The Westland Limousine was a 1920s British single-engined four-seat light transport aircraft built by

Westland Aircraft Westland Aircraft was a British aircraft manufacturer located in Yeovil, Somerset. Formed as a separate company by separation from Petters Limited just before the start of the Second World War, Westland had been building aircraft since 1915. Du ...

History

At the end of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the prospect of an expanding aviation market led Westland Aircraft to design a light transport aircraft for three passengers. It was Westland's first commercial aeroplane and designated the Westland Limousine I. The first aircraft (initially registered ''K-126'', but quickly re-registered ''G-EAFO'') flew in July

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the c ...

. A biplane, it was powered by one

Rolls-Royce Falcon The Rolls-Royce Falcon is an aero engine developed in 1915. It was a smaller version of the Rolls-Royce Eagle, a liquid-cooled V-12 of 867 cu in (14.2 L) capacity. Fitted to many British World War I-era aircraft, production ceased in 1927. ...

III engine. The passengers were in an enclosed cabin and the pilot sat in the port rear of the four seats. His seat was higher to enable his head to be raised through the cabin roof. The second aircraft (''G-EAJL'') was designated the Limousine II and was completed in October 1919.James 1991, p.88. Both the first and second aircraft were used from September 1920 for two months on an experimental express

air mail Airmail (or air mail) is a mail transport service branded and sold on the basis of at least one leg of its journey being by air. Airmail items typically arrive more quickly than surface mail, and usually cost more to send. Airmail may be the ...

service between

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...

and

Le Bourget Le Bourget () is a Communes of France, commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre zero#France, center of Paris. The commune features Paris - Le Bourget Airport, Le Bourget Airport, which in turn hos ...

. A third aircraft was built and was at first test-flown with a new Cosmos Jupiter engine, but later was fitted with the Falcon III. Another four aircraft were built, two of which were used by

Instone Air Line Instone Air Line was an early British airline from 1919 to 1924. Along with other private airlines of the time, it was absorbed into Imperial Airways. This airline is not to be confused with Instone Air Line (1981) of Stansted, which operated ...

to fly from London to Paris and

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

. To enter the

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of State ...

's 1920 Commercial Aircraft Competition, the aircraft was re-designed as the larger Limousine III for five passengers. It used the 450 hp

Napier Lion The Napier Lion is a 12-cylinder, petrol-fueled 'broad arrow' W12 configuration aircraft engine built by D. Napier & Son from 1917 until the 1930s. A number of advanced features made it the most powerful engine of its day and kept it in produ ...

engine. The aircraft won the £7,500 Air Ministry prize but only one more aircraft was constructed, which was later operated by

. The first Limousine III (registered ''G-EARV'') pioneered air transport in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

when it was operated by the Aerial Survey Company (Newfoundland) Ltd. (see

Sidney Cotton Frederick Sidney Cotton OBE (17 June 1894 – 13 February 1969) was an Australian inventor, photographer and aviation and photography pioneer, responsible for developing and promoting an early colour film process, and largely responsible for ...

). It was used for seal and fishery spotting including being used on skis. Two of the earlier Limousine IIs were also to end up in Newfoundland. The company operated in Newfoundland until the end of 1923, carrying mail and passengers to remote outposts.

Aircraft

;Limousine I :Prototype Falcon III powered aircraft G-EAFO, destroyed in 1925 in a ground collision with a

Fairey Fawn The Fairey Fawn was a British single-engine light bomber of the 1920s. It was designed as a replacement for the Airco DH.9A and served with the Royal Air Force between 1924 and 1929. Development The Fairey Fawn was designed by F Duncanson ...

Netheravon Netheravon is a village and civil parish on the River Avon and A345 road, about north of the town of Amesbury in Wiltshire, South West England. It is within Salisbury Plain. The village is on the right (west) bank of the Avon, opposite Fit ...

. ;Limousine II :Four-seat production aircraft (five built). ;Limousine III :Larger five-seat version (two built).

Specifications (Limousine III)

References

* * * * * *

External links

* Contemporary initial report on the Limousine I with photographs. * Contemporary technical description of the Limousine I with photographs and drawings. {{Westland aircraft 1920s British civil utility aircraft

Limousine A limousine ( or ), or limo () for short, is a large, chauffeur-driven luxury vehicle with a partition between the driver compartment and the passenger compartment. A very long wheelbase luxury sedan (with more than four doors) driven by a prof ...

Biplanes Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1919