MEDWAY AIRCRAFT PRESERVATION SOCIETY Ltd
We restore and preserve historic aircraft and artefacts for public display.
Patron: Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall (2010 -2022).
We are awaiting confirmation from HM The Queen regarding continuing patronage.
Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mk V
Alongside the Rochester-built Short Stirling, the Whitley was one of the mainstays of Bomber Command during the opening phases of the war. Manufactured in the Baginton, Coventry plant, the mark V was powered by two 1,145hp Rolls-Royce Merlin engines. The aircraft had a top speed of 227mph at a height of 17,600ft. However, with the advent of the larger four engine bombers such as the Lancaster, the Whitley was relegated to ‘Nickelling’, the dropping of leaflets, and also to become the aircraft used by the bomber operational training units (OTU). Most aircraft of this type were scrapped at the end of the war with very little left to remind us of the Whitley.
Two WW2 pilot seats from an Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mark V have been restored for a private collector and a set of six propeller blades and the turret from the same aircraft (s/n 1468) are also being refurbished. The seats have already been returned to the owner to form what will eventually become a tribute to this long forgotten aircraft and the blades and turret will follow, once completed.
