ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 138081
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| Date: | Saturday 25 August 1934 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: | Westland P.V.7 |
| Owner/operator: | Westland Aircraft Ltd |
| Registration: | P7 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | River Deben, near Abbey Farm, Campsea Ashe, Suffolk -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Test |
| Departure airport: | Martlesham Heath, Ipswich, Suffolk |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
First flown 3 October 1933. Intended as a two seat general purpose aircraft in response to Specification G 4/31, the PV-7 incorporated military requirements to produce an aircraft capable of a diverse range of roles such as; Bombing, reconnaissance, army co-operation, casualty evacuation and even torpedo attack. No fewer than nine companies submitted designs, none of which were eventually accepted.
The PV.7 featured in the New Types Park at the 1934 Hendon RAF Display at the end of June, then went to the RAF Martlesham Heath for official testing. Since this was to be done by Service pilots, Westland cancelled their insurance cover as any damage would be paid for by the government. The initial reaction of the RAF pilots was encouraging.
However, the aircraft does not appear to have aspired to a UK civilian registration, nor was any RAF military serial applied; the only photographs of the Westland PV.7 show it wearing the "Class B" civil markings "P7"
On 25 August 1934 at the request of the Air Ministry Penrose test flew the aircraft again, making tests of its behaviour with the centre of gravity far aft. After he had taken off, a telegram arrived at Martlesham Heath saying that this test should not proceed as the airframe would be over-stressed, but Penrose was not in radio contact and went ahead.
In a high speed dive the Westland calculations were confirmed by the collapse of the port wing. Penrose was lucky to escape by parachute, as the upper hatch had jammed and he had to squeeze out of a small side window, becoming the first British pilot to bale out of an aircraft with an enclosed cockpit. The aircraft came down to earth in the River Deben, near Abbey Farm, Campsea Ashe, Suffolk. It was the end of Westland's hopes; the Air Ministry would not pay for the loss of an aircraft flown by a civilian, and the company could not afford to build a replacement
Sources:
1. http://1000aircraftphotos.com/Contributions/Braas/8319.htm
2. http://history.whl.co.uk/westland_pv7.html
3. http://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1934/1934%20-%200633.PDF
4. http://www.rcawsey.co.uk/Accmisc.htm
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westland_PV.7
6. http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C3202108
Media:
First flight Westland PV.7 British private venture submission to a specification for a 2-crew general-purpose military aircraft 84 years ago pic.twitter.com/BR5DJppE6d
— FAST Museum ✈ (@FASTmuseum) October 30, 2017
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 22-Aug-2011 07:02 | harro | Added |
| 25-Oct-2011 07:04 | harro | Updated [Embed code] |
| 25-Oct-2011 07:35 | harro | Updated [Date, Aircraft type, Registration, Operator, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 25-Oct-2011 08:25 | harro | Updated [Date, Registration, Operator, Location, Phase, Nature, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 25-Oct-2011 08:27 | harro | Updated [Date, Aircraft type, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Country, Phase, Nature, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 25-Oct-2011 08:32 | harro | Updated [Date, Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Country, Phase, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 25-Oct-2011 08:33 | harro | Updated [Embed code, Narrative] |
| 25-Oct-2011 08:33 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 25-Oct-2011 08:36 | harro | Updated [Date, Aircraft type, Registration, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 25-Oct-2011 08:37 | harro | Updated [Date, Aircraft type, Registration, Operator, Location, Country, Embed code, Narrative, Plane category, ] |
| 25-Oct-2011 08:39 | harro | Updated [Date, Registration, Operator, Location, Country, Phase, Nature, Embed code] |
| 25-Oct-2011 08:42 | harro | Updated [Date, Aircraft type, Registration, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Country, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 25-Oct-2011 08:50 | harro | Updated [Date, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Country, Nature, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 25-Oct-2011 08:52 | harro | Updated [Date, Registration, Cn, Total fatalities, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 25-Oct-2011 08:52 | harro | Updated [Date, Registration, Cn, Location, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 25-Oct-2011 09:14 | harro | Updated [Date, Aircraft type, Registration, Operator, Location, Country, Embed code, Narrative, Plane category, ] |
| 25-Oct-2011 09:16 | harro | Updated [Date, Aircraft type, Registration, Location, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 25-Oct-2011 09:17 | harro | Updated [Date, Aircraft type, Registration, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Phase, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 25-Oct-2011 09:19 | harro | Updated [Date, Aircraft type, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 06-Jan-2014 19:48 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Registration, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 14-Feb-2019 18:32 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Location, Departure airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
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