How Much did a Westland Limousine cost in the 1920s?

jgdc

Hello

This is my first post on this forum. If I am in the wrong forum, or even the wrong website, please let me know!

I am researching the life of Florence Parbury (1881-1960), a British women who was claimed at the time (1910-1920s) to be an early aviatrix who owned her own plane. I have just found an image from the Washington Post of 1922, showing her looking through the window of a plane. the caption reads "Gives Radio Concert from her own Limousine Airplane. Miss Florence Parbury, a noted English singer and painter, singing in to the headpiece during a flight from Croyden ."

The window and door configuration in the (poor quality) photo look very much like that of the Westland Limousine Mk II.

My question is: Any idea what such a plane would have cost at the time? Was it the sort of plane a private individual could have afforded?

Any help would be much appreciated!

John

SunvisorFlyer

Hello John,

Do you have the ability/authority to upload this picture from the Post to this thread? I am looking for cost information, but I'd like to see for myself which version of the Limousine Miss Parbury owned.

jgdc

Hello SunvisorFlyer

Many thanks for responding to my question. I have the ability but not the authority to post the image on a public site. It came from ProQuest via the Smithsonian to me in England.

Is there a way I can send it to you privately? I would value you opinion.

John

SunvisorFlyer

Its probably for the best to not send it.

I'm having a devil of a time finding cost or price information on any of the five Limousine II models built in the early 20s. Since they were never a big production item and the engines kept getting switched on the various aircraft, nailing down the prices in the private sales is tough.

So, what is there to look at? It seems the aircraft would sit somewhere between a Cessna 207 and 208 in terms of size and relative cost. That's...500k to 2mil in today's dollars? Or $35,000 to $150,000 in 1920. Which would be...10,000-35,000 pounds in 1920?

I'm sorry I couldn't be more help to you.

jgdc

But even those ballpark figures are very helpful. They make me feel that the stories of Florence Parbury owning her own plane are being a little elastic with the truth.

Many thanks again for contacting me!

John

ChrisHall

there is an image of Florence Parbury stood next to an aircraft on this website

http://www.europeana.eu/portal/record/2024904/photography_ProvidedCHO_TopFoto_co_uk_EU004248.html

jgdc

Many thanks for that info, Chris. I tried replying to you yesterday, but because I included a URL for a Russian website (a) I received a warning message not to do it again (!) and (b) my reply to you was not posted.

We live and learn...

John