Westland Wizard

The Westland Wizard was Westland Aircraft's first attempt at a monoplane fighter, a privately funded project drawn up by company engineers in their spare time during 1926 with high speed as the main goal. It began as the Westland Racer, a parasol monoplane with a wooden wing and a mixed metal and wood fuselage, powered by a surplus Rolls-Royce Falcon III salvaged from the wrecked Westland Limousine prototype. After a damaging emergency landing the Racer was rebuilt as a fighter with an all metal fuselage, a 490 hp Rolls-Royce F.XI engine later known as the Kestrel, and two Vickers machine guns, and flew as the Wizard in November 1927. Tested at Martlesham Heath from January 1928, it won praise for speed and climb but criticism for forward view and heavy aileron loads. The Wizard II, with a new all metal wing and supercharged engine, performed worse and the Air Ministry kept to biplane fighters.