Westland Wallace

The Westland Wallace was a British two‑seat biplane developed by Westland Aircraft in the early 1920s as a successor to the successful Westland Wapiti. First flying in 1926, the Wallace was intended for general‑purpose military duties, including reconnaissance, light bombing and army cooperation. Powered originally by a 420 hp Bristol Jupiter radial engine, later models received the more powerful 480 hp Bristol Pegasus, giving the aircraft a top speed of about 130 mph and a service ceiling of 20 000 ft. Its robust wooden and fabric construction, staggered wings and a fixed, split‑type undercarriage made it sturdy on rough field operations. The Wallace could carry up to 500 lb of ordnance on underwing racks, while its open cockpits provided excellent visibility for the pilot and observer. Although only a small batch entered service with the Royal Air Force and the Irish Air Corps, the type demonstrated the adaptability of biplane designs in the inter‑war period and helped Westland refine structural techniques later applied to more famous aircraft such as the Lysander. The Wallace thus occupies a niche but important role in British aviation history as a bridge between World War I‑era machines and the more advanced monoplanes of the late 1930s.