Bristol Aeroplane Company
Encyclopedia
The Bristol Aeroplane Company, originally the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, was both one of the first and one of the most important British aviation companies, designing and manufacturing both airframe
s and aero engines. Notable aircraft produced by the company include the 'Boxkite'
, the Bristol Fighter
, the Bulldog
, the Blenheim
, the Beaufighter
and the Britannia
, and much of the preliminary work which lead to the Concorde
was carried out by the company. In 1956 its major operations were split into Bristol Aircraft and Bristol Aero Engines. In 1959 Bristol Aircraft merged with several major British aircraft companies to form the British Aircraft Corporation
(BAC), and Bristol Aero Engines merged with Armstrong Siddeley
to form Bristol Siddeley
.
BAC went on to become a founding component of the nationalised British Aerospace
, now BAE Systems
. Bristol Siddeley was purchased by Rolls-Royce
in 1966, who continued to develop and market Bristol-designed engines. The BAC works were in Filton
, about 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Bristol
city centre. BAE Systems
, Airbus
, Rolls Royce
and MBDA
still have a presence at the Filton site where the Bristol Aeroplane Company was located.
, chairman of the Bristol Tramway and Carriage Company
, along with his son Stanley and his brother Samuel, to commercially exploit the fast-growing aviation sector. Unlike most aviation companies at the time, which were started by enthusiasts with little financial backing or business ability, British and Colonial was from its outset well funded and run by experienced businessmen.
Sir George established the business as a separate company from the Bristol Tramway Company because he considered that such a venture would be seen as too risky by many shareholders, and the new company's working capital of £25,000 was subscribed entirely by Sir George, his brother and his son. Nevertheless, as might be expected, the affairs of the two companies were closely connected, and the company's first premises were two former tram sheds suitable for aircraft manufacture at Filton
leased from the Bristol Tramway Company. Additionally, key personnel for the new business were recruited from the employees of the Tramway Company, including George Challenger as chief engineer and works manager.
A flying school was also established, with premises at Brooklands
, then the centre of activity for British aviation, where Bristol rented a hangar, and at Larkhill on Salisbury Plain, where in June 1910 a school was established on 2248 acres (9.1 km²) of land leased from the War Office. These flying schools came to be regarded as some of the best in the world by 1914, when 308 of the 664 Royal Aero Club
certificates issued to date had been gained at the Company's schools.
. This aircraft had been exhibited at the Paris Aero Salon in 1909 and had impressed Sir George by the quality of its construction. One example was bought and shipped to England to be shown at the Aero Show at Olympia in March 1910, and construction of five more was started at Filton. It was then taken to Brooklands
for flight trials, where it immediately became apparent that it had an unsatisfactory wing-section and insufficient power, and even though Bristol fitted it with a new set of wings it could only manage a single brief hop on 28 May, after which it was abandoned. Since the machine had been sold with a 'guarantee to fly' Sir George succeeded in getting 15,000 francs compensation from Zodiac.
Work was then begun on designing a successor. Drawings were prepared by George Challenger for an aircraft based on a successful design by Henri Farman whose dimensions had been published in the aeronautical press. The drawings were done in little over a week, and Sir George authorised the construction of twenty examples. The first to completed was taken to Larkhill for flight trials, where it made its first flight on 30 July piloted by Maurice Edmonds, proving entirely satisfactory. The first batch equipped the two training schools as well as demonstration aircraft, and the aircraft, nicknamed the Bristol Boxkite
went on to become a commercial success, 76 being built in all. Many served in the Company's flying schools and examples were sold to the War Office
as well as a number of foreign governments.
biplane and a monoplane. Both of these were exhibited at the 1911 Aero Show at Olympia but neither was flown successfully. At this time both both Challenger and Low left the company to join the newly established aircraft division of the armament firm Vickers
. Their place was taken by Pierre Prier, the former chief instructor at the Bleriot
flying school at Hendon
and Gordon England. In January 1912 the Romania
n engineer Henri Coandă
was appointed as chief designer. Also at this time a highly secret separate design office, the "X-Department", was set up to work on Dennistoun Burney's ideas for naval aircraft. Frank Barnwell
was taken on as the design engineer for this project, and took over as Bristol's chief designer when Coandă left the company in October 1914 . Barnwell was to become one of the world's foremost aeronautical engineers.
The Company expanded rapidly, employing 200 people by the outbreak of the First World War.
At the outbreak of war in August 1914 Britain's military forces possessed just over a hundred aircraft and the RFC
consisted of only seven squadrons equipped with a miscellany of aircraft types, none of them armed. Official War Office policy was to purchase only aircraft designed by the Royal Aircraft Establishment
, and Bristol had already built a number of their B.E.2 two-seater reconnaissance aircraft. However, pressure from the pilots of the RFC and RNAS
led to orders being placed for the Bristol Scout, and a second factory was set up in premises belonging to the Bristol Tramway Company at Brislington in Bristol.
Barnwell returned from France in 1915, his skills as pilot being of considerably less value than his ability as a designer. At this time Leslie Frise, newly graduated from Bristol University's engineering department, was recruited by Barnwell. The first project he worked on after his return, the Bristol T.T.A., was designed in response to a War Office requirement for a two-seat fighter intended for home defence against Zeppelin
raids. This was not successful, but in 1916 work was started the Bristol F.2A, which was developed into the highly successful F.2B Bristol Fighter, one of the outstanding aircraft of the 1914-18 war and a mainstay of the R.A.F during the 1920s: it remained in service until 1931.
Another aircraft designed at this time was the Bristol Monoplane Scout
. Although popular with pilots, the success of this aircraft was limited by the War Office prejudice against monoplanes and only 130 were built. It was considered that its relatively high landing speed of 50 mph made it unsuitable for use under the field conditions of the Western Front, and the type's active service was limited to the Near East.
. Its products had always been referred to by the name 'Bristol' and this was formalized in 1920, when British and Colonial was liquidated
and its assets became the Bristol Aeroplane Company, Ltd. At this time the Company, acting under a certain amount of pressure from the Air Ministry
, bought the aero-engine division of the bankrupt Cosmos Engineering Company
, also of Bristol, to form the nucleus of its new aero-engine operations. There was already a good working relationship between Bristol Aircraft and Cosmos, the Jupiter having been first flown in a prototype Bristol Badger in May 1919. For £15,000 Bristol got the Cosmos design team, headed by Roy Fedden
, along with a small number of completed engines and tooling. Although it was to be several years before Bristol showed any profit from the aero engine division, the Jupiter engine eventually proved enormously successful: indeed, during the inter-war period the aero-engine division was more successful than the parent company and Bristol came to dominate the market for air-cooled radial engines. Apart from providing engine for almost all Bristol's aircraft designs, the Pegasus and its successors powered an enormous number of aircraft built by other manufacturers.
Bristol's most successful aircraft during this period was the Bristol Bulldog
fighter, which formed the mainstay of Royal Air Force
(RAF) fighter force between 1930 and 1937, when the Bulldog was retired from front line service. Since the Bulldog had started life as private venture rather than an Air Ministry-sponsored prototype it could be sold to other countries, and Bulldogs were exported to, among others, Denmark, Estonia, Finland and Australia.
During this time Bristol was noted for its preference for steel airframes, using members built up from high-tensile steel strip rolled into flanged sections rather than the light alloys more generally used in aircraft construction. On 15 June 1935 the Bristol Aeroplane Company became a public limited company. By this time the Company had a payroll of 4200, mostly in the engine factory, and was well positioned to take advantage of the huge re-armament ordered by the British Government in May of that year. Bristol's most important contribution to the expansion of the RAF at this time was the Blenheim
light bomber.
In August 1938 Frank Barnwell was killed flying a light aircraft of his own design, and was succeeded as Chief Designer by Leslie Frise. By the time war broke out in 1939 the Bristol works at Filton were the largest single aircraft manufacturing unit in the world, with a floor area of nearly 25 hectare
s (2,691,000 square feet).
