AVIATION IN THE WEST OF ENGLAND SINCE 1910

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AVIATION IN THE WEST OF ENGLAND SINCE 1910

• AEROPLANES

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AEROPLANES

• The first complete aeroplane to be designed and
  built in the West of England was the Bristol
  Boxkite.
• Since then hundreds of different designs and
  thousands of different aeroplanes have been built
  here.
• The last complete large aeroplane built in the
  West of England was Concorde.
• However, wings for big airliners, like the Airbus
  A380, are still designed and built here.
• You can see some of the famous West of England
  aircraft in this slide show.

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BRISTOL BOXKITE 1910
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BRISTOL BOXKITE 1910
British Colonial Aeroplane Company Wingspan
14.1 metres Weight 408kg Max speed 50
mph Engine Gnome Rotary
This photograph shows a Boxkite on Durdham Downs
in Bristol. It was taken on 14 November 1910. The
man on the right with the bowler hat is Sir
George White. He owned the company that made the
aeroplane. This was the first time the Boxkite
had been seen by the public in Bristol. The
Boxkite was the first British aircraft to be sold
abroad. The Russians ordered eight of them in
1910.
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BRISTOL FIGHTER, 1916
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BRISTOL FIGHTER 1916
British Colonial Aeroplane Company Wingspan
11.96 metres Weight 975kg Max speed 125
mph Engine Rolls-Royce Falcon
The Bristol Fighter was used in World War One. It
carried two people. The pilot sat at the front
and the observer sat at the back. From his seat,
the observer could fire a machine gun and drop
bombs. He was called the observer because he was
on the look-out for the enemy. By 1919 over 4,700
Fighters had been built. It was a biplane, like
the Boxkite. This means it had two sets of wings,
one above the other. The wings were kept rigid by
struts and wires which linked the top set to the
lower one.
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THE RACER 1922
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THE RACER 1922
Bristol Aeroplane Company Wingspan 8.2
metres Weight 336kg Max speed 220 mph Engine
Bristol Jupiter
This is a monoplane. The single wing is held
rigid by a rod that goes through the aeroplane
from one wing tip to the other. The designers
hoped that the Racer would be able to fly at over
200 miles an hour. Only one aeroplane was ever
made and it only flew seven times. This was
because it was difficult to control. Although it
was abandoned, it is still an important
aeroplane. It was one of the first aeroplanes
built by Bristol Aeroplane Company to have
retractable wheels that means the wheels could
be pulled up when it was flying. It was also one
of the first aeroplanes to use a Bristol Jupiter
engine.
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TYPE 138A 1934
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TYPE 138A 1934
Bristol Aeroplane Company Wingspan 20.11
metres Weight 1,996kg Max speed 125 mph Engine
Bristol Pegasus
The Type 138A was designed to fly at high
altitude. It was made from wood to make it light.
It was powered by a Bristol Pegasus engine. On 30
June 1937, it flew to the altitude of 16,440
metres. This was a new world record. In those
days aeroplanes did not have pressurised cockpits
like they have now. The pilot had to wear a
special rubber suit to keep him warm and oxygen
was pumped into his helmet to help him breathe.
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BEAUFIGHTER 1939
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BEAUFIGHTER 1939
Bristol Aeroplane Company Wingspan 17.6
metres Weight 6,272.6kg Max speed 330
mph Engine Bristol Hercules
This aeroplane was used in World War Two. It was
a long-range fighter. It had four cannons and six
machine guns. It was one of the first aeroplanes
to use radar. This meant it could fight at night.
It was used to shoot down enemy bombers and fire
torpedoes at ships. By 1945 over 5,500
Beaufighters had been built.
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BRABAZON 1949
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BRABAZON 1949
Bristol Aeroplane Company Wingspan 70.1
metres Weight 65,944 kg Max speed 300
mph Engine Bristol Centaurus
This aeroplane was designed to carry 100
passengers and 12 crew across the Atlantic. It
was the largest aeroplane ever built in Britain.
Part of the village of Charlton in South
Gloucestershire had to be demolished to make a
big enough runway for it. The aeroplane was a
technical success but no-one wanted to buy it.
Only one was built. Brabazon was broken up in
1953, but the huge hangar that was specially
built for it at Filton is still in use.
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BRITANNIA 1952
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BRITANNIA 1952
Bristol Aeroplane Company Wingspan 43.3
metres Weight 40,000kg Max speed 362
mph Engine Bristol Proteus
This was the first passenger aeroplane to fly
non-stop from the UK to North America across the
Atlantic. It was nicknamed the Whispering Giant
because it was so quiet. Britannias were used by
airlines all over the world. Over 80 were built.
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CONCORDE 1969
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CONCORDE 1969
British Aircraft Corporation/ Sud
Aviation Wingspan 25.6 metres Weight 78,700
kg Max speed 1,448 mph Engine Rolls-Royce/
SNECMA Olympus
Concorde was the first supersonic passenger
aeroplane. Concorde 002 made its first flight
from Filton on 9 April 1969. In 1979 the last
complete Concorde was assembled at Filton. This
was Concorde 216. It returned to Filton on its
final flight on 26 November 2003. It is now a
visitor attraction.
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AIRBUS A380 2005
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A380 2005
Company Airbus Wingspan 79.8 metres Weight
276,800 kg Max speed 634 mph Engine Rolls-Royce
Trent
This is the biggest passenger aeroplane in the
world. Its wings were designed and partially made
at Airbus at Filton. Complete airliners are no
longer built in the West of England, but the
region is still an important centre for new
aeroplane technology.
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