The slightly less well known

[Angry Turnip]

Avro 636

The Avro 636 was a single-engined fighter-trainer built by Avro in the mid-1930s.

The Avro 636 was designed in November 1934 by Roy Chadwick, and was planned to reproduce the flying characteristics of single-seat fighters. It had a similar structure to the Tutor, with a welded steel tube fuselage.The aircraft was designed to be operated as a single or two seater, with the provision for fitting two forward firing .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine guns.

Four Avro 636s were ordered by the Irish Air Corps in December 1934. These aircraft were powered by 460 hp Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar IVC engines, which had originally been purchased in 1930 for use in Vickers Vespa army co-operation aircraft. Although the Jaguar IVC powered aircraft was planned to be designated as the Avro 667, they were always referred to as Avro 636s.

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Avro 641 Commodore

The Avro 641 Commodore was a single-engine five-seat cabin biplane from the mid-1930s for private use.

After building the three seat Avro 639 Cabin Cadet, Avro then designed a larger, five seat cabin biplane, the Avro 641 Commodore. The Commodore had a similar steel tube structure to the Tutor, with heavily staggered single bay wings and a spatted undercarriage. The first Commodore was delivered to its owner on 24 May 1934.

The aircraft were powered by a 215 hp Armstrong Siddeley Lynx IVC 7-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine,which gave a max speed of 130 mph or cruise of 110 mph.
Only six Commodores were built,one was sold to the Maharajah of Vizianagram, however it was found to be unsuitable for the harsh Indian conditions and was returned to Britain and scrapped.
Two were sold to private owners in Egypt which were later taken over by the Egyptian Army Air Force.The two Commodores that remained in England on the outbreak of WW II were pressed into service with the RAF and Air Transport Auxiliary. One crashed in 1941, with the last being retired in 1942.

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Avro 652

The Avro 652 was a 1930s light airliner, it formed the basis for the successful Avro Anson.

In 1933, Imperial Airways issued a specification to Avro, for a light airliner to transport four passengers for up to 420 miles at a cruising speed of 130 mph. By August 1933, Roy Chadwick's team had produced a design study. This had to be revised when IA changed the specification, to enable the machine to fly night mail service. The amended design was accepted, and in April 1934 an order for two aircraft was issued. The first aircraft flew on 7 January 1935, and the type was certificated in March 1935.

The aircraft were powered by two 290 hp Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah VI seven-cylinder air-cooled radial engines, which gave a max speed of 195 mph and a cruise of 165 mph.
On 11 March 1935, the two Avro 652s were delivered to Croydon Airport. They served with Imperial Airways, mostly operating the route from Croydon to Brindisi. In 1938, they were sold to a civilian company operating under Air Ministry contracts. In March 1941, they were pressed into RAF service with No. 1 School of Photography. In July 1941, both were transferred to the Fleet Air Arm, and served with 811 Squadron at RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus), until retirement in March 1942.

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Avro 671 Rota Mk1 / Cierva C.30A.

The Cierva C.30 was an autogyro built under licence from the Cierva Autogiro Company by A V Roe & Co Ltd (Avro).

Avro obtained the licence in 1934 and subsequently built 78 examples, under their model designation, fitted with a 140 HP Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major IA (known in the RAF as the Civet 1) 7-cylinder radial engine. The first production C.30A was delivered in July 1934.

Of the 66 civil aircraft built in the UK by Avro, 37 appeared at least on the UK register. Some were sold abroad, but others were flown by wealthy enthusiasts and by flying clubs who offered autogyro training. By the end of the decade, private flyers were moving back to the comforts and economies of fixed-wing aircraft. More C.30s moved abroad leaving the Autogyro Flying Club at London Air Park, Hanworth as the major UK user. 26 aircraft were directly exported by Avro.These went both to private owners and to foreign air forces.

Twelve C.30As built by Avro for the RAF entered service as the Avro 671 Rota Mk 1. The twelve were delivered between 1934 and 1935. They equipped the School of Army Co-operation at RAF Old Sarum near Salisbury.Many of the surviving civil aircraft were also taken into RAF service between 1939 and 1940. In 1940 they served at RAF Duxford, later moving to RAF Halton on radar calibration work. In October 1945, the twelve survivors were sold on to civilian owners.

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Avro Lancastrian

The Avro 691 Lancastrian was a passenger and mail transport aircraft of the 1940s and 1950s developed from the Avro Lancaster heavy bomber.

In 1943, Canada's Victory Aircraft converted a Lancaster X bomber for civil transport duties with Trans-Canada Airlines (TCA).After the war Victory Aircraft was purchased by what became Avro Canada. This conversion was a success resulting in eight additional Lancaster Xs being converted. The aircraft were powered by Packard-built Merlin 38 engines and featured a lengthened, streamlined nose and tail cone. Range was increased by two 400 gal (1,818 L) Lancaster long-range fuel tanks fitted as standard in the bomb bay. These Lancastrians were used by TCA on its Montreal–Prestwick route.