During the Second World War Bristol's most important aircraft was the Beaufighter
heavy two-seat multirole aircraft, a long-range fighter, night fighter
, ground attack aircraft
and torpedo bomber
. It was used extensively by the RAF and Commonwealth air forces and by the USAAF. The Beaufighter was derived from the Beaufort
torpedo bomber, itself a derivative of the Blenheim.
In 1940 a shadow factory was set up at Weston-super-Mare
for the production of Beaufighters.
The company's war-time headquarters were in the Royal West of England Academy
.
. It was taken over by Westland
in 1960.
Other post-war projects included Bristol Cars
, which used pre-war BMW
designs as the basis for the Bristol 400
. The engine developed from this project found its way into many successful motor cars manufactured by other companies, such as Cooper
, Frazer Nash
and AC
, and in and powered the Bristol 450
sports prototype
to class victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans
race. In 1960 the late Sir George White and Tony Crook
rescued the car division from being lost in the BAC merger - Sir George's family were founders of the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company in 1910. Sir George and Crook formed a new company, Bristol Cars Limited, remaining within the Filton complex. Sir George retired in 1973 and Crook purchased his share, becoming sole proprietor and Managing Director.
Pre-fabricated buildings, marine craft and plastic and composite materials were also early post-war activities, but these were eventually sold off.
Bristol was involved in the post-war renaissance of British civilian aircraft as inspired by the Brabazon Committee
report. In 1949, the Brabazon
airliner prototype, at the time one of the largest aircraft in the world, first flew. This project was a step in the wrong direction and was cancelled in 1953. At the same time the turboprop-powered Britannia
airliner proved a huge success, and it and the Freighter
were produced in quantity during the 1950s. Bristol was also involved in helicopter
development, with the Belvedere
and Sycamore
going into quantity production.
Another post-war activity was missile
development, culminating in the production of the Bloodhound anti-aircraft missile. Bristol Aero Engines produced a range of rocket motors and ramjet
s for missile propulsion. The guided weapons division eventually became part of Matra BAe Dynamics Alenia (MBDA
).
In the late 1950s the Company undertook supersonic transport (SST) project studies, the Type 223, which were later to contribute to Concorde
. A research aircraft, the Type 188
, was constructed in the 1950s to test the feasibility of stainless steel
as a material in a Mach 2.0 airframe. By the time the aircraft flew in 1962, the Company was already part of BAC.
In parallel with these supersonic studies several subsonic designs were schemed in this period, including the Type 200
(a competitor of the Hawker Siddeley Trident
) and its derivatives, the Type 201 and Type 205. None of these designs were built.
, Hunting Aircraft
and Vickers-Armstrongs to form the British Aircraft Corporation
(BAC). Bristol had a 40% share of BAC, equal to that of English Electric.
In 1977, BAC was nationalised along with Scottish Aviation
and Hawker Siddeley to form British Aerospace
(BAe). BAe later became part of the now-privatised BAE Systems
.
In 1966 the Bristol Aeroplane Company and Bristol Siddeley engines was merged with Rolls-Royce.
, formed from the pre-First World War automobile company Brazil-Straker. In 1917 Cosmos was asked to investigate air-cooled radial engine
s, and under Roy Fedden
produced what became the Cosmos Mercury
, a 14-cylinder two-row (helical) radial, which they launched in 1918. This engine saw little use, but the simpler nine-cylinder version known as the Bristol Jupiter
was clearly a winning design.
With the post-war rapid contraction of military orders Cosmos Engineering went bankrupt, and the Air Ministry
let it be known that it would be a good idea if the Bristol Aeroplane Company purchased it. The Jupiter competed with the Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar through the 1920s, but Bristol put more effort into their design and by 1929 the Jupiter was clearly superior. In the 1930s, and led by Roy Fedden, the company developed the new Bristol Perseus
line of radials based on the sleeve valve
principle, which developed into some of the most powerful piston engines in the world, and continued to be sold into the 1960s.
In 1956 the division was renamed Bristol Aero Engines, and then merged with Armstrong Siddeley
in 1958 to form Bristol Siddeley
as a counterpart of the airframe-producing company mergers that formed BAC. In 1966 Bristol Siddeley was purchased by Rolls-Royce
, leaving the latter as the only major aero-engine company in Britain. Rolls-Royce continues to produce aircraft engines as Rolls-Royce plc
. A number of Bristol Siddeley engines of Bristol heritage continued to be developed by Rolls-Royce, notably the Olympus
turbojet and the Pegasus
. The classical names favoured by Bristol indicated their heritage in a Rolls-Royce lineup named after British rivers.
, released from the Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment (AFEE), came to Bristol along with some members of his team. Under Hafner's direction, the Helicopter Division produced two successful designs that were sold in quantity. The first, designated the Type 171
, had a shaky start after the wooden rotor blade
s of the second prototye failed on its first flight in 1949. Nevertheless, the Type 171, called Sycamore in military service, was sold to air forces around the world and 178 were built in total.
After the Type 171, the Bristol Helicopter Division started work on a tandem rotor
civil helicopter. The result was the 13-seat Type 173
, which made its first flight in Filton in 1952. Five examples were built for evaluation purposes. Although no airlines ordered the Type 173, it led to military designs, of which the Type 192 went into service with the RAF as the Belvedere
. First flying in 1958, 26 were built in total.
Pursuing the idea of a civil tandem rotor helicopter, Hafner and his team developed a much larger design, the Type 194. The Type 194 was in an advanced state of design when the Bristol Helicopter Division was merged, as a result of government influence, with the helicopter interests of other British aircraft manufacturers (Westland
, Fairey
and Saunders-Roe
) to form Westland Helicopters
in 1960. This meant the Type 194 was in competition with Westland's and Fairey's large helicopter designs such as the Westland Westminster
and the Fairey Rotodyne
. The Type 194 project was cancelled.
The Helicopter Division started out at the main Bristol Aeroplane Company site in Filton, but from 1955 it was moved to the Old Mixton factory in Weston-Super-Mare
, which had been used to build Blenheims during the War. The Bristol Helicopter Division's factory in Weston-Super-Mare is now the site of the The Helicopter Museum
.
Original series:
Sleeve-valve series:
Turbine-based types:
Ramjet types:
Airframe
The airframe of an aircraft is its mechanical structure. It is typically considered to include fuselage, wings and undercarriage and exclude the propulsion system...
s and aero engines. Notable aircraft produced by the company include the 'Boxkite'
Bristol Boxkite
-Military operators:* Australian Flying Corps** Central Flying School AFC at Point Cook, Victoria.* Union Defence Forces - South African Air Force Kingdom of Spain* Royal Flying Corps* Royal Naval Air Service** No. 3 Squadron RFC-References:...
, the Bristol Fighter
Bristol Fighter
Bristol Fighter may refer to:*Bristol F.2 Fighter aircraft*Bristol Beaufighter aircraft*Bristol Fighter , an automobile by Bristol Cars...
, the Bulldog
Bristol Bulldog
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Andrews, C.F. The Bristol Bulldog . Leatherhead, Surrey, UK: Profile Publications Ltd., 1965.* Barnes, C.H. Bristol Aircraft Since 1910. London: Putnam, 1964....
, the Blenheim
Bristol Blenheim
The Bristol Blenheim was a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used extensively in the early days of the Second World War. It was adapted as an interim long-range and night fighter, pending the availability of the Beaufighter...
, the Beaufighter
Bristol Beaufighter
The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often referred to as simply the Beau, was a British long-range heavy fighter modification of the Bristol Aeroplane Company's earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber design...
and the Britannia
Bristol Britannia
The Bristol Type 175 Britannia was a British medium-to-long-range airliner built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company in 1952 to fly across the British Empire...
