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A few places to begin, from the aircraft’s story to the people who fly it.
Meet the aircraft
The Scout developed from the Saunders-Roe P.531 for British Army utility service. It used a compact cabin, exposed engine area and skid undercarriage. The related Wasp shared origins and components but was adapted for naval work.
Aircraft background
Wikipedia contributors · Read more ↗A night evacuation depends on the whole crew
Greenhalgh remembered being woken before dawn to collect a badly injured soldier after Goose Green. Finding his crew among frozen sleeping bags was only the beginning. On the return flight, cloud, terrain and ice turned the journey towards the field hospital into a difficult struggle to establish where they were and keep the Scout clear of the mountains. His recollection gives particular credit to the people who helped.
656 Squadron Association retrospective. Scout casualty evacuation with John Gammon and Rich Walker on 29 May 1982; distinct from the naval Wasp.
656 Squadron Association · Read more ↗Press, hold and release have different effects
The Scout/Wasp guide describes an autopilot-master interaction that captures stabilised pitch, roll and speed according to mode. Holding the control allows manual input, with release returning to the documented stabilised behaviour. The button's function changes with its state.
Scout / Wasp · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read more ↗Into the cockpit
YouTube Microsoft Flight Simulator · 2 min ·
Microsoft Flight Simulator | Local Legend 18: Westland Scout & Wasp Set
Microsoft introduces its Scout and Wasp helicopter package.
Simulator · Microsoft Westland Scout/Wasp · MSFS
Watch on YouTube ↗Preview images are served by AirframeDB. Videos open on YouTube only when you choose to watch.
Meet Westland Scout / Wasp
The Scout developed from the Saunders-Roe P.531 for British Army utility service. It used a compact cabin, exposed engine area and skid undercarriage. The related Wasp shared origins and components but was adapted for naval work.
Wasp versions have wheeled landing gear and shipboard equipment. Cockpit and mission details differ between the two branches.
Westland Scout / Wasp
Aircraft type designators
Use the code for the model you are flying. The linked authority lists the applicable aircraft.
History & design
Development milestones
First flight: 29 August 1960
Developed from: Saro P.531
Wikipedia contributors · Westland Scout ↗Westland Scout · family/variant named by the source · Wikipedia revision 1373896931
Pilot accounts
A night evacuation depends on the whole crew
Greenhalgh remembered being woken before dawn to collect a badly injured soldier after Goose Green. Finding his crew among frozen sleeping bags was only the beginning. On the return flight, cloud, terrain and ice turned the journey towards the field hospital into a difficult struggle to establish where they were and keep the Scout clear of the mountains.
His recollection gives particular credit to the people who helped. Gammon called out the radar-altimeter readings, radio stations helped locate the aircraft, and Walker intervened when they came dangerously close to the water near Ajax Bay. After delivering the casualty, Greenhalgh chose to wait for daylight and refuel. He remembered the intense hour as having passed almost instantly.
656 Squadron Association retrospective. Scout casualty evacuation with John Gammon and Rich Walker on 29 May 1982; distinct from the naval Wasp.
Read the full account · 656 Squadron Association ↗The first operational helicopter remains a demanding favourite
The Wasp was Taylor’s first operational aircraft after earning his wings. As a new naval pilot, he found it difficult enough to require sustained effort and practice. Returning to assess it later as a test pilot confirmed that the challenge had not simply been a beginner’s impression: he still regarded it as a demanding helicopter.
He recalled more than a thousand deck landings, severe weather and an engine failure that ended in a ditching. Those experiences gave the aircraft a lasting place in his affections, even though he considered the later Lynx more capable for the job. His attachment to the Wasp rests in having learned his trade in it and lived through its difficulties.
Pen & Sword author interview · April 2022. Fleet Air Arm Wasp experience followed by a later test-pilot assessment; other helicopter types discussed in the interview are separate.
Read the full account · Pen & Sword ↗A veteran’s talk connects Antarctic work with wartime flying
At a club evening forty years after the Falklands War, Ellerbeck described his service aboard HMS Endurance. Fawkes’s report recalls the talk beginning with the ship’s earlier Antarctic survey work and a friendly visit to Buenos Aires. That setting gave the audience a sense of the working life that preceded the conflict.
Ellerbeck then described taking his Wasp into the action against the submarine Santa Fe, with ground fire increasing as the attack continued. The account moved the audience, including another helicopter pilot who reflected on the difficulty of flying from ships in such conditions.
Andrew Fawkes’s eyewitness report of an Aston Martin Owners Club lecture · June 2022. Wasp flight commander aboard HMS Endurance; the embedded museum lecture was not used as reviewed evidence.
Read the full account · Aston Martin Owners Club ↗In your simulator
Systems, equipment and documentation for each developer’s aircraft.
