The exciting prospect of seeing this fly in a few years' time is now a reality, with this currently next in line once the long-term restoration of Whirlwind G-BVGE is complete.

The WG30 prototype. Preserved at The Helicopter Museum, Weston-super-Mare since 22 December 1988.

The Hughes 269 was slow and vulnerable for use as a scout helicopter, but was flown off against the Bell 47, Brantly B-2 and Hiller UH-12 before the British Army selected the good old Bell. Both the Bell and the Hughes were backed by Westland. Photo probably taken in England but the H-269 was demonstrated to British troops in Germany. This airframe wore military serial XS685 briefly during in 1963. G-ASBD changed civilian owners many times and crashed in 1981. Photo from: Air Ministry (UK)

This was permanently withdrawn from use in November 2002 and it became an exhibit at this museum. In September 2015 it was removed from display and moved to Northampton-Sywell as part of celebrations for its previous operator, Sloane Helicopters. It is now under restoration, hopefully to airworthy condition

Scan from a print

'London's first heliport opens this afternoon at Battersea.' The site was at first run by Westland.

C/n WA00-001 (per CAA records - 1/02 or 02-01 everywhere else: take your pick!), the first Lynx prototype first flown on 21 March 1971. It became G-BEAD on 15 June 1976 and was restored as XW835 in 1983. After use for ground instruction at RAF Wattisham, it was scrapped in March 2003.

Photo must have been taken in April 1959. On 8 April, G-ANLW made the first flight into the Westland Heliport on the Thames in Battersea. The official opening was on 23 April. Fulham Power Station in the background. Photo from: Nationaal Archief (Netherlands)

Flown by Alan Bristow, this S-51 arrived in Switzerland on 22 September 1948 for a demo tour. It was built by Sikorsky but assembled and used by Westland. It was later evaluated by British European Airways. Photo from: ETH-Bibliothek Zürich

Westland's runabout at Heathrow South