, and much of the preliminary work which lead to the Concorde
Concorde
Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner, a supersonic transport . It was a product of an Anglo-French government treaty, combining the manufacturing efforts of Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation...
was carried out by the company. In 1956 its major operations were split into Bristol Aircraft and Bristol Aero Engines. In 1959 Bristol Aircraft merged with several major British aircraft companies to form the British Aircraft Corporation
British Aircraft Corporation
The British Aircraft Corporation was a British aircraft manufacturer formed from the government-pressured merger of English Electric Aviation Ltd., Vickers-Armstrongs , the Bristol Aeroplane Company and Hunting Aircraft in 1960. Bristol, English Electric and Vickers became "parents" of BAC with...
(BAC), and Bristol Aero Engines merged with Armstrong Siddeley
Armstrong Siddeley
Armstrong Siddeley was a British engineering group that operated during the first half of the 20th century. It was formed in 1919 and is best known for the production of luxury motor cars and aircraft engines.-Siddeley Autocars:...
to form Bristol Siddeley
Bristol Siddeley
Bristol Siddeley Engines Ltd was a British aero engine manufacturer. The company was formed in 1959 by a merger of Bristol Aero-Engines Limited and Armstrong Siddeley Motors Limited. In 1961 the company was expanded by the purchase of the de Havilland Engine Company and the engine division of...
.
BAC went on to become a founding component of the nationalised British Aerospace
British Aerospace
British Aerospace plc was a UK aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was in the Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire...
, now BAE Systems
BAE Systems
BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is among the world's largest military contractors; in 2009 it was the...
. Bristol Siddeley was purchased by Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce Limited
Rolls-Royce Limited was a renowned British car and, from 1914 on, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce on 15 March 1906 as the result of a partnership formed in 1904....
in 1966, who continued to develop and market Bristol-designed engines. The BAC works were in Filton
Filton
Filton is a town in South Gloucestershire, England, situated on the northern outskirts of the city of Bristol, about from the city centre. Filton lies in Bristol postcode areas BS7 and BS34. The town centres upon Filton Church, which dates back to the 12th century and is a grade II listed building...
, about 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
city centre. BAE Systems
BAE Systems
BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is among the world's largest military contractors; in 2009 it was the...
, Airbus
Airbus
Airbus SAS is an aircraft manufacturing subsidiary of EADS, a European aerospace company. Based in Blagnac, France, surburb of Toulouse, and with significant activity across Europe, the company produces around half of the world's jet airliners....
, Rolls Royce
Rolls-Royce plc
Rolls-Royce Group plc is a global power systems company headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s second-largest maker of aircraft engines , and also has major businesses in the marine propulsion and energy sectors. Through its defence-related activities...
and MBDA
MBDA
MBDA is a missile developer and manufacturer with operations in France, Britain, Germany, Italy, and the United States. It was formed by a merger of Aérospatiale-Matra Missiles , Finmeccanica and Matra BAe Dynamics in December 2001. In 2003 the company had 10,000 employees...
still have a presence at the Filton site where the Bristol Aeroplane Company was located.
History
Foundation
The British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, Ltd was founded in February 1910 by Sir George WhiteGeorge White (businessman)
Sir George White, 1st Baronet was an English businessman and stockbroker based in Bristol. He was instrumental in the construction of the Bristol tramways and became a pioneer in the construction of electric tramways in England. In 1910 he formed, with his brother Samuel, the Bristol Aeroplane...
, chairman of the Bristol Tramway and Carriage Company
Bristol Omnibus Company
The Bristol Omnibus Company is the former name of the dominant bus operator in Bristol, one of the oldest bus companies in the United Kingdom. The company once ran buses over a wide area of Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire and neighbouring counties. The name was in operational use until 1985...
, along with his son Stanley and his brother Samuel, to commercially exploit the fast-growing aviation sector. Unlike most aviation companies at the time, which were started by enthusiasts with little financial backing or business ability, British and Colonial was from its outset well funded and run by experienced businessmen.
Sir George established the business as a separate company from the Bristol Tramway Company because he considered that such a venture would be seen as too risky by many shareholders, and the new company's working capital of £25,000 was subscribed entirely by Sir George, his brother and his son. Nevertheless, as might be expected, the affairs of the two companies were closely connected, and the company's first premises were two former tram sheds suitable for aircraft manufacture at Filton
Filton
Filton is a town in South Gloucestershire, England, situated on the northern outskirts of the city of Bristol, about from the city centre. Filton lies in Bristol postcode areas BS7 and BS34. The town centres upon Filton Church, which dates back to the 12th century and is a grade II listed building...
leased from the Bristol Tramway Company. Additionally, key personnel for the new business were recruited from the employees of the Tramway Company, including George Challenger as chief engineer and works manager.
A flying school was also established, with premises at Brooklands
Brooklands
Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England. It opened in 1907, and was the world's first purpose-built motorsport venue, as well as one of Britain's first airfields...
, then the centre of activity for British aviation, where Bristol rented a hangar, and at Larkhill on Salisbury Plain, where in June 1910 a school was established on 2248 acres (9.1 km²) of land leased from the War Office. These flying schools came to be regarded as some of the best in the world by 1914, when 308 of the 664 Royal Aero Club
Royal Aero Club
The Royal Aero Club is the national co-ordinating body for Air Sport in the United Kingdom.The Aero Club was founded in 1901 by Frank Hedges Butler, his daughter Vera and the Hon Charles Rolls , partly inspired by the Aero Club of France...
certificates issued to date had been gained at the Company's schools.
The Bristol Boxkite
The Company's initial maufacturing venture was to be a licensed and improved version of an aircraft manufactured in France by the Societe Zodiac, a biplane designed by Gabriel VoisinGabriel Voisin
Gabriel Voisin was an aviation pioneer and the creator of Europe's first manned, engine-powered, heavier-than-air aircraft capable of a sustained , circular, controlled flight, including take-off and landing. It was flown by Henry Farman on January 13, 1908 near Paris, France...
. This aircraft had been exhibited at the Paris Aero Salon in 1909 and had impressed Sir George by the quality of its construction. One example was bought and shipped to England to be shown at the Aero Show at Olympia in March 1910, and construction of five more was started at Filton. It was then taken to Brooklands
Brooklands
Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England. It opened in 1907, and was the world's first purpose-built motorsport venue, as well as one of Britain's first airfields...
for flight trials, where it immediately became apparent that it had an unsatisfactory wing-section and insufficient power, and even though Bristol fitted it with a new set of wings it could only manage a single brief hop on 28 May, after which it was abandoned. Since the machine had been sold with a 'guarantee to fly' Sir George succeeded in getting 15,000 francs compensation from Zodiac.
Work was then begun on designing a successor. Drawings were prepared by George Challenger for an aircraft based on a successful design by Henri Farman whose dimensions had been published in the aeronautical press. The drawings were done in little over a week, and Sir George authorised the construction of twenty examples. The first to completed was taken to Larkhill for flight trials, where it made its first flight on 30 July piloted by Maurice Edmonds, proving entirely satisfactory. The first batch equipped the two training schools as well as demonstration aircraft, and the aircraft, nicknamed the Bristol Boxkite
Bristol Boxkite
-Military operators:* Australian Flying Corps** Central Flying School AFC at Point Cook, Victoria.* Union Defence Forces - South African Air Force Kingdom of Spain* Royal Flying Corps* Royal Naval Air Service** No. 3 Squadron RFC-References:...
went on to become a commercial success, 76 being built in all. Many served in the Company's flying schools and examples were sold to the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
as well as a number of foreign governments.
1911-1914
Although satisfactory by the standards of the day, the Boxkite was not capable of much further development and work was started on two new designs, a small tractor configurationTractor configuration
thumb|right|[[Evektor-Aerotechnik|Aerotechnik EV97A Eurostar]], a tractor configuration aircraft, being pulled into position by its pilot for refuelling....
biplane and a monoplane. Both of these were exhibited at the 1911 Aero Show at Olympia but neither was flown successfully. At this time both both Challenger and Low left the company to join the newly established aircraft division of the armament firm Vickers
Vickers
Vickers was a famous name in British engineering that existed through many companies from 1828 until 1999.-Early history:Vickers was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by the miller Edward Vickers and his father-in-law George Naylor in 1828. Naylor was a partner in the foundry Naylor &...
