Series details and parking waypoints given on #01 https://coord.info/GC95A6N
#11 – 1919
Whippet & Kestrel
The Whippet was designed by John Kenworthy working for the Austin Motor Co. Ltd. Aero Division. It first flew in 1919, it was a Single seat biplane with an open cockpit aft of the wings. The wings were made to fold back, and this made it possible to house the aircraft in a shed measuring just 18ft long, 8ft high, and only 8ft wide. They were upswept, slightly staggered, un-tapered, it had equal span and equal chord wings of wooden structure. The Steel tube fuselage with fabric covering mounted on lower wing with a braced tail-plane and single fin and rudder. Landing gear was the cross axle type with tail-skid.
At the Aero Show in 1919 a prototype was exhibited with a 2-cylinder horizontally opposed engine. For the production version power would be supplied by one 45 hp Anzani six-cylinder air-cooled radial driving a two blade propeller. It had a top speed of 95 mph and could cruise at 80 mph. With a low landing speed of just 30 mph it was claimed that it only needed 150 yards to stop. It was hoped that the price would be about £450, which at the time was the price you would pay for a medium-sized car. An experienced RAF pilot remarked at the time that he could teach anyone to fly her in ten minutes.
It had its first public showing at the International Aero Exhibition Olympia on Stand 66 from the 9th - 20th July 1920, by this time the price had risen to £500. Five were actually produced, three remained in the UK with one going to Argentine and the other to New Zealand. As only a few sales materialise, mainly because amateur flying simply had not caught on, it was decided to cease production.
The Kestrel was next on the scene, this was designed by J Kenworthy, in his early days he had worked with Geoffrey de Havilland at the Royal Aircraft Factory. The first experimental prototype Whippets were made during the first half of 1919. This new plane would have a steel tube fuselage and have the unique feature that the wings could be folded up thus making it easy to store in a garage or a barn. Power for this two-seater plane would by a 160hp Beardmore engine. The Air Ministry, to stimulate interest among manufactures, arranged an Air Trial at Martlesham airfield near lpswich in August 1920. with a total Prizes money of £641.000. The company decided to enter the Kestrel. Actually the Kestrel came third in its class, winning £1,500. Because orders were not forth coming, this sole Kestrel was eventually broken up. So Herbert Austin decided to close down the aircraft business and concentrate on the cars.
Question.
International Aero Exhibition Olympia on Stand AA from Bth-C0th July 1920, by this time the price had risen to £D00.
N52°22.(C-1)(B)(C)
W1°56.(A)(A-D)(C+D)