Shuttleworth’s Lysander

Westland’s 1936 ‘spy taxi’, target tug and observer aircraft was a versatile tool. Andy Sephton, chief pilot at Old Warden, flies the last airworthy Lysander.

OVER THE PAST few years I’ve said some quite scathing things about the Westland Lysander. I’ve offended one or two good people, and to them I apologise. It’s a remarkable aeroplane with some quite exceptional features—some are exceptionally good, but some are, quite definitely, exceptionally bad. I’ll try to explain.

On reading the Pilot’s Notes one is warned: ‘The controls are not well harmonised, the rudder being light, ailerons heavy, and elevator too heavy at or near maximum angle. The elevator trim is powerful, but slow acting and the elevator effectiveness is poor. Therefore, it is essential that the aircraft is trimmed longitudinally though all phases of flight to allow maximum control effectiveness. This is particularly so on landing, when the trim must be set fully back, and during take-off, when it must be set to the take-off position.’

Additionally: ‘The flying characteristics at very low speeds are such that a foolhardy pilot might be tempted to take liberties to which no aeroplane can with safety be subjected. Particular reference in this respect is made to stalled take-offs and climbs, stalled approaches to land, and flying at too low an airspeed. The stall is delayed to an exceptionally large angle of attack, and can seldom be reached. But if this aeroplane does stall, a wing drops very sharply and control is entirely lost until speed is regained after a loss of 1,000 feet.’

In the take-off section we find: ‘...the tail should not be lifted’ and ‘A steep angle of climb can be obtained by climbing at 70 mph or even down to a minimum of 60 mph. This is an emergency operation and should only be performed if necessitated by operational considerations. If engine failure occurs while climbing at this speed, the nose must be pushed down instantly, otherwise at least 600 feet will be lost before control is regained.’

I know I've never read such warnings before in the Pilot's Notes of an aircraft in service—comments like these are more at home in a critical report following an unsatisfactory test flight!

Despite this, the Lysander went into service and made a good account of herself on Special Operations Executive (SOE) clandestine flight operations. It is a remarkable history, made so by the courage of the aircrew who flew her as well as the aircraft itself.

So what makes the Lysander what it is? It was designed as an army co-operation and observation aeroplane. With this in mind, let’s first look at the good points.

From the cockpit, the field of view is nothing short of superb. The pilot sits well up over the engine with eyes in line with the wing chord and head in line with the wing leading-edge. It's a grandstand position. He can see well to the front over the engine and down to the side as well. He also has a good field of view to the rear, both up and down if he raises and lowers his head to see over and under the wing. The elevated seating also leads to a good view forward when taxying—there is not so much of a need to weave from side to side as with other tailwheel types.

All the controls and switches come well to hand and all the dials except one can be easily seen—the exception is the fuel gauge which is located on t