. Their place was taken by Pierre Prier, the former chief instructor at the Bleriot
Louis Blériot
Louis Charles Joseph Blériot was a French aviator, inventor and engineer. In 1909 he completed the first flight across a large body of water in a heavier-than-air craft, when he crossed the English Channel. For this achievement, he received a prize of £1,000...
flying school at Hendon
Hendon Aerodrome
Hendon Aerodrome was an aerodrome in Hendon, north London, England that, between 1908 and 1968, was an important centre for aviation.It was situated in Colindale, seven miles north west of Charing Cross. It nearly became "the Charing Cross of the UK's international air routes", but for the...
and Gordon England. In January 1912 the Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n engineer Henri Coandă
Henri Coanda
Henri Marie Coandă was a Romanian inventor, aerodynamics pioneer and builder of an experimental aircraft, the Coandă-1910 described by Coandă in the mid-1950s as the world's first jet, a controversial claim disputed by some and supported by others...
was appointed as chief designer. Also at this time a highly secret separate design office, the "X-Department", was set up to work on Dennistoun Burney's ideas for naval aircraft. Frank Barnwell
Frank Barnwell
Captain Frank Sowter Barnwell OBE AFC FRAeS BSc was an aeronautical engineer, who performed the first powered flight in Scotland and later went on to a career as an aircraft designer.-History:...
was taken on as the design engineer for this project, and took over as Bristol's chief designer when Coandă left the company in October 1914 . Barnwell was to become one of the world's foremost aeronautical engineers.
The Company expanded rapidly, employing 200 people by the outbreak of the First World War.
First World War
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
consisted of only seven squadrons equipped with a miscellany of aircraft types, none of them armed. Official War Office policy was to purchase only aircraft designed by the Royal Aircraft Establishment
Royal Aircraft Establishment
The Royal Aircraft Establishment , was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the UK Ministry of Defence , before finally losing its identity in mergers with other institutions.The first site was at Farnborough...
, and Bristol had already built a number of their B.E.2 two-seater reconnaissance aircraft. However, pressure from the pilots of the RFC and RNAS
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
led to orders being placed for the Bristol Scout, and a second factory was set up in premises belonging to the Bristol Tramway Company at Brislington in Bristol.
Barnwell returned from France in 1915, his skills as pilot being of considerably less value than his ability as a designer. At this time Leslie Frise, newly graduated from Bristol University's engineering department, was recruited by Barnwell. The first project he worked on after his return, the Bristol T.T.A., was designed in response to a War Office requirement for a two-seat fighter intended for home defence against Zeppelin
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. It was based on designs he had outlined in 1874 and detailed in 1893. His plans were reviewed by committee in 1894 and patented in the United States on 14 March 1899...
raids. This was not successful, but in 1916 work was started the Bristol F.2A, which was developed into the highly successful F.2B Bristol Fighter, one of the outstanding aircraft of the 1914-18 war and a mainstay of the R.A.F during the 1920s: it remained in service until 1931.
Another aircraft designed at this time was the Bristol Monoplane Scout
Bristol M.1
|-See also:-External links:* * * * *...
. Although popular with pilots, the success of this aircraft was limited by the War Office prejudice against monoplanes and only 130 were built. It was considered that its relatively high landing speed of 50 mph made it unsuitable for use under the field conditions of the Western Front, and the type's active service was limited to the Near East.
Inter-war years
By the end of the war, the Company employed over 3000 at its production works at Filton and BrislingtonBrislington
Brislington is an area in the south east of the city of Bristol, England. It is on the edge of Bristol and from Bath. The Brislington Brook runs through the area in the woodlands of Nightingale Valley...
. Its products had always been referred to by the name 'Bristol' and this was formalized in 1920, when British and Colonial was liquidated
Liquidation
In law, liquidation is the process by which a company is brought to an end, and the assets and property of the company redistributed. Liquidation is also sometimes referred to as winding-up or dissolution, although dissolution technically refers to the last stage of liquidation...
and its assets became the Bristol Aeroplane Company, Ltd. At this time the Company, acting under a certain amount of pressure from the Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
, bought the aero-engine division of the bankrupt Cosmos Engineering Company
Cosmos Engineering
Cosmos Engineering was a company that manufactured aero-engines in a factory in Fishponds, Bristol during World War I. Sir Roy Fedden, the company's principal designer, developed the 14-cylinder radial Mercury engine during this period...
, also of Bristol, to form the nucleus of its new aero-engine operations. There was already a good working relationship between Bristol Aircraft and Cosmos, the Jupiter having been first flown in a prototype Bristol Badger in May 1919. For £15,000 Bristol got the Cosmos design team, headed by Roy Fedden
Roy Fedden
Sir Alfred Hubert Roy Fedden MBE was an engineer who designed most of Bristol Engine Company's successful aircraft engine designs.-Early life:...
, along with a small number of completed engines and tooling. Although it was to be several years before Bristol showed any profit from the aero engine division, the Jupiter engine eventually proved enormously successful: indeed, during the inter-war period the aero-engine division was more successful than the parent company and Bristol came to dominate the market for air-cooled radial engines. Apart from providing engine for almost all Bristol's aircraft designs, the Pegasus and its successors powered an enormous number of aircraft built by other manufacturers.
Bristol's most successful aircraft during this period was the Bristol Bulldog
Bristol Bulldog
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Andrews, C.F. The Bristol Bulldog . Leatherhead, Surrey, UK: Profile Publications Ltd., 1965.* Barnes, C.H. Bristol Aircraft Since 1910. London: Putnam, 1964....
fighter, which formed the mainstay of Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
(RAF) fighter force between 1930 and 1937, when the Bulldog was retired from front line service. Since the Bulldog had started life as private venture rather than an Air Ministry-sponsored prototype it could be sold to other countries, and Bulldogs were exported to, among others, Denmark, Estonia, Finland and Australia.
During this time Bristol was noted for its preference for steel airframes, using members built up from high-tensile steel strip rolled into flanged sections rather than the light alloys more generally used in aircraft construction. On 15 June 1935 the Bristol Aeroplane Company became a public limited company. By this time the Company had a payroll of 4200, mostly in the engine factory, and was well positioned to take advantage of the huge re-armament ordered by the British Government in May of that year. Bristol's most important contribution to the expansion of the RAF at this time was the Blenheim
Bristol Blenheim
The Bristol Blenheim was a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used extensively in the early days of the Second World War. It was adapted as an interim long-range and night fighter, pending the availability of the Beaufighter...
light bomber.
In August 1938 Frank Barnwell was killed flying a light aircraft of his own design, and was succeeded as Chief Designer by Leslie Frise. By the time war broke out in 1939 the Bristol works at Filton were the largest single aircraft manufacturing unit in the world, with a floor area of nearly 25 hectare
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
s (2,691,000 square feet).
Second World War
Bristol Beaufighter
The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often referred to as simply the Beau, was a British long-range heavy fighter modification of the Bristol Aeroplane Company's earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber design...
heavy two-seat multirole aircraft, a long-range fighter, night fighter
Night fighter
A night fighter is a fighter aircraft adapted for use at night or in other times of bad visibility...
, ground attack aircraft
Ground attack aircraft
Ground-attack aircraft are military aircraft with primary role of attacking targets on the ground with greater precision than bombers and prepared to face stronger low-level air defense...
and torpedo bomber
Torpedo bomber
A torpedo bomber is a bomber aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes which could also carry out conventional bombings. Torpedo bombers existed almost exclusively prior to and during World War II when they were an important element in many famous battles, notably the...
. It was used extensively by the RAF and Commonwealth air forces and by the USAAF. The Beaufighter was derived from the Beaufort
Bristol Beaufort
The Bristol Beaufort was a British twin-engined torpedo bomber designed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, and developed from experience gained designing and building the earlier Blenheim light bomber....
torpedo bomber, itself a derivative of the Blenheim.
In 1940 a shadow factory was set up at Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare is a seaside resort, town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, which is within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is located on the Bristol Channel coast, south west of Bristol, spanning the coast between the bounding high ground of Worlebury...
for the production of Beaufighters.
