Westland Whirlwind
 

I've just finished reading a fascinating book about this little-known (to me at least) aircraft and there are a number of references to aircraft becoming u/s or aborting missions due to exactor (sometime capitalised) failure. It appears this is something in the Peregrine engine but anybody know what the exactor is/does?

Interestingly, out of a total production of 116 aircraft (at £27000 each), just two survived the war to be returned to Westlands. 40 were lost/missing in action or crashed on returning to UK after contact with the enemy whilst 74 were damaged in accidents or otherwise struck off charge. Despite this apparently high loss rate it seems the pilots liked the aeroplane.

The book (highly recommended) is 263 and 137 Squadrons, The Whirlwind Years by Robert Bowater ISBN 9781781552452

Exactor was a throttle control system which used a hydraulic type linkage instead of the usual rods/wires/levers. They had a reputation for needing bleeding/priming frequently.
Used on several of Shorts big aeroplanes, where the control runs were long. Why Westland used them on a relatively small aeroplane I do not know

By all accounts the Peregrine was a bit of a dog, to mix metaphors. Now had they had Merlins available and able to modify the aircraft to take them, what a fighter that might have been

It's such a shame that none survive.

Like many Teddy Petter designs, it had its serious flaws. The main one in this case concerns the advisability of routing exhaust pipes through the middle of fuel tanks on a combat aeroplane.

The potential consequences are left as an exercise for the reader.

PDR

A super looking aircraft, I remember having an Airfix kit of one which was tricky to build with the mid fin mounted tailplane, at the time I wondered why it was not made in any quantity.

Didn't Mr Petter go for the hot exhaust /fuel tanks combo on another design as well

The Whirlwind Fighter Project ;
http://www.whirlwindfighterproject.org/

The main reason for its demise was RR abandoning the Peregrine to concentrate on its other engine programmes. I also think I read somewhere that the 150 Octane petrol it needed wasn't in overly abundant supply.

PDR

There's a partial replica in the City Of Norwich Aviation Museum. It's quite impressive!

There is a Whirlwind association.A full size replica is being built.

See Post#7 above ; http://www.whirlwindfighterproject.org/ . :ok:

They might even have given it a similar name like (for instance) 'Welkin'.

They might get more interest if their website didn't require membership just to look at the News section.

My apologies, the new link worked - when I tried from the US, the website required me to log in as a member.

Well, thanks for that. Welkin was not an aeroplane I knew anything about

I'm not a member, but I can read the newsletters. The only thing I can't do is post comments, which seems perfectly reasonable.

As DaveReidUK says above , no membership required to read the news reports , the latest of which is via the link here ;

http://www.whirlwindfighterproject.o...tter?page=last

The Welkin was originally designed as a high altitude interceptor but according to Wikepedia by the time it entered service there were no high altitude enemy flights to intercept. I reckon it would have made a good long range bomber escort but as far as I can see it wasn't used in this role.

I did read that the Merlin was considered but the Whirlwind performed as well as it did partly because of the low frontal area which the Peregrines permitted. I have seen a 1/72 model made by fitting an Airfix Whirlwind with the engines from an Airfix Mosquito and it did look most odd.

Later in the war it might have been possible (the 'slimline Merlin' or some such) but by then P51s were available providing the same range.

Over 100 Welkin airframes were built including 26 in which engines were never fitted, so almost the same production as the Whirlwind.

Quick google shows the Merlin to be 200kg heavier than the Peregrine, the engine bearers and associated structures plus the wing centre section would
almost certainly need to be strengthened.

Not worth developing at that stage of the war, Beaufighter was already carrying out long range shipping strikes and later supplemented by the Mosquito.

DH Hornet/Grumman Tigercat show where that concept ended up.