Westland Lysander III
- Period: Second World War (1939-1945)
- Uses: Observation
- First Flight: June 1936
- Display Status: On the Museum Floor.
The Lysander was built to a specification calling for a rugged, short-take-off-and-landing (STOL) aircraft for low-level reconnaissance and observation. Unfortunately the specification had been drawn up with First World War in mind. However excellent an airplane, the Lysander proved too vulnerable to survive modern warfare. After 1940, British Lysanders were used for search-and-rescue, and unusual missions such as flying spies in and out of the continent. Canadian-built Lysanders were used chiefly as target tugs at Canadian bombing and gunnery schools.
Called the “Lizzie”, the Lysander was a remarkable flying machine with excellent low-speed capabilities. A Lizzie drifting backward over the airfield as it flew slowly into a headwind was a remarkable sight at Canadian training bases. Spy delivery and pick-up flights were hazardous affairs during which jet-black Lizzies flew with ladders fixed outside and with the rear cockpits jammed with operatives. Landings took place at night in open country inside France or Belgium on improvised landing areas lit by flashlights held, it was hoped, by members of the resistance.
Museum Example
- Registration #: R9003 (RAF)
- Manufacturer: Westland Aircraft Ltd., Great Britain
- Manufacture Date: 1967 (Rebuilt)
- Construction #: Unknown
- Aquisition Date: 1968
- Provenance: Donation from CAF
The Museum example is a composite made from parts of three Lysanders. It was restored as a Centennial project by the RCAF and it first flew in 1967 after restoration. The aircraft was presented to the Museum in 1968 and last flew in 1970.
Specifications
- Wing Span:
- 15.2 m (50 ft)
- Length:
- 9.3 m (30 ft 6 in)
- Height:
- 3.5 m (11 ft 6 in)
- Weight, Empty:
- 2,118 kg (4,670 lb)
- Weight, Gross:
- 2,766 kg (6,100 lb)
- Cruising Speed:
- 274 km/h (170 mph)
- Max Speed:
- 350 km/h (217 mph)
- Rate of Climb:
- 6,100 m (20,000 ft) / 21.7 min
- Service Ceiling:
- 7,270 m (23,850 ft)
- Range:
- 966 m (600 mi)
- Power Plant:
- one Bristol Mercury XX, 870 hp, radial engine