The company's war-time headquarters were in the Royal West of England Academy
Royal West of England Academy
The Royal West of England Academy is an art gallery where Queens Road meets Whiteladies Road, in Bristol, England.- History :The Academy was the first art gallery in Bristol. Its foundation was financed by a bequest of £2000 in the will of Ellen Sharples in 1849, and a group of artists in...
.
Post-war
When the war ended Bristol set up a separate helicopter division in the Weston-super-Mare factory, under helicopter pioneer Raoul HafnerRaoul Hafner
Raoul Hafner, , was an Austrian-born British helicopter pioneer and engineer.Raoul Hafner, FEng, FRAes, a pioneer of rotating wing aircraft design, died as a result of a yachting accident, was an Austrian who made a distinctive contribution to the British aerospace industry, particularly the...
. It was taken over by Westland
Westland Helicopters
Westland Helicopters was a British aerospace company. Originally Westland Aircraft, the company focused on helicopters after the Second World War. It merged with several other British firms in 1961...
in 1960.
Other post-war projects included Bristol Cars
Bristol Cars
Bristol Cars is a manufacturer of hand-built luxury cars headquartered in Patchway, near Bristol, United Kingdom. Bristol have always been a low-volume manufacturer; the most recent published official production figures were for 1982, which stated that 104 cars were produced in that year...
, which used pre-war BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
designs as the basis for the Bristol 400
Bristol 400
The Bristol 400 luxury car is the first automotive product of the British Bristol Aeroplane Company. After World War II, BAC decided to diversify and formed a car division, which would later be the Bristol Cars company in its own right...
. The engine developed from this project found its way into many successful motor cars manufactured by other companies, such as Cooper
Cooper Car Company
The Cooper Car Company was founded in 1946 by Charles Cooper and his son John Cooper. Together with John's boyhood friend, Eric Brandon, they began by building racing cars in Charles' small garage in Surbiton, Surrey, England in 1946...
, Frazer Nash
Frazer Nash
Frazer Nash was a British sports car manufacturer and engineering company founded by Archibald Frazer-Nash in 1922. It produced sports cars incorporating a unique multi-chain transmission before World War II and also imported BMW cars to the UK. After the war it continued producing sports cars with...
and AC
AC Cars
AC Cars Group Ltd. formerly known as Auto Carriers Ltd. is a British specialist automobile manufacturer and one of the oldest independent car marques founded in Britain...
, and in and powered the Bristol 450
Bristol 450
The Bristol Type 450 was a successful sports car racing prototype model, designed in 1953 by Bristol Cars and based on the abortive ERA G-type Formula Two car of 1952. Although most sources state that only three 450s were built, photographic evidence suggests that at least four were in existence at...
sports prototype
Sports car racing
Sports car racing is a form of circuit auto racing with automobiles that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built or related to road-going sports cars....
to class victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
race. In 1960 the late Sir George White and Tony Crook
Tony Crook
Anthony Crook is a former racing driver from England. He was born in Manchester. He participated in 2 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 19 July 1952. He scored no championship points. He also participated in several non-Championship Formula One races...
rescued the car division from being lost in the BAC merger - Sir George's family were founders of the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company in 1910. Sir George and Crook formed a new company, Bristol Cars Limited, remaining within the Filton complex. Sir George retired in 1973 and Crook purchased his share, becoming sole proprietor and Managing Director.
Pre-fabricated buildings, marine craft and plastic and composite materials were also early post-war activities, but these were eventually sold off.
Bristol was involved in the post-war renaissance of British civilian aircraft as inspired by the Brabazon Committee
Brabazon Committee
The Brabazon Committee was a committee formed on 23 December 1942 to investigate the future needs of the British Empire's civilian airliner market...
report. In 1949, the Brabazon
Bristol Brabazon
The Bristol Type 167 Brabazon was a large propeller-driven airliner, designed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company to fly transatlantic routes from the United Kingdom to the United States. The prototype was delivered in 1949, only to prove a commercial failure when airlines felt the airliner was too...
airliner prototype, at the time one of the largest aircraft in the world, first flew. This project was a step in the wrong direction and was cancelled in 1953. At the same time the turboprop-powered Britannia
Bristol Britannia
The Bristol Type 175 Britannia was a British medium-to-long-range airliner built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company in 1952 to fly across the British Empire...
airliner proved a huge success, and it and the Freighter
Bristol Freighter
The Bristol Type 170 Freighter was a British twin-engine aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company as both a freighter and airliner, although its best known use is as an air ferry to carry cars and their passengers over relatively short distances.-Design and development:The...
were produced in quantity during the 1950s. Bristol was also involved in helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
development, with the Belvedere
Bristol Belvedere
The Bristol Type 192 Belvedere is a British twin-engine, tandem rotor military helicopter built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It was designed for a variety of transport roles including troop transport, supply dropping and casualty evacuation...
and Sycamore
Bristol Sycamore
-See also:-External links:* on the Bristol Sycamore* on the Bristol Sycamore*...
going into quantity production.
Another post-war activity was missile
Missile
Though a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...
development, culminating in the production of the Bloodhound anti-aircraft missile. Bristol Aero Engines produced a range of rocket motors and ramjet
Ramjet
A ramjet, sometimes referred to as a stovepipe jet, or an athodyd, is a form of airbreathing jet engine using the engine's forward motion to compress incoming air, without a rotary compressor. Ramjets cannot produce thrust at zero airspeed and thus cannot move an aircraft from a standstill...
s for missile propulsion. The guided weapons division eventually became part of Matra BAe Dynamics Alenia (MBDA
MBDA
MBDA is a missile developer and manufacturer with operations in France, Britain, Germany, Italy, and the United States. It was formed by a merger of Aérospatiale-Matra Missiles , Finmeccanica and Matra BAe Dynamics in December 2001. In 2003 the company had 10,000 employees...
).
In the late 1950s the Company undertook supersonic transport (SST) project studies, the Type 223, which were later to contribute to Concorde
Concorde
Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner, a supersonic transport . It was a product of an Anglo-French government treaty, combining the manufacturing efforts of Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation...
. A research aircraft, the Type 188
Bristol 188
The Bristol 188 was a British supersonic research aircraft built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company in the 1950s. Its length, slender cross-section and intended purpose led to its being nicknamed the "Flaming Pencil".-Design and development:...
, was constructed in the 1950s to test the feasibility of stainless steel
Stainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
as a material in a Mach 2.0 airframe. By the time the aircraft flew in 1962, the Company was already part of BAC.
In parallel with these supersonic studies several subsonic designs were schemed in this period, including the Type 200
Bristol Type 200
-External links:*...
(a competitor of the Hawker Siddeley Trident
Hawker Siddeley Trident
The Hawker Siddeley HS 121 Trident was a British short/medium-range three-engined jet airliner designed by de Havilland and built by Hawker Siddeley in the 1960s and 1970s...
) and its derivatives, the Type 201 and Type 205. None of these designs were built.
Merger into BAC
In 1959 Bristol was forced by Government policy to merge its aircraft interests with English ElectricEnglish Electric
English Electric was a British industrial manufacturer. Founded in 1918, it initially specialised in industrial electric motors and transformers...
, Hunting Aircraft
Hunting Aircraft
Hunting Aircraft was a British aircraft manufacturer, that produced light training aircraft and initially designed the BAC 1-11 jet airliner. The company, based in Luton, merged with other companies to form the British Aircraft Corporation in 1959.-History:...
and Vickers-Armstrongs to form the British Aircraft Corporation
British Aircraft Corporation
The British Aircraft Corporation was a British aircraft manufacturer formed from the government-pressured merger of English Electric Aviation Ltd., Vickers-Armstrongs , the Bristol Aeroplane Company and Hunting Aircraft in 1960. Bristol, English Electric and Vickers became "parents" of BAC with...
(BAC). Bristol had a 40% share of BAC, equal to that of English Electric.
