Initially designed by Teddy Petter (who later went on to join English Electric) the Westland W.34 Wyvern TF.1 prototype TS371 first flew on the 12th December 1946 (also quoted as the 16th) in the capable hands of Westlands chief test pilot Harald Penrose.
Originally conceived for the Royal Navy as a Torpedo Fighter (TF) it was an extremely large single seater for its day and was powered by the equally large 24 cylinder Rolls Royce Eagle 22 piston engine. Even when empty, in its original form the Wyvern weighed in at seven tons compared to around two tons for a Spitfire, but nevertheless it was still capable of 456mph. But Rolls Royce’ decision to focus on the development and production of jet engines meant that the Eagle was very short lived, necessitating the Wyvern to fly with the Rolls Royce Clyde and then Armstrong Siddeley Python turboprop engines, with the Python being the Wyverns final power plant and leading it into Royal Navy service in 1953 as the final S.4 (Strike) version. All Wyverns were retired from service in 1958.
The attached photo shows Harald Penrose about to climb onboard the prototype prior to its first flight at Boscombe Down.
Rob
By: Wyvernfan - 22nd December 2016 at 19:03
Indeed, ground run first – then first flight if all was well, hence the parachute!
Rob
By: Lynx815 - 22nd December 2016 at 18:43
Looks like he’s going to do a tethered ground run rather than go flying.
By: Wyvernfan - 22nd December 2016 at 18:16
Following the forums problems I’ve reloaded the photo again that was originally on post 1.
Rob[ATTACH=CONFIG]250299[/ATTACH]
By: Wyvernfan - 15th December 2016 at 22:23
To be fair, in several instances prototypes are quicker than the production model what with no operational equipment, upgrades, strengthening etc. But with the Wyvern there is also a fundamental difference than most, there wasn’t a choice of engine. The Eagle was very powerful but was essentially the last of the big pistons and never entered full development / production. It can also be argued that it was never intended to be used on the production Wyvern as the navy wished to banish high octane ‘petrol’ from its carriers.
The next preffered choice, the turboprop Clyde, offered a decent amount of power together with a relatively simple design and small diameter to keep within a narrower airframe for better aerodynamics. This I am led to believe was the preffered choice of engine but again, the Clyde never entered production. And so we are left with the Python – a large diameter engine necessitating a redesign of the fuselage which although reliable in service once the constant speed engine / propeller issues were resolved – was also an engine originally designed for four engine bombers – not single engine Strike aircraft.
And so yes the production S.4 was slower than the prototype, but to even get such a unique aircraft into frontline squadron service having had to change engine models twice was a huge achievement in itself. The US tried something similar with the Douglas A2-D Skyshark but never got to grips with similar issues and abandoned it.
Rob
By: Rosevidney1 - 15th December 2016 at 20:54
I’ve always been bemused by the fact than the lower powered prototype was so much faster than the production model with its greater horsepower and jet efflux assistance.
By: Wyvernfan - 15th December 2016 at 06:39
Well there was a photo on here but now it’s disappeared and I cannot reload it. Can one of the moderators please explain to me why?
Rob
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December 13, 2016 at 10:36 am