Compare simulator versions →MSFS 2024Scout / Wasp
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
Scout / Wasp
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
MSFS 2020Scout / Wasp
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
Scout / Wasp
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
Aircraft specifications
Published figures for the named real-aircraft variant. Simulator equipment and performance can differ.
| Specification | Published value |
|---|---|
| Length | 30 ft 4 in (9.25 m) |
| Height | 8 ft 11 in (2.72 m) |
| Empty weight | 3,232 lb (1,466 kg) |
| Max takeoff weight | 5,300 lb (2,404 kg) |
| Powerplant | 1 × Rolls-Royce Nimbus 101 or 102 turboshaft engine, 685 shp (511 kW) derated from 1,050 shp |
| Main rotor diameter | 32 ft 3 in (9.83 m) |
| Main rotor area | 816.9 sq ft (75.89 m² ) |
| Maximum speed | 131 mph (211 km/h, 114 kn) |
| Cruise speed | 122 mph (196 km/h, 106 kn) |
| Range | 315 mi (507 km, 274 nmi) |
| Service ceiling | 17,700 ft (5,400 m) |
| Rate of climb | 1,670 ft/min (8.5 m/s) |
Manuals & resources
Find your next read
Choose a topic for a short introduction and a link to the original source. Simulator references identify the developer and edition they cover.
Simulator documentation
Press, hold and release have different effectsScout / Wasp · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024
The Scout/Wasp guide describes an autopilot-master interaction that captures stabilised pitch, roll and speed according to mode. Holding the control allows manual input, with release returning to the documented stabilised behaviour. The button's function changes with its state.
Archived simulator manual; installed package revision not observed · PDF p.12
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read the source ↗Autostab uses press-and-release interactionScout / Wasp · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2020
AUTOSTAB corresponds to AP MASTER: holding it permits manual control; releasing captures the conditions used by the selected mode. A separate release button disengages the system.
Manual PDF pages 12–13; developer-documented mapping
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read the source ↗The tablet includes different ground optionsScout / Wasp · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2020
The EFB offers weather, checklists and a route map. Ground controls include doors and covers, a Scout stretcher, and Wasp float and wheel-chock options.
Manual PDF page 15
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read the source ↗Radio controls connect to simulator ATCScout / Wasp · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2020
The manual documents manual tuning, ATC-panel auto-tuning and AI radio assistance for the radios and transponder. COM2 is revealed through a cockpit bolt interaction.
Manual PDF pages 24–25; July 2024 interface
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read the source ↗A dedicated throttle assignment supports startupScout / Wasp · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2020
The manual recommends SET HELICOPTER THROTTLE AXIS. It explains that the governor engages after startup when the throttle is fully opened.
iniBuilds manual v1.0.4 · 22 July 2024, MSFS 2020, PDF pages 9–11
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read the source ↗The original MSFS 2020 releaseScout / Wasp · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2020
The July 2024 Local Legend 18 release pairs the Westland Scout and Wasp in one MSFS 2020 Marketplace package.
2024-07-24 · release and package scope
Microsoft Flight Simulator Team · Read the source ↗Pilot account
A night evacuation depends on the whole crew656 Squadron Association retrospective. Scout casualty evacuation with John Gammon and Rich Walker on 29 May 1982; distinct from the naval Wasp.
Greenhalgh remembered being woken before dawn to collect a badly injured soldier after Goose Green. Finding his crew among frozen sleeping bags was only the beginning. On the return flight, cloud, terrain and ice turned the journey towards the field hospital into a difficult struggle to establish where they were and keep the Scout clear of the mountains. His recollection gives particular credit to the people who helped.
John Greenhalgh
656 Squadron Association · Read the source ↗The first operational helicopter remains a demanding favouritePen & Sword author interview · April 2022. Fleet Air Arm Wasp experience followed by a later test-pilot assessment; other helicopter types discussed in the interview are separate.
The Wasp was Taylor’s first operational aircraft after earning his wings. As a new naval pilot, he found it difficult enough to require sustained effort and practice. Returning to assess it later as a test pilot confirmed that the challenge had not simply been a beginner’s impression: he still regarded it as a demanding helicopter. He recalled more than a thousand deck landings, severe weather and an engine failure that ended in a ditching.
Chris Taylor
Pen & Sword · Read the source ↗Read the original documentation from the people who created it. Manuals open on their publisher’s website.
Manual
Microsoft Flight Simulator aircraft manualsMicrosoft / aircraft developers Westland Scout & Wasp ManualMicrosoft / aircraft developersAircraft background
Westland ScoutWikipedia contributors · Research background · Wikipedia revision 1373896931 · retrieved 2026-09-12Resource
MSFS 2024 FAQ and edition aircraft inventoryMicrosoftDeveloper documentation
Microsoft Flight Simulator Releases Local Legend 18: Westland Scout & WaspMicrosoft Flight Simulator Team · 2024-07-24 · release and package scopeType designator
ICAO Doc 8643 — aircraft type designatorsInternational Civil Aviation Organization · Public search data retrieved 2026-09-14; authority update 2026-09-03Built-in force-feedback profiles
Read the documentary basis, editable starting settings and remaining questions for the aircraft you fly. Each explanation refers to the exact profile revision shown.
Catalogue programme-20261022-v1 · 2 profile choices
Westland Scout (skids)
Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Partial review
MSFS 2024 · MSFS 2020
Westland Scout (skids): The cyclic response accompanies the selected utility-helicopter configuration.
Westland Wasp (wheels)
Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Partial review
MSFS 2024 · MSFS 2020
Westland Wasp (wheels): The cyclic response accompanies the selected utility-helicopter configuration.
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