Bristol Glider
Encyclopedia
The Bristol Glider was an early British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
two-seat biplane
Biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
glider
Glider (sailplane)
A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the sport of gliding. Some gliders, known as motor gliders are used for gliding and soaring as well, but have engines which can, in some cases, be used for take-off or for extending a flight...
designed in 1910s George Challenger and built by the British & Colonial Aeroplane Company
Bristol Aeroplane Company
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 airframes and aero engines...
at Filton Aerodrome
Filton Aerodrome
Bristol Filton Airport or Filton Aerodrome lies on the border between Filton and Patchway, within South Gloucestershire, north of Bristol, England. The airfield is bounded by the A38 trunk road to the east, the former London to Avonmouth railway line to the south and the Old Filton Bypass road to...
, Bristol.
Challenger was chief engineer of the British & Colonial Aeroplane Company and he designed the glider for Sir George White the company founder. White had the glider built to present to the Bristol and West of England Aero Club after he had been elected president of the club in October 1910.
Challenger had previous designed 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:...
, strongly influenced by Henri Farman's aircraft, and the Glider followed the same layout. It had a foreplane well ahead of the wings mounted on wire-braced wooden booms, which also carried the undercarriage
Undercarriage
The undercarriage or landing gear in aviation, is the structure that supports an aircraft on the ground and allows it to taxi, takeoff and land...
of a pair of long skids carrying small wheels Four booms, tapering together in elevation, carried a single tailplane
Tailplane
A tailplane, also known as horizontal stabilizer , is a small lifting surface located on the tail behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed wing aircraft such as helicopters and gyroplanes...
rather than the pair used by the Boxkite. Foreplane and tailplane moved together to control pitch
Pitch
Pitch may refer to:* Pitch , a viscous substance produced by plants or formed from petroleum* Pitch * sales pitch** elevator pitch, a very short sales pitch such as that made during an elevator ride* Pitch accent-Music and acoustics:...
. A small pair of rudders was mounted between the booms near the tail. Lateral control was by ailerons fitted on the upper wing.
The Glider first flew from the landing ground at Keynsham on 17 December 1910, piloted by Challenger. It was hand-towed into the air and retrieved uphill using a two-wheel dolly. It was damaged in February 1911 and repaired but a more serious accident on 4 September 1911 cost £30 to repair. The Glider survived until 1912 but the final fate is not known. The Glider had been designed to have a 30 hp engine fitted but this was never installed.