Westland-Hill Pterodactyl
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The Westland-Hill Pterodactyl were a series of experimental aircraft designs starting in the 1920s named after the pterosaur.
They were designed by Geoffrey T. R. Hill and built by Westland Aircraft. The first were high wing tailess monoplanes with fully moving wingtips for control built to overcome the issue of stalling and spinning. Later designs included fighter and transport aircraft.
The designs were credited as being inspired by observation of seagulls and used fully moving outer wingtips for control. If both tips were moved in the same way they functioned as elevators, in opposite ways then as ailerons In most case the monoplane wing was supported by struts from a stubby lower wing giving them some of the appearance of an unequal span biplane.
[edit] Aircraft
- Pterodactyl I
- Pterodactyl IA
- Bristol Cherub engine
- Pterodactyl IB
- Armstrong Siddeley Genet
- Pterodactyl IV
- Pterodactyl V
- fighter design with a 600 hp Rolls-Royce Goshawk engine and 2 Vickers machine guns.
- Pterodactyl VI.
- Designed to Specification F.5/33 for a 2 seater fighter aircraft with front mounted turret. Pusher engine design with powered, front-mounted, gun turret.
- Pterodactyl Mk VII
- designed to specification R1/33. Flying boat with two tractor and two pusher engines
- Short Brothers-Hill Pterodactyl VIII
- flying wing transatlantic passenger aircraft with 5 pusher Rolls-Royce Griffon engines
The Pterodactyl 1A of 1925 is held by the Science Museum London
[edit] References
- British Aircraft directory 9 February 2007
- Intriguing aircraft 9 February 2007
- Westland history 9 February 2007