The Lancastrian was fast, had a long range, and was capable of carrying a heavy load, but space inside was very limited, it was not suited to carry large numbers of passengers, but was suitable for mail and a small number of VIP passengers. BOAC used it for flights between England and Australia from 31 May 1945. It also served with the RAF; RAF Lancaster I  PD328, was converted to a Lancastrian and renamed Aries, as well as serving with Qantas and Flota Aérea Mercante Argentina.

Lancastrians were used during the Berlin Airlift to transport petrol; 15 aircraft made over 5,000 trips. In 1946 a Lancastrian operated by BSAA was the first aircraft to make a scheduled flight from the then-newly opened London Heathrow Airport.
Several Lancastrians were allocated for engine test-bed work with turbojet engines replacing the outer Merlin engines or test piston engines in the inner nacelles. Fuel arrangements varied but could include kerosene jet fuel in outer wing tanks or fuselage tanks, with avgas carried in remaining fuel tanks.Ninety one aircraft were completed by the time production ended in 1945, with most retired by 1960.

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[Angry Turnip]

Avro Athena.

The Avro 701 Athena is a advanced trainer aircraft built by Avro in the late 1940s.

The Athena was designed to meet the requirements of a Air Ministry Spec for a three-seat advanced trainer powered by a turboprop engine for the RAF.
The Athena was an all-metal low-winged monoplane, with a side-by-side cockpit. The Air Ministry rethought its requirements in 1947 and replaced the original spec which specified the use of a Rolls-Royce Merlin 35 piston engine, large stocks of which were available.

The first three prototypes were of the turboprop-powered Athena T.1, the first of which, powered by an Armstrong Siddeley Mamba engine, flew on 12 June 1948.The Merlin-powered Athena T.2 first flew on 1 August 1948,and was in competition against the Boulton Paul Balliol. A production run of 15 Athenas was ordered for the RAF, but the Balliol was preferred, and no further Athenas were ordered.
The 15 production Athenas served with the RAF from 1950,for armament training at the RAF Flying College at RAF Manby.A single aircraft was loaned back to Avro and given the civil registration G-ALWA for a demo tour to India, but no sales resulted and it was returned to the RAF.

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Avro Ashton

The Avro 706 Ashton was a prototype jet airliner made by Avro from the early 1950s.

The Avro Type 689 Tudor 9 later renamed the Avro 706 Ashton was a four-jet-engined research aeroplane powered by Rolls-Royce Nene engines paired in wing nacelles.
Six were built using the Tudor airframe, beginning with the conversion of Tudor I initially powered by Nene 5 engines. The Ashtons that followed used the upgraded Nene 6 and featured an enlarged,tail fin, and a tricycle landing gear replacing the "taildragger" configuration. The engines were grouped in two nacelles that were faired into the wing but also extended below in streamlined pods. The four-engine arrangement compensated for the low thrust of the early jet engines and reduced asymmetric effects.

The crew was pilot, co-pilot, navigator, flight engineer and radio operator together in the cockpit and front compartment.Test flights began in 1950 with evaluations of jet operations, navigation and at least one Ashton (Mk 4) tested bombing equipment with two streamlined underwing bomb containers fitted. Despite being one of the first jet-engined air transports, the Ashton was engaged in mainly experimental work with various powerplants, and was soon outclassed in technology by the first of the full-scale production airliners.
A piece of the fuselage of Avro Ashton 2 (WB491) is preserved at the Newark Air Museum, Winthorpe, UK.

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Beagle Airedale.

The Beagle A.109 Airedale was a light civil aircraft developed in the 1960s.

The Airedale was a four-seat, high-wing braced monoplane with a fixed, tricycle undercarriage, of steel tube construction and fabric covered.It was originally designed as the Auster D.8 which was a modified tricycle version of the Auster D.6.The first three D.8 airframes were in construction when Beagle Aircraft bought the Rearsby-based Auster company in 1960.Beagle began introducing a series of major modifications, which included moving the pilot's door to the rear and a second door on the right, widening the rear cabin, lengthening the rear fuselage and adding a swept fin, as well as other minor changes. Following the first flight of the 1st prototype 16th April 1961, seven further pre-production aircraft were flown. The eight aircraft were repeatedly modified and rebuilt; these modifications continually added extra weight to the aircraft, and costs spiralled.

The Airedale,was unremarkable, largely due to its high structural weight, it was unable to compete in the market with its US competitors. This was due to the out-dated construction, but also the performance was lacklustre and production quality poor. The Airedale took about four and a half months from design to first flight.However, the Airedale proved expensive to manufacture with the production man-hours remaining higher than anticipated and a higher price than US aircraft imports.

Production of the Airedale ceased in 1963 after production of only 43 aircraft, when it was calculated that the break-even figure could be as high as an unfeasible 675 aircraft.

