Westland dragonfly

In December 1946, Westland Aircraft signed an agreement to build under licence the world's first successful operational helicopter, the US Sikorsky S-51 general utility model. This became the first production helicopter in Britain and the first helicopter in the UK to achieve an airworthiness certificate. Named the Dragonfly, the first British-built WS51 flew on 5 October 1948. Westland produced two piston engined original versions, the Series 1A with a British 500hp Alvis Leonides 521/1 and the Series 1B with a US 450hp Pratt & Whitney R-985-B4 Wasp Junior. Westland produced about 150 Dragonflys. Of these, 71 went to the Royal Navy, a further 16 went to the Royal Air Force to form the first frontline helicopter squadron in the service. Westland also produced the Dragonfly for civilian customers and in small numbers for the militaries of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Egypt, France, Iraq, Italy, Japan and Yugoslavia. A further private development programme produced the Westland Widgeon, based heavily on the Dragonfly.