In 1977, BAC was nationalised along with Scottish Aviation
Scottish Aviation
Scottish Aviation Limited was a Scottish aircraft manufacturer, based at Prestwick in South Ayrshire.-History:Originally a flying school operator the company took on maintenance work in 1938....
and Hawker Siddeley to form British Aerospace
British Aerospace
British Aerospace plc was a UK aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was in the Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire...
(BAe). BAe later became part of the now-privatised BAE Systems
BAE Systems
BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is among the world's largest military contractors; in 2009 it was the...
.
In 1966 the Bristol Aeroplane Company and Bristol Siddeley engines was merged with Rolls-Royce.
Bristol Engine Company
The Bristol Engine Company was originally a separate entity, Cosmos EngineeringCosmos Engineering
Cosmos Engineering was a company that manufactured aero-engines in a factory in Fishponds, Bristol during World War I. Sir Roy Fedden, the company's principal designer, developed the 14-cylinder radial Mercury engine during this period...
, formed from the pre-First World War automobile company Brazil-Straker. In 1917 Cosmos was asked to investigate air-cooled radial engine
Radial engine
The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders point outward from a central crankshaft like the spokes on a wheel...
s, and under Roy Fedden
Roy Fedden
Sir Alfred Hubert Roy Fedden MBE was an engineer who designed most of Bristol Engine Company's successful aircraft engine designs.-Early life:...
produced what became the Cosmos Mercury
Cosmos Mercury
-See also:-Bibliography:* Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9...
, a 14-cylinder two-row (helical) radial, which they launched in 1918. This engine saw little use, but the simpler nine-cylinder version known as the Bristol Jupiter
Bristol Jupiter
The Bristol Jupiter was a British nine-cylinder single-row piston radial engine built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. Originally designed late in World War I and known as the Cosmos Jupiter, a lengthy series of upgrades and developments turned it into one of the finest engines of its era.The...
was clearly a winning design.
With the post-war rapid contraction of military orders Cosmos Engineering went bankrupt, and the Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
let it be known that it would be a good idea if the Bristol Aeroplane Company purchased it. The Jupiter competed with the Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar through the 1920s, but Bristol put more effort into their design and by 1929 the Jupiter was clearly superior. In the 1930s, and led by Roy Fedden, the company developed the new Bristol Perseus
Bristol Perseus
|-See also:-Bibliography:* Bridgman, L, Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II. Crescent . ISBN 0-517-67964-7* Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9...
line of radials based on the sleeve valve
Sleeve valve
The sleeve valve is a type of valve mechanism for piston engines, distinct from the usual poppet valve. Sleeve-valve engines saw use in a number of pre-World War II luxury cars and in USA in the Willys-Knight car and light truck...
principle, which developed into some of the most powerful piston engines in the world, and continued to be sold into the 1960s.
In 1956 the division was renamed Bristol Aero Engines, and then merged with Armstrong Siddeley
Armstrong Siddeley
Armstrong Siddeley was a British engineering group that operated during the first half of the 20th century. It was formed in 1919 and is best known for the production of luxury motor cars and aircraft engines.-Siddeley Autocars:...
in 1958 to form Bristol Siddeley
Bristol Siddeley
Bristol Siddeley Engines Ltd was a British aero engine manufacturer. The company was formed in 1959 by a merger of Bristol Aero-Engines Limited and Armstrong Siddeley Motors Limited. In 1961 the company was expanded by the purchase of the de Havilland Engine Company and the engine division of...
as a counterpart of the airframe-producing company mergers that formed BAC. In 1966 Bristol Siddeley was purchased by Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce Limited
Rolls-Royce Limited was a renowned British car and, from 1914 on, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce on 15 March 1906 as the result of a partnership formed in 1904....
, leaving the latter as the only major aero-engine company in Britain. Rolls-Royce continues to produce aircraft engines as Rolls-Royce plc
Rolls-Royce plc
Rolls-Royce Group plc is a global power systems company headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s second-largest maker of aircraft engines , and also has major businesses in the marine propulsion and energy sectors. Through its defence-related activities...
. A number of Bristol Siddeley engines of Bristol heritage continued to be developed by Rolls-Royce, notably the Olympus
Rolls-Royce Olympus
The Rolls-Royce Olympus was one of the world's first two-spool axial-flow turbojet aircraft engines, originally developed and produced by Bristol Aero Engines. First running in 1950, its initial use was as the powerplant of the Avro Vulcan V Bomber...
turbojet and the Pegasus
Rolls-Royce Pegasus
The Rolls-Royce Pegasus is a turbofan engine originally designed by Bristol Siddeley, and now manufactured by Rolls-Royce plc. This engine is able to direct thrust downwards which can then be swivelled to power a jet aircraft forward. Lightly loaded, it can also manoeuvre like a helicopter,...
. The classical names favoured by Bristol indicated their heritage in a Rolls-Royce lineup named after British rivers.
Helicopter Division
The Bristol Aeroplane Company's Helicopter Division had its roots in 1944, when the helicopter designer Raoul HafnerRaoul Hafner
Raoul Hafner, , was an Austrian-born British helicopter pioneer and engineer.Raoul Hafner, FEng, FRAes, a pioneer of rotating wing aircraft design, died as a result of a yachting accident, was an Austrian who made a distinctive contribution to the British aerospace industry, particularly the...
, released from the Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment (AFEE), came to Bristol along with some members of his team. Under Hafner's direction, the Helicopter Division produced two successful designs that were sold in quantity. The first, designated the Type 171
Bristol Sycamore
-See also:-External links:* on the Bristol Sycamore* on the Bristol Sycamore*...
, had a shaky start after the wooden rotor blade
Helicopter rotor
A helicopter main rotor or rotor system is a type of fan that is used to generate both the aerodynamic lift force that supports the weight of the helicopter, and thrust which counteracts aerodynamic drag in forward flight...
s of the second prototye failed on its first flight in 1949. Nevertheless, the Type 171, called Sycamore in military service, was sold to air forces around the world and 178 were built in total.
After the Type 171, the Bristol Helicopter Division started work on a tandem rotor
Tandem rotor
Tandem rotor helicopters have two large horizontal rotor assemblies mounted one in front of the other. Currently this configuration is mainly used for large cargo helicopters....
civil helicopter. The result was the 13-seat Type 173
Bristol Type 173
|-References:NotesBibliography...
, which made its first flight in Filton in 1952. Five examples were built for evaluation purposes. Although no airlines ordered the Type 173, it led to military designs, of which the Type 192 went into service with the RAF as the Belvedere
Bristol Belvedere
The Bristol Type 192 Belvedere is a British twin-engine, tandem rotor military helicopter built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It was designed for a variety of transport roles including troop transport, supply dropping and casualty evacuation...
. First flying in 1958, 26 were built in total.
Pursuing the idea of a civil tandem rotor helicopter, Hafner and his team developed a much larger design, the Type 194. The Type 194 was in an advanced state of design when the Bristol Helicopter Division was merged, as a result of government influence, with the helicopter interests of other British aircraft manufacturers (Westland
Westland Aircraft
Westland Aircraft was a British aircraft manufacturer located in Yeovil in Somerset. Formed as a separate company by separation from Petters Ltd just before the start of the Second World War, Westland had been building aircraft since 1915...
, Fairey
Fairey Aviation
The Fairey Aviation Company Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer of the first half of the 20th century based in Hayes in Greater London and Heaton Chapel and RAF Ringway in Greater Manchester...
and Saunders-Roe
Saunders-Roe
Saunders-Roe Limited was a British aero- and marine-engineering company based at Columbine Works East Cowes, Isle of Wight.-History:The name was adopted in 1929 after Alliot Verdon Roe and John Lord took a controlling interest in the boat-builders S.E. Saunders...
