Westland Dreadnought

Westland Aircraft · United Kingdom · first flew 1924 · transport aircraft

The Westland Dreadnought was a large experimental British monoplane of 1923–1924, designed to demonstrate a thickly cambered parasol wing for stable, slow-speed civil transport operations. It proved aerodynamically problematic.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, tapered
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	17.08 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Early 1920s British experimental low-wing monoplane airliner
Unusual thickly cambered wing section for slow flight
Single prototype — never entered service

Large low-wing monoplane with an unusually thick, deeply cambered wing and an enclosed passenger cabin; its wing section gave it a distinctive hunched appearance unlike contemporary transports.

Specifications

The Westland Dreadnought has a length of 17.08 m (56 ft).
It has a wingspan of 21.19 m (70 ft).
Its maximum speed is 164 km/h (102 mph).
Typical crew: 2 + passengers.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Designed by Arthur Davenport and first flown in May 1924, the Dreadnought was Westland's ambitious attempt at a large commercial monoplane at a time when biplanes dominated. Its very thick-section cantilever wing produced excessive drag and stability problems, and after a near-fatal incident the aircraft was rebuilt and eventually abandoned without entering service.

Variants

A single prototype was built and substantially modified after its initial problems; no production followed.

Where you'll see it

The Dreadnought never entered commercial service; it remained a one-off experimental aircraft operated by Westland at Yeovil.

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