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Talk:A. E. Clouston

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Date of testing of Whirlwind prototype wrong?

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The article says Clouston was tasked with testing the Whirlwind in October 1938 (by AM Tedder) - It should be August 1939. The first prototype Whirlwind (L6844) did indeed fly in October 1938, but it was piloted by Westland's test pilot Harald Penrose. Clouston was sent to Westland to stand in for Penrose (who was ill) to test-fly both the first and second prototypes (L6845 which first flew on 29th March 1939). Clouston arrived at Westlands on 4th August and piloted the second prototype to Boscombe Down (as detailed in his autobiography) on 27th August 1939. [1] Harald Penrose's biography also places his sickness, and Clouston taking over the test-flights, in 1939, not 1938.[2]

References

  1. ^ Whirlwind - Westland's Enigmatic Fighter: By Niall Corduroy, published by Fonthill Media, 2013, ISBN 978-1-78155-037-3, Page 64
  2. ^ Adventures with Fate, Harald Penrose, published 1984 by Airlife publishing. ISBN 0 906393 36 1 , see Chapter & "Thunder of Mars" page 183.