) to form Westland Helicopters
Westland Helicopters
Westland Helicopters was a British aerospace company. Originally Westland Aircraft, the company focused on helicopters after the Second World War. It merged with several other British firms in 1961...
in 1960. This meant the Type 194 was in competition with Westland's and Fairey's large helicopter designs such as the Westland Westminster
Westland Westminster
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography*James, Derek N. Westland Aircraft since 1915. London: Putnam, 1991, ISBN 0 85177 847 X.-External links:*...
and the Fairey Rotodyne
Fairey Rotodyne
The Fairey Rotodyne was a 1950s British compound gyroplane designed and built by Fairey Aviation and intended for commercial and military applications...
. The Type 194 project was cancelled.
The Helicopter Division started out at the main Bristol Aeroplane Company site in Filton, but from 1955 it was moved to the Old Mixton factory in Weston-Super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare is a seaside resort, town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, which is within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is located on the Bristol Channel coast, south west of Bristol, spanning the coast between the bounding high ground of Worlebury...
, which had been used to build Blenheims during the War. The Bristol Helicopter Division's factory in Weston-Super-Mare is now the site of the The Helicopter Museum
The Helicopter Museum (Weston)
The Helicopter Museum in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, England, is a museum featuring a collection of more than 80 helicopters and autogyros from around the world, both civilian and military...
.
Products
Bristol did not systematically assign project type numbers until 1923, starting with the Type 90 Berkeley. In that year they also retrospectively assigned type numbers in chronological order to all projects, built or not, from August 1914 onwards. Thus the Scouts A and B did not get a type number, but the Scout C did and was the Type 1. The final Bristol project, numbered Type 225 was an unbuilt 1962 STOL transport. Of these 225 Types, 117 were built. This list does not include the unbuilt "paper aeroplanes"; it does include the pre-August 1914 aircraft.Aircraft
 |
 |
Pre-World War I
- BoxkiteBristol Boxkite-Military operators:* Australian Flying Corps** Central Flying School AFC at Point Cook, Victoria.* Union Defence Forces - South African Air Force Kingdom of Spain* Royal Flying Corps* Royal Naval Air Service** No. 3 Squadron RFC-References:...
- Bristol GliderBristol GliderThe Bristol Glider was an early British two-seat biplane glider designed in 1910s George Challenger and built by the British & Colonial Aeroplane Company at Filton Aerodrome, Bristol....
- Biplane Type 'T'Bristol Biplane Type 'T'The Bristol Biplane Type 'T', sometimes called the Challenger-Dickson Biplane, was a derivative of the Bristol Boxkite. It was built in 1911 by the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company. It was designed as a cross-country racing aircraft.-Development:...
- Bristol Prier monoplane
- Bristol-Coanda MonoplanesBristol-Coanda Monoplanes-External links:* *...
- Bristol Gordon England biplaneBristol Gordon England biplane-References:* *...
- Bristol B.R.7
- Bristol Hydro no.120Bristol Hydro no.120The Hydro no.120 was a two-seat, single-engine biplane configured as a single-float seaplane. Built by Bristol in 1913, it was lost on its first flight.-Development:...
- Bristol G.B.75Bristol TB.8-External links:...
- Bristol TB.8Bristol TB.8-External links:...
World War I
- Bristol ScoutBristol ScoutThe Bristol Scout was a simple, single seat, rotary-engined biplane originally intended as a civilian racing aircraft. Like other similar fast, light aircraft of the period - it was acquired by the RNAS and the RFC as a "scout", or fast reconnaissance type...
Types 1-5, 18 and 21 Scout - Type 6 T.T.A.
- Types 10, 11, 20 and 77 M.1 Monoplane ScoutBristol M.1|-See also:-External links:* * * * *...
- Scout F.1
- Types 12, 14-17 and 22 F.2 Fighter
- Type F.3A
- Type 13 M.R.1Bristol M.R.1|-References:NotesBibliography...
Inter-war
- Type 23 Badger
- Types 24 Braemar and 25 TrampBristol Braemar|-See also:...
- Type 26 PullmanBristol Pullman|-See also:...
- Bristol TourerBristol Tourer-External links: Contemporary brief technical description of the Type 27 Tourer with photograph. Contemporary technical description of the Type 28 with photographs....
Types 27-29, 47 and 48 - Types 30 and 46 Babe
- Type 32 Bullet
- Type 36 Seely
- Type 37 TrampBristol Tramp|-See also:-External links:*...
- Types 52 and 53 BullfinchBristol Bullfinch-External links:* * * *...
- Type 62 and 75 Ten-Seater and Type 79 BrandonBristol Ten-seater|-See also:-External links:*...
- Type 72 Racer
- Type 76 Jupiter FighterBristol Jupiter Fighter-External links:*...
- Type 73 Taxiplane and Type 83/183 Primary TrainerBristol Primary Trainer-External links:*...
- Type 84 BloodhoundBristol Type 84 Bloodhound-External links:* * *...
- Type 90 Berkeley
- Type 91 BrownieBristol Brownie-Bibliography:*...
- Bristol Type 92 'Laboratory' biplane
- Types 93 Boarhound and 93A BeaverBristol Boarhound-References:* Donald, David, and Lake, Jon, eds. Encyclopedia of World Military Aircraft. London: AIRtime Publishing, 1996. ISBN 1-880588-24-2.-External links:* *...
- Type 95 BagshotBristol Bagshot-External links:**...
- Type 99 Badminton
- Type 101
- Type 105 BulldogBristol Bulldog|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Andrews, C.F. The Bristol Bulldog . Leatherhead, Surrey, UK: Profile Publications Ltd., 1965.* Barnes, C.H. Bristol Aircraft Since 1910. London: Putnam, 1964....
- Type 107 BullpupBristol Bullpup-Bibliography:* Barnes, C.H. Bristol Aircraft Since 1910. London: Putnam, 1964. ISBN 0-370-00015-3.* Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. The Complete Book of Fighters. Godalming, UK: Salamander, 2001. ISBN 1-84065-269-1....
- Type 109
- Type 110ABristol Type 110A|-References:NotesBibliography...
- Type 118
- Type 120
- Type 123Bristol Type 123|-References:NotesBibliography...
- Type 130 BombayBristol Bombay|-See also:...
- Type 133
- Type 138Bristol Type 138|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Barnes, C.H. Bristol Aircraft since 1910. London: Putnam, 1964.* Thetford, Owen. Aircraft of the Royal Air Force 1918-57, 1st edition. London: Putnam, 1957....
- Bristol Type 142 'Britain First'Bristol BlenheimThe Bristol Blenheim was a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used extensively in the early days of the Second World War. It was adapted as an interim long-range and night fighter, pending the availability of the Beaufighter...
- Bristol Type 143Bristol Type 143-See also:-External links:**...
- Type 146Bristol Type 146The Bristol Type 146 was a British single-seat, eight-gun fighter monoplane prototype built to a mid-1930s Air Ministry contract. Powered by a radial engine, it was outclassed by Merlin-engined fighters and only one was built.-Design and development:...
- Type 148Bristol Type 148The Bristol Type 148 was a two-seat, single-engine low-wing monoplane built in 1937 to an Air Ministry contact for prototype army co-operation aircraft...
- Types 142M, 149 and 160 BlenheimBristol BlenheimThe Bristol Blenheim was a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used extensively in the early days of the Second World War. It was adapted as an interim long-range and night fighter, pending the availability of the Beaufighter...
World War II
- Type 149 BolingbrokeBristol Fairchild BolingbrokeThe Bristol Fairchild Bolingbroke was a maritime patrol aircraft used by the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. Built by Fairchild-Canada, it was a variant of the Bristol Blenheim Mk IV bomber.-Design and development:...
- Type 152 BeaufortBristol BeaufortThe Bristol Beaufort was a British twin-engined torpedo bomber designed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, and developed from experience gained designing and building the earlier Blenheim light bomber....
- Type 156 BeaufighterBristol BeaufighterThe Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often referred to as simply the Beau, was a British long-range heavy fighter modification of the Bristol Aeroplane Company's earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber design...
- Type 163 BuckinghamBristol Buckingham|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Buttler, Tony. British Secret Projects: Fighters and Bombers 1935-1950. Hinckley, UK: Midland Publishing, 2004. ISBN 1-85780-179-2....
