Thrush radial engine. Only one unit constructed.

Widgeon II

An upgraded version of Widgeon I, fitted with a 60 hp Armstrong Siddeley Genet radial engine.

Widgeon III

Redesigned for series manufacturing, this model was powered by either the ADC Cirrus II or III inline engine, Genet II radial, ABC Hornet, or de Havilland Gipsy engines. A total of 18 were produced.

Widgeon IIIA

A Widgeon III variant featuring a metal fuselage and revised landing gear, powered by either Cirrus or Gipsy engines. Seven units were built.

Specifications (IIIA)

File:Westland Widgeon 3-view NACA-TM-289.jpg

Three-view illustration of the Westland Widgeon I from NACA-TM-289