Westland-Hill Pterodactyl
Encyclopedia
The Westland-Hill Pterodactyl series of experimental tailess
or flying wing
aircraft designs were developed starting in the 1920s. They are named after the genus Pterodactylus
, a well-known type of Pterosaur
commonly known as the pterodactyl.
They were designed by Geoffrey T. R. Hill
and built by Westland Aircraft
, having their first flights from RAF Andover
. The first (Pterodactyl I, IA and IB) were high wing tailess monoplanes with fully moving wingtips for control built to overcome the issue of stalling and spinning. In some designs the main upper wing was supported by struts from a stubby lower wing to form a sesquiplane (unequal-span biplane). Later designs included fighter and transport aircraft.
The designs were credited as being inspired by observation of seagulls and used fully moving outer wingtips for control. If both tips were moved in the same way they functioned as elevator
s, in opposite ways then as aileron
s
The pioneer tailless aircraft designer John William Dunne
assisted Hill with the early designs.
London.
Tailless aircraft
A tailless aircraft traditionally has all its horizontal control surfaces on its main wing surface. It has no horizontal stabilizer - either tailplane or canard foreplane . A 'tailless' type usually still has a vertical stabilising fin and control surface...
or flying wing
Flying wing
A flying wing is a tailless fixed-wing aircraft which has no definite fuselage, with most of the crew, payload and equipment being housed inside the main wing structure....
aircraft designs were developed starting in the 1920s. They are named after the genus Pterodactylus
Pterodactylus
Pterodactylus is a genus of pterosaurs, whose members are popularly known as pterodactyls. It was the first to be named and identified as a flying reptile...
, a well-known type of Pterosaur
Pterosaur
Pterosaurs were flying reptiles of the clade or order Pterosauria. They existed from the late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous Period . Pterosaurs are the earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight...
commonly known as the pterodactyl.
They were designed by Geoffrey T. R. Hill
Geoffrey T. R. Hill
Professor Geoffrey Terence Roland Hill MC, M.Sc, M.I.Mech.E., FRAeS , was a British aeronautical engineer.He was a pilot with No. 29 Squadron RFC and later a test pilot during the First World War as was his brother...
and built by Westland Aircraft
Westland Aircraft
Westland Aircraft was a British aircraft manufacturer located in Yeovil in Somerset. Formed as a separate company by separation from Petters Ltd just before the start of the Second World War, Westland had been building aircraft since 1915...
, having their first flights from RAF Andover
RAF Andover
Andover Airfield is a former Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force station. The ICAO code for the airfield is EGWA and the IATA code is ADV...
. The first (Pterodactyl I, IA and IB) were high wing tailess monoplanes with fully moving wingtips for control built to overcome the issue of stalling and spinning. In some designs the main upper wing was supported by struts from a stubby lower wing to form a sesquiplane (unequal-span biplane). Later designs included fighter and transport aircraft.
The designs were credited as being inspired by observation of seagulls and used fully moving outer wingtips for control. If both tips were moved in the same way they functioned as elevator
Elevator (aircraft)
Elevators are flight control surfaces, usually at the rear of an aircraft, which control the aircraft's orientation by changing the pitch of the aircraft, and so also the angle of attack of the wing. In simplified terms, they make the aircraft nose-up or nose-down...
s, in opposite ways then as aileron
Aileron
Ailerons are hinged flight control surfaces attached to the trailing edge of the wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. The ailerons are used to control the aircraft in roll, which results in a change in heading due to the tilting of the lift vector...
s
The pioneer tailless aircraft designer John William Dunne
John William Dunne
John William Dunne FRAeS was an Anglo-Irish aeronautical engineer and author. In the field of parapsychology, he achieved a preeminence through his theories on dreams and authoring books preoccupied with the question of the nature of time...
assisted Hill with the early designs.
Aircraft
- Pterodactyl I
- Glider, built by G T R Hill and his wife in 1924; later fitted with Bristol CherubBristol Cherub-See also:-Bibliography:* Guttery, T.E. The Shuttleworth Collection. London: Wm. Carling & Co, 1969. ISBN 901319-01-5* Lumsden, Alec. British Piston Engines and their Aircraft. Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1-85310-294-6....
engine in co-operation with the Air Ministry.- Pterodactyl IA
- First Westland-built example, a braced monoplane with Bristol CherubBristol Cherub-See also:-Bibliography:* Guttery, T.E. The Shuttleworth Collection. London: Wm. Carling & Co, 1969. ISBN 901319-01-5* Lumsden, Alec. British Piston Engines and their Aircraft. Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1-85310-294-6....
engine.- Pterodactyl IB
- The IA fitted with an Armstrong Siddeley GenetArmstrong Siddeley Genet-Bibliography:* Lumsden, Alec. British Piston Engines and their Aircraft. Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1-85310-294-6.-External links:*...
engine and smaller rudders.- Pterodactyl IV
- Three seat cabin monoplane of 44 ft 4 in span and 19 ft 6 in length, produced in 1931. Pitch and roll control by elevons. Also a braced monoplane, the wings had variable sweep through a small range of angles, to allow longitudinal trim in flight in the absence of any horizontal stabiliser.
- Pterodactyl V
- Fighter design in the form of a sesquiplane with straight lower wing. Fitted with a 600 hp Rolls-Royce GoshawkRolls-Royce Goshawk|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9...
engine and 2 Vickers machine gunVickers machine gunNot to be confused with the Vickers light machine gunThe Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a name primarily used to refer to the water-cooled .303 inch machine gun produced by Vickers Limited, originally for the British Army...
s, it demonstrated equal capability to conventional fighters of the day, but other issues prevented it from going into production.- Pterodactyl VI.
- Designed to Specification F.5/33 for a 2 seater fighter aircraft with front mounted turret. Pusher engine design with powered, front-mounted, gun turret.
- Pterodactyl Mk VII
- Designed to Specification R1/33. Flying boatFlying boatA flying boat is a fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a float plane as it uses a purpose-designed fuselage which can float, granting the aircraft buoyancy. Flying boats may be stabilized by under-wing floats or by wing-like projections from the fuselage...
with two tractor and two pusher engines- Short BrothersShort BrothersShort Brothers plc is a British aerospace company, usually referred to simply as Shorts, that is now based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Founded in 1908, Shorts was the first company in the world to make production aircraft and was a manufacturer of flying boats during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s...
-Hill Pterodactyl VIII
- Short Brothers
- Proposed Flying wingFlying wingA flying wing is a tailless fixed-wing aircraft which has no definite fuselage, with most of the crew, payload and equipment being housed inside the main wing structure....
transatlanticTransatlantic flightTransatlantic flight is the flight of an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean. A transatlantic flight may proceed east-to-west, originating in Europe or Africa and terminating in North America or South America, or it may go in the reverse direction, west-to-east...
passenger aircraft with 5 pusher Rolls-Royce GriffonRolls-Royce GriffonThe Rolls-Royce Griffon is a British 37-litre capacity, 60-degree V-12, liquid-cooled aero engine designed and built by Rolls-Royce Limited...
engines.
On display
The Pterodactyl 1A of 1925 is held by the Science MuseumScience Museum (London)
The Science Museum is one of the three major museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is part of the National Museum of Science and Industry. The museum is a major London tourist attraction....
London.