ADF-SERIALS
Australian & New Zealand Military Aircraft Serials & History

RAAF A5 Westland Wapiti IA & IIA

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Westland Wapiti Image Gallery

  
     
 
Aircraft Serial Type Aircraft History
A5-1 Mk.IA Delivered 29/04/29.
Became Instructional Airframe No.2 28/10/40.

Highlight for Album: Wapiti A5-1
A5-2 Mk.IA Delivered 29/04/29.
A photograph has been found showing A5-2 on skis.
This was taken before delivery to the RAAF
The only Wapiti known to have been taken to Antarctica was A5-37 but wasn't flown (see below)
Retired 20/10/39.

Highlight for Album: Wapiti A5-2

A5-3 Mk.IA Delivered 29/04/29.
Retired 06/05/40.

Wapiti A5-3 Photo Eric Douglas
A5-4 Mk.IA Delivered 29/04/29.
Crashed 12/12/39 Mount Buninyong VIC.
Became Instructional Airframe No.3 28/10/40.

Westland Wapiti A5-4.
A5-5 Mk.IA Was used as instructional airframe at Ascot Vale Vic, late 1940.

Highlight for Album: Wapiti A5-5

A5-6 Mk.IA Crashed 06/02/33,
Served with 1 FTS.
A5-6 and A5-8 collided in mid-air and caught fire after crashing into the ground at Point Cook, Vic.
Killed were; AirCdt J. McDonnell & AirCdt K. Crispe
A5-7 Mk.IA Crashed 30/10/35 at Echuca VIC and was flown by Air Cadet Brian Walker later to become "Blackjack" Walker of 30 Sqn.

Wapiti A5-7 crash Photo Eric Douglas
A5-8 Mk.IA Crashed 06/02/33,
Served with 1 FTS.
A5-6 and A5-8 collided in mid-air and caught fire after crashing into the ground at Point Cook, Vic.
Killed were; AirCdt J. McDonnell & AirCdt K. Crispe
A5-9 Mk.IA Delivered 07/06/29.
Became Instructional Airframe No.10 20/10/39.

Highlight for Album: Wapiti A5-9
A5-10 Mk.IIA ?

Wapiti A5-10 A5-22
A5-11 Mk.IIA Delivered 24/06/29.
Retired 27/04/44.
Becmae Instructional Airframe No.4.
A5-12 Mk.IIA Delivered 24/06/29.
Served with 3 Sqn.
Retired 27/04/44.

Highlight for Album: Westland Wapiti A5-12
A5-13 Mk.IIA ?

Wapiti A5-13 A5-14 A5-27 Richmond 29th October 1932 AWM photo
A5-14 Mk.IIA Delivered 24/06/29.
Became Instructional Airframe No.9 18/06/40.

Westland Wapiti A5-14 

A5-15 Mk.IIA Crashed 13/08/35,
Served with 1 FTS.
Crashed after striking wires after take off and caught fire 5 miles north of Point Cook.
Pilot: FLTLT W. Rae (QFI).

Westland Wapiti A5-15 Photo via Ken Rowland
A5-16 Mk.IIA Delivered 05/07/29.
Retired 22/03/45.
A5-17 Mk.IIA Delivered 18/07/29. Became Instructional Airframe No.1 18/06/40.
A5-18 Mk.IIA Served with 1 Sqn.
Crashed 31/04 or 21/04/35, while flying in bad weather into a hill at Gordon near Ballarat VIC.
Killed was Pilot Cdt LC Murray.
A5-19 Mk.IIA Crashed Whittesea VIC 25/04/38
Pilot F/O AF Chapman.

Wapiti A5-19
A5-20 Mk.IIA Crashed Seymour VIC 26/02/31,
Served with 1 Sqn. PLTOFF Scoullar, while performing some hedgehopping, struck trees during a low dive and crashed and caught fire during a Army Co-operation exercise killing both airmen.
PLTOFF Hiram Scoullar (Pilot) and AC1 Yourn.
A5-21 Mk.IIA Delivered 19/09/29.
Retired 24/02/41.
A5-22 Mk.IIA ?

Highlight for Album: Wapiti A5-22 

A5-23 Mk.IIA Delivered 16/10/29.
A5-24 Mk.IIA Crashed 16/01/31 Exeter NSW.

Highlight for Album: Westland Wapiti A5-24
A5-25 Mk.IIA ?
A5-26 Mk.IIA Delivered 25/10/29.
A5-27 Mk.IIA Delivered 13/11/29.

