Transport Advertising - The Westland S-51 Dragonfly Helicopter

The years following World War II were a fabulous time for the British aircraft industry with many new aircraft coming off the drawing boards and into reality. Given that the first practical working helicopter only appeared in 1939 (the VS-300 designed by Igor Sikorsky and built by Voight-Sikorsky) it is surprising to see as early as 1948 advertisements appearing in the press for the Westland-Sikorsky Helicopter. The explanation for this was simply that Westland came to an agreement to use the Sikorsky design but using British components. Any delay in development was solely down to converting/adapting the American drawings to suit British components.

Although the first UK prototype flew on the 5th of October 1948, press advertisements appeared as early as March 1948 using an artist’s drawing (Fig.1) showing the possible commercial use of the helicopter. By September 1948, when a colour advertisement appeared, it was again clear that Westland was pushing the commercial opportunities of the helicopter with this time passengers approaching the helicopter at an airport (Fig.2).

Fig 1, March 1948 - black and white illustration

Fig 2, October 1948 - glamourous lifestyles in full colour

The October 1948 advertisement in The Aeroplane (Fig.3) now shows a picture of a production helicopter G-AJHW. However, do not be deceived because this is just a Sikorsky Helicopter, the Westland versions were still in the pipeline. The message is still clearly aimed at commercial use. A further advertisement in October (Fig.4) again shows the commercial advantages of travelling by helicopter by showing that it can cut out bus and train connections. Also, note the poppy appeal logo in the advertisement; this was used a lot in the aviation press in the run-up to Remembrance Day each year.

Fig 3, The Aeroplane, October 1948 - Commerical Application

Fig 4, Alternative advert from October 1948 - Use as an air-taxi

November brings a change in tack for now we start to see the helicopter being used for freight carriage especially in areas of difficult terrain. Figs.5 takes us back to the use of the artist’s sketch. For the next couple of years, the advertising regularly changes between people and goods transport always highlighting the various advantages of using a helicopter over other forms of transport Fig.6 shows the ability of the helicopter to land in a small space by showing a large country house with a tennis court being offered as a landing area.

Fig 5, November 1948 - back to artist illustrations

Fig 6, March 1949 - Strong graphics gets the point across

1949 sees the beginning of the promotion of homegrown products by touting the use of the Alvis Leonides engine (Fig.7) and the certificate of airworthiness awarded to “The First British Helicopter” (Fig.8). The vast range of uses for the helicopter is extolled in the advertisement shown in Fig.9 letting all and sundry know just how many things the helicopter can be used for.

Fig 7, April 1949 - The addition of the Alvis Leonides Engine - “Simple to maintain - Easy to fly - Economical to operate”

Fig 8, May 1949 - Westland-Sikorsky S51 “The First British Helicopter to Receive a Certificate of Airworthiness”

Fig 9, “Ubiquitous Service” the ultimate flexible air transport - Westland-Sikorsky S51 Helicopter

By 1951 we are now seeing the military applications being brought to the fore as the Royal Navy contract starts to be delivered. Most significant for the Royal Navy is the Shore to Ship to Shore service that is now so much easier with the use of the helicopter. See Figs. 10, 11, and 12. Interestingly, the dropping of Sikorsky from the name corresponds with the cold war and suggests that the company was eager to distance themselves from their previous Russian company name which could be conflated as being part of a communist company.

Fig 10, 1951 "The eyes of the Convoy"

Fig 11, Ship to Shore to Ship "New eyes for the convoy"

Fig 12, Westland Aircraft - fully dropped the Sikorsky brand name at the height of the Cold War

The S-51 Dragonfly wasn’t the only helicopter being developed by Westland and to make this point they issued an advertisement (Fig.13) to show the range of projects underway within the company.

Fig 13, Variations on a theme - production and proposed models of Westland aircraft during 1951

Models of Westland Aircraft from left to right: 

1. The S-51 the Dragonfly

2. The S-55 the Whirlwind

3. The W-80 (planned to have 20 passengers)

4. The W-81 (planned to have 30 passengers)

5. The W-85 (planned as a troop carrier to have 102 passengers)

As far as I am aware these three “W” series projects never came to fruition.

Our final advertisement (Fig.14) is the Westland Company Christmas message in December 1952. A fitting finale to my piece on the beginnings of the British Helicopter industry.

Fig 14, “Christmas Greetings - Westland” December 1952

I hope you have enjoyed this blog post as much as I have in researching it. I always relish an opportunity to research topics and brands which may normally “fly under the radar” and look forward to writing more in the coming months.

If there is a brand or an object you recall from youthful times, please do let me know in the comments. You never know, I could write a blog post on it!

Until next time, thanks for reading.

Richard Roberts