Westland WS-51 Dragonfly

what is it?

The Westland WS-51 Dragonfly helicopter was built by Westland Aircraft and is an Anglicised licence-built version of the American Sikorsky S-51.

🔎How to recognise it: 1 piston engine · 14.9 m main rotor

base stats

• speed 166 km/htop speed
• seats 3passengers
• size 2,663 kgmax take-off weight
• built 149made in total

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 78 years ago, in 1948.
• 🚗Rotor of 14.9 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

1948-10-05

introduced

1950

status

retired

number built

149

role

rescue or communications helicopter

origin

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

makers

Westland Aircraft

engines

1× Alvis Leonides 521/1

crew

1

passengers

3

length

17.5 m

rotor diameter

14.9 m

height

4 m

max take-off weight

2,663 kg

top speed

166 km/h

cruise speed

137 km/h

range

—

ceiling

3,353 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.

family