Wapiti A5-13 A5-14 A5-27 Richmond 29th October 1932 AWM photo
A5-28 Mk.IIA Crashed 26/05/37 Gunbower VIC.

Westland Wapiti A5-28
A5-29 Mk.IIA Crashed 25/10/30 at Altona VIC.
A5-30 Mk.IIA ?
A5-31 Mk.IIA Crashed 16/04/35, Werribee VIC as a result of structural failure and plummeted to the ground near Police Station. Killed was Flgoff Clive Edgerton.
A5-32 Mk.IIA Delivered 03/12/30.
Became Instructional Airframe No.11 09/08/40.

Westland Wapiti A5-32
A5-33 Mk.IIA Delivered 22/12/30.

Highlight for Album: Wapiti A5-33
A5-34 Mk.IIA Delivered 22/12/30.
Became Instructional Airframe No.7 18/06/40.

Highlight for Album: Wapiti A5-34
A5-35 Mk.IIA Delivered 06/01/31.
Air survey of potential oilfields in Australia by Flight Lieutenant Charlesworth, No 1 Squadron, September 1932.
Crashed after dropping out of formation near Laverton 12/12/39, Vic.
Pilot: AirCDT R. Norbury.
A5-36 Mk.IIA Air survey of potential oilfields in Australia by Flight Lieutenant Charlesworth, No 1 Squadron, September 1932.
Crashed 23/10/32 Point Cook VIC.
A5-37 Mk.IIA Delivered 03/03/31.
Travelled to the Antarctic in 1936 onboard the Royal Research Ship Discovery II.
 The planned flying operations for the Wapiti were - three fights on prearranged courses and mapped courses in the form of an isosceles triangle - of approximately 450 miles in length (200 miles out, 50 miles on base of triangle and 200 miles in). The base of each triangle was planned as being on the interior section of the Ross Ice Barrier, with the sharpest point of the hypothetical triangle over ‘Little America’. These flights were to be in over ‘Little America’ on the Ross Ice Barrier as this was ascertained to be most likely location were the trans-polar flyers could be found.
However the Wapiti was not flown in the Antarctic, as the missing aviators Lincoln Ellsworth and his pilot Herbert Hollick-Kenyon were located by the Gipsy Moth DH60X seaplane near the coast at ‘Little America’ on the Ross Ice Barrier, and the Wapiti had been taken onboard the ship Discovery II in case inland flights were necessary. The shorter flights and those along the coast at the barrier were to be by the Gipsy Moth. The moth was also a back-up plane for the Wapiti. (from Eric Douglas' notes)

Highlight for Album: Wapiti A5-37
A5-38 Mk.IIA ?
A5-39 Mk.IIA Ex-RAF Aircraft K22??.
Delivered 21/02/38.
A5-40 Mk.IIA Ex-RAF Aircraft K2265?
Delivered 21/02/38. B
Became Instructional Airframe No.8 18/06/40.

Wapiti Mk.IIa A5-40 1 F.T.S. c.1939 via Mike Mirkovic.
A5-41 Mk.IIA Ex-RAF Aircraft K22??.
Delivered 21/02/38.
Became Instructional Airframe No.6 28/06/40.
A5-42 Mk.IIA Ex-RAF Aircraft K22??.
Delivered 21/02/38.
A5-43 Mk.IIA Ex-RAF Aircraft K22??.
Delivered 21/02/38.
Became Instructional Airframe No.5
A5-44? Mk.IIA Ex-RAF Aircraft.
Accident on Wharf, damaged beyond repair... not delivered.
 
     

  Westland Wapiti Westland Wapiti Westland Wapiti Ribbon cutting Wapiti Photo Eric Douglas Wapiti refuelling Photo Eric Douglas Wapiti refuelling Photo Eric Douglas
     

The Authors of this page are Darren Crick and Brendan Cowan

K2257, K2262, K2265, K2268, K2286 & K2287 were transferred from the RAF to the RAAF on 18 November 1937 and we are seeking the tie ups to their RAAF Serials.

Source: National Archives, Dean Norman, Alfresco Flight by David Wilson.

Emails: Dean Norman, Bob Livingston, Stig Jarlevik, John Hopton, Des Lynch, Greg Hyde, Tony Appleton, Sally Douglas, Geoff Sinclair.

Updated 18th December 2018
 

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