Westland Westminster

The Westland Westminster was a British heavy-lift helicopter of the 1950s, designed and built by Westland Aircraft as a private venture without government assistance. It combined the five-bladed rotor, gearbox, transmission and control systems of the Sikorsky S-56, covered by an extension to Westland's Sikorsky licence obtained in June 1958, with a pair of Napier Eland turboshaft engines. The first prototype, a flying test rig with a tubular steel space frame in place of the main fuselage, first flew on 15 June 1958 and showed significant vibration, so the second prototype was changed, including a six-blade rotor unit from the Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane. Two variants were envisioned, a 40-seat short-range civil transport and a flying crane with a 15,000 lb capacity. The project was cancelled when Westland took over rival helicopter producers and their more advanced projects.