One of our original aims with this series was to cover the lesser known types in as much detail as the more famous aircraft.  Pretty much top of this ‘lesser known’ list was the Westland Whirlwind which has always captured the imagination of many of us, with its sleek lines and powerful armament.  In a different set of circumstances, the Whirlwind could easily have been as famous as the Mosquito or Beaufighter and just as effective.
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In the end, just two squadrons flew the Whirlwind into action and only 116 examples were built, each costing roughly £1m in today’s money. Despite this rarity, some decent photos were taken by the Press and combined with photos from the personal albums of the pilots who flew the Whirlwind, we’ve managed to create an in-depth pictorial tribute to this forgotten fighter.

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Neil Robinson has once again proven to be a very safe pair of hands when it comes to any RAF type and his research into the fine details of both colour schemes and technical mods really brings this one to life.  We must also say particular thanks to all the chaps behind the Whirlwind Project who looked through the final manuscript and fine tuned many small but important details.