This plane we need

[N8DOG]

Here is a cool plane that would be cool. 4 20mm and 1000 lbs of bombs. The design was hampered by weak engines, was talked about putting Merlins on it and study shows that if the Merlins were installed it would have out paced all other fighters on the allied side20_eme_siecle/avions/gb/whirlwind.html[/URL]whirlwind

[frank3]

I think it participated the war almost at the end, and then we wouldnt have a 2nd WW would we?

nice plane though, would certainly be nice to fly, something like our Lightning.

[ra]

I think it participated the war almost at the end,

It entered service early in the war, but not too many saw combat.

[ramzey]

no, we dont need him
how many was in service? 100-120?
We need many planes , but this one is not on the list:cool:

[frank3]

Originally posted by ra
It entered service early in the war, but not too many saw combat.

just like the P-38, not many where build, because it lacked the manoeuvrability of the P-51

[Karnak]

Originally posted by frank3
just like the P-38, not many where build, because it lacked the manoeuvrability of the P-51

Er, no.

The Whirlwind had a lot of potential, but was designed around Roll-Royce Peregrine engines, which were chronically unreliable.  They considered redesigning it for Merlins, but decided to simply cancel it instead.

The Whirlwind saw service in the BoB and as cross channel Rhubarb raiders.

112 were built.


By comparison, 9,923 P-38s were built.

[Replicant]

The Whirlwind was effectively replaced by the Hawker Typhoon and Hawker Hurricane IV in 1943.  The Whirlwind only equipped three squadrons, one very briefly (25 Sqn), and saw most service with 137 Sqn and with 263 Sqn, which our AH Typhoon also belongs to.  

It had 4 x 20mm Hispano Mk.I Type 404 cannons in the nose and 60 rounds per gun.  Eventually they made a Fighter-Bomber version which could be equipped with either 2 x 250lb bombs or 2 x 500lb.

The powerplant was 2 x Rolls Royce Peregrin V12 engines which were based on the RR Kestrel engine.  These were rated at 885 hp at 15,000ft giving it a top speed of 360mph (or 270mph as a Fighter Bomber).  Diving speed was around 400 mph.

As Karnak mentioned, there were only 114 (67 of which were converted to Fighter Bomber variant) aircraft produced out of an original order for 200.

Nice plane, lot of potential, but poor engine choice sealed its fate.  Since all the RR Merlin engines were in demand for single engined fighters or heavy bombers, the Whirlwind really didn't stand a chance.  It was completely obsolete by mid-1944.

[Rasker]

I seem to recall they tried to use it as a night interceptor during the Blitz of 40-41, but lack of effective radar guidance doomed it.  It made a pretty good tactical raider tho.

[Dowding]

I know it's rare, but it is such a brutal looking thing, I think it would be a good addition to AH. There are other planes that are more pressing, however, but we shouldn't discount the Whirlwind.

[RRAM]

The germans had their own history with a plane similar to this one.

Fw187 "falke".

 That thing was a damned beast, but as always the RLM was too much stupid and short-sighted to adopt the Me110 over the Fw187 ,that was by a wide margin a much better plane.

[VO101_Isegrim]

Originally posted by Karnak


The Whirlwind saw service in the BoB and as cross channel Rhubarb raiders.

112 were built.

 

AFAIK, thought Whirwind squadrons were raised durig BoB, none of them saw action as the production of Whirwinds was slow. They saw action for the first time in early 1941.

All in all, the design was very much plagued with the lack of a rear MG and range, unreliable engines, and inability to pump the fuel from a damaged engine`s fuel tank to the other. Wing loading was quite high as well. But it has great looks nevertheless.

[Walker42]

In an attempt to deal with the problems in Europe, the British wanted to add to its air force. They tried to design a twin-engine fighter, but their design was dead in the water, and was abandoned. They expressed interest in the Model 322 fighter. They originally ordered 667 of the "Lightning I", but after the Battle of Britain, they reduced that number to 143. After a British test pilot gave bad reports after flying the aircraft, the British would only accept 3 total aircraft. At the same time, the Unites States Army did not want to use their limited quantity of turbochargers for export. Basically, the British would be receiving "castrated" P-38s. This would cause the aircraft to lose too much performance at high altitudes.

Robert Gross consulted with many legal executives, and recommended that Lockheed proceed with the production of the aircraft based on the original plan. This resulted in a standoff between Lockheed and the British Air Ministry. The models in production were eventually converted to Air Corps specifications. Because these P-38s did not contain superchargers, many would be used at twin engine trainers.

The British refusal of this aircraft was attributed to three main reasons. First of all the Battle of Britain was over and the immediate threat was substantially reduced. Secondly, the British treasury was in shambles and could not afford to obtain everything it needed. Lastly, they were concerned with the tail flutter problems, even though it had been researched and corrected. The British lost tremendous amounts of money on their twin-engine Westland Whirland design, but they were afraid of another problem-plagued design. In fact British test pilots who flew the Model 322 felt it was a good plane to fly, but would not be able to deliver the performance needed at high altitudes against the Luftwaffe. The British were in no position to use valuable personnel and resources to experiment with different setups on the Model 322. Many people have speculated what would have happened if they adapted a Merlin engine (the ones used on the P-51) in the Model 322. Unfortunately this will never be known. What is known is that only 3 of these aircraft were ever delivered to the British, and the remaining undelivered aircraft served valuable training and experimentation roles.

The only reason I know about the Whirland was in researching why Britians was interested in the Model 322, or P-38 Lightning.    Seems the Whirland project was considered a failure, and abandoned.

[Jester]

Pass

[Replicant]

The P38 Lightning was chosed by the RAF because it was completely different to what the P38 turned into.  Okay, it looked the same but the prototype the RAF had didn't have counter rotating props and I don't think it had a good blower on it either.  It didn't perform well and handled like a pig.