- Type 164 Brigand
- Type 166 BuckmasterBristol Buckmaster|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Bridgeman, Leonard. "The Bristol 166 Buckmaster." Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II. London: Studio, 1946. ISBN 1-85170-493-0....
Post-war
- Type 167 BrabazonBristol BrabazonThe Bristol Type 167 Brabazon was a large propeller-driven airliner, designed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company to fly transatlantic routes from the United Kingdom to the United States. The prototype was delivered in 1949, only to prove a commercial failure when airlines felt the airliner was too...
- Type 170 Freighter and WayfarerBristol FreighterThe Bristol Type 170 Freighter was a British twin-engine aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company as both a freighter and airliner, although its best known use is as an air ferry to carry cars and their passengers over relatively short distances.-Design and development:The...
- Bristol SuperfreighterBristol Superfreighter|-References:NotesBibliography* Green, William. Macdonald Aircraft Handbook. London. Macdonald & Co. Ltd., 1964.- External links :* ] Superfreighter at Lydd Ferryfield]....
- Type 175 BritanniaBristol BritanniaThe Bristol Type 175 Britannia was a British medium-to-long-range airliner built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company in 1952 to fly across the British Empire...
- Bristol 188Bristol 188The Bristol 188 was a British supersonic research aircraft built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company in the 1950s. Its length, slender cross-section and intended purpose led to its being nicknamed the "Flaming Pencil".-Design and development:...
- high speed research aircraft
Helicopters
- Type 171 SycamoreBristol Sycamore-See also:-External links:* on the Bristol Sycamore* on the Bristol Sycamore*...
- Type 173Bristol Type 173|-References:NotesBibliography...
- Type 192 BelvedereBristol BelvedereThe Bristol Type 192 Belvedere is a British twin-engine, tandem rotor military helicopter built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It was designed for a variety of transport roles including troop transport, supply dropping and casualty evacuation...
Engines
Bristol Engine designs include:Original series:
- CherubBristol Cherub-See also:-Bibliography:* Guttery, T.E. The Shuttleworth Collection. London: Wm. Carling & Co, 1969. ISBN 901319-01-5* Lumsden, Alec. British Piston Engines and their Aircraft. Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1-85310-294-6....
- LuciferBristol Lucifer-See also:-Bibliography:* Lumsden, Alec. British Piston Engines and their Aircraft. Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1-85310-294-6....
- JupiterBristol JupiterThe Bristol Jupiter was a British nine-cylinder single-row piston radial engine built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. Originally designed late in World War I and known as the Cosmos Jupiter, a lengthy series of upgrades and developments turned it into one of the finest engines of its era.The...
- TitanBristol Titan|-See also:-Bibliography:* Lumsden, Alec. British Piston Engines and their Aircraft. Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1-85310-294-6....
- MercuryBristol Mercury|-See also:-Bibliography:* Bridgman, L, Jane's fighting aircraft of World War II. Crescent. ISBN 0-517-67964-7* Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9...
- NeptuneBristol Neptune|-See also:-Bibliography:* Lumsden, Alec. British Piston Engines and their Aircraft. Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1-85310-294-6....
- Pegasus
- PhoenixBristol Phoenix|-See also:-Bibliography:*Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9...
- HydraBristol Hydra|-See also:-Bibliography:* Lumsden, Alec. British Piston Engines and their Aircraft. Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1-85310-294-6.-External links:*...
Sleeve-valve series:
- PerseusBristol Perseus|-See also:-Bibliography:* Bridgman, L, Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II. Crescent . ISBN 0-517-67964-7* Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9...
- AquilaBristol Aquila|-See also:-Bibliography:*Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9...
- TaurusBristol Taurus|-See also:-Bibliography:*Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9...
- HerculesBristol Hercules|-See also:-Bibliography:*Gunston, B. Classic World War II Aircraft Cutaways. Osprey. ISBN 1-85532-526-8*Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9...
- CentaurusBristol Centaurus|-See also:-Bibliography:*Bridgman, L, Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II. Crescent. ISBN 0-517-67964-7*Gunston, Bill. Development of Piston Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 2006. ISBN 0-7509-4478-1...
Turbine-based types:
- TheseusBristol Theseus-Bibliography:*Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9-External links:*...
turboprop with heat exchanger - ProteusBristol Proteus|-See also:-Bibliography:* Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9* Hooker, Sir Stanley. Not Much Of An Engineer. Airlife Publishing, 1985. ISBN 1853102857....
two-shaft turboprop - OlympusRolls-Royce OlympusThe Rolls-Royce Olympus was one of the world's first two-spool axial-flow turbojet aircraft engines, originally developed and produced by Bristol Aero Engines. First running in 1950, its initial use was as the powerplant of the Avro Vulcan V Bomber...
two-spool turbojet - Orpheus single-spool turbojet
- Orion two-shaft turboprop
- PegasusRolls-Royce PegasusThe Rolls-Royce Pegasus is a turbofan engine originally designed by Bristol Siddeley, and now manufactured by Rolls-Royce plc. This engine is able to direct thrust downwards which can then be swivelled to power a jet aircraft forward. Lightly loaded, it can also manoeuvre like a helicopter,...
two-spool vectored thrust turbofan - Cumulus APU for TSR-2
Ramjet types:
- BRJ.801
- ThorBristol ThorThe Bristol Thor was a 16" diameter ramjet engine developed by Bristol Aero Engines for the Bristol Bloodhound anti-aircraft missile....
- OdinBristol OdinThe Bristol Odin is a ramjet engine originally developed by Bristol Siddeley Engines, later taken over by Rolls-Royce. Odin was specifically designed to power the Sea Dart missile. Unlike the earlier Thor ramjet powering the Bristol Bloodhound missile, Odin is an integral part of the Sea Dart...
Missiles and rockets
Bristol missile designs include:- Blue Envoy - project for a surface to air missile to meet Operational Requirement 1140. Never entered production
- Bloodhound - large surface to air missile
- FulmarFulmar (rocket)The Fulmar was a two-stage British elevator research rocket. The Fulmar, developed by Bristol Aerojet, consisted of a Heron starting stage with 107 kN thrust and a Snipe upper stage with 16.7 kN thrust. The Fulmar had a diameter of 26 centimetres and a length of 7.47 metres. It weighed 500...
- research rocket - SkuaSkua (rocket)Skua is the designation of a British sounding rocket which was launched between 1959 and 1981 in 4 versions over 300 times. The Skua was developed by Bristol Aerojet and RPE Wescott. It consisted of a starting stage made up of several Chick rockets that burned for 0.2 seconds. They propelled the...
- sounding rocket - Bristol 182 for the specification UB.109TUB.109TUB.109T was a British cruise missile project. It was cancelled on 30 September 1954.An identified operational requirement led to a request for designs for an unmanned bomb capable of delivering a 5,000 lb conventional warhead over 465 miles travelling at 600 mph. The specification for...
, also known by MoS codename "Blue Rapier"
See also
- Aerospace industry in the United Kingdom
- Bristol AerospaceBristol AerospaceBristol Aerospace is a Canadian aerospace firm located in Winnipeg, Manitoba and is an operating division of Magellan Aerospace.-History:Bristol Aerospace began in 1930 as the MacDonald Brothers Aircraft Company. Brothers Jim and Grant MacDonald moved to Winnipeg from Nova Scotia in 1904 to start a...
, Canadian subsidiary - Roy FeddenRoy FeddenSir Alfred Hubert Roy Fedden MBE was an engineer who designed most of Bristol Engine Company's successful aircraft engine designs.-Early life:...
, engine designer - Harry RicardoHarry RicardoSir Harry Ricardo was one of the foremost engine designers and researchers in the early years of the development of the internal combustion engine....
, engine designer
External links
- "Projects from the past" - list of uncompleted Bristol aircraft projects in Flight 1950
- British Aircraft Directory entry for Bristol
- The Bristol Aeroplane Company, the founder's family's website
- Bristol aircraft and engines
- Bristol aircraft engines