1 photo from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Saro P.531 58: TSRL· CC BY-SA 3.0
what is it?
The Saro P.531 (or Saunders-Roe P.531) is a British all-metal five-seat helicopter designed and built by Saunders-Roe Limited (Saro). The P.531 was a larger development of the two-seat Saro Skeeter to use turbine power and formed the basis of the military Westland Scout and Westland Wasp helicopters.
How to recognise it: 1 engine · 9.9 m main rotor
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 68 years ago, in 1958.
- Rotor of 9.9 m: about 2 cars parked nose to tail.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1958-07-20
- introduced
- 1959
- number built
- 6
- role
- five-seat utility helicopter
- makers
- Saunders-Roe
- engines
- 1× Blackburn-Turbomeca Turmo turboshaft
- crew
- 2
- passengers
- 5
- length
- 8.8 m
- rotor diameter
- 9.9 m
- height
- 2.9 m
- max take-off weight
- 1,724 kg
- top speed
- 194 km/h
- cruise speed
- 175 km/h
- range
- 390 km
- ceiling
- 700 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
family
Sources: Wikidata Q2227623, Wikipedia: Saro P.531 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.