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[Angry Turnip]

Beagle B.206/ B.206R.Basset

The Beagle B.206 is a 1960s seven-seat twin-engined liaison and communication aircraft.

The design of a twin-engined light transport began in 1960 and the prototype first flew on 15 August 1961.The prototype aircraft was a five-seat all metal low-wing monoplane powered by two Continental flat-six engines.
The second prototype (designated B.206Y) was slightly larger with a larger-span wing and seating for seven. Two aircraft (designated B.206Z) were built for evaluation by the Ministry of Aviation and an order for twenty aircraft (designated B.206R) for the RAF followed.These were designated Basset CC.1.

Initial production was the Series 1 aircraft which were powered by 310 hp RR Continental GIO-470A engines, and the first aircraft flew on 17 July 1964. This aircraft was then converted as the first Series 2 aircraft with 340 hp Continental GTSIO-520C turbocharged engines and first flew as such on 23 June 1965.The production Series 2 was also fitted with a large freight door. The aircraft was soon in demand with air taxi companies and as a light transport for companies. Three aircraft were delivered to the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Australia.
The type was sold to and operated by civilian firms and individuals in several countries including Australia, Brazil and the United States. Bassets were sold after RAF service to the United States and Paraguay..

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Boulton Paul P.9

The Boulton & Paul P.9 was a single-engined twin-seat aircraft.

The P.9 was a development of the companies P.6 single-engined biplane design, it was 6 ft longer with a 2 ft 6in increase in wing span. It had the same 90 hp RAF 1 V-8 engine as the but had increased fuel capacity. The first order was for use on a sheep station in Australia, and after the first aircraft was delivered, it was used on newspaper delivery flights. On 17 December 1919 it made the first flight across the Bass Strait between Tasmania and the mainland.

After the success of the first aircraft in Australia, minor changes were made to production machines.Although the aircraft was for sale at around £700, mainly due to the use of an old but standard engine, it failed to compete with war-surplus sales of converted military aircraft and only eight aircraft were built in total, including a further three to Australia. Max speed was 104 mph with a cruise of 85 mph.

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Boulton Paul Sidestrand

The Boulton Paul P.29 Sidestrand was a twin-engine biplane medium bomber of the RAF from the mid-1920`s.

In 1924, the Air Ministry issued a tender for an all-metal, twin engined medium bomber, with an order for two prototypes following early in 1925.The first aircraft flew in 1926 and was found to have good manoeuvrability and handling.

Only 20 Sidestrands were built, the first two being equivalent prototypes, were called the Sidestrand Mk I. Originally it was intended to be powered by two Napier Lion inline engines, the Mk I was eventually fitted with 425 hp Bristol Jupiter VI radial engines, which also powered the first six production Sidestrands, known as the Sidestrand Mk II. The remaining twelve aircraft were powered by 460 hp Jupiter VIIFs as the Sidestrand Mk III. The six Mk IIs were re-engined to bring them up to the Mk III specification.

Usually it had a crew of three; pilot, nose gunner and a gunner for the dorsal or ventral positions, the choice depending on where each aircraft flew in a formation.The Sidestrand had three open gun positions; nose, dorsal and ventral.Armament for each was a .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis gun, the gun being moved between the two rear positions as required.

Deliveries to RAF No. 101 Squadron at Bircham Newton began in 1928, the first batch of six aircraft being the Sidestrand Mk II with un-geared Bristol Jupiter VI engines. These were followed by nine Sidestrand Mk III variants with geared Jupiter VIII Fs and the final three production aircraft were replacement Mk IIs.

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Boulton Paul Balliol

The Boulton Paul Balliol and Sea Balliol are monoplane military advanced trainer aircraft built for the RAF and the FAA.

The Balliol was developed to meet a spec for a three-seat advanced trainer powered by a turboprop engine. It was a conventional low-wing monoplane with a retractable main undercarriage and a fixed tailwheel. Pilot and instructor sat side by side ahead of an observer. The first prototype first flew on 30 May 1947, the aircraft was powered by an 820 hp Bristol Mercury 30 radial engine.
The second prototype, powered by the intended Armstrong Siddeley Mamba turboprop, first flew on 17 May 1948, the world's first single-engined turboprop aircraft to fly.The Air Ministry shortly after issued a new spec, a two-seat trainer, powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine.

The Merlin powered Balliol, designated Balliol T.2, first flew on 10 July 1948,and after extensive evaluation, it was chosen for production. Large orders were received to replace some of the Harvards in RAF service.The observer's seat of the Mk 1 was removed, the side-by-side seats remained. The Sea Balliol T.21 had folding wings and arrestor hook for deck landings.
The Balliol was only delivered to one FTSl, – No. 7 at RAF Cottesmore, replacing their Harvards. The Balliol later served at the RAF College, Cranwell until replaced there by the de Havilland Vampire T.Mk 11 in 1956.They also saw limited squadron service from 1953 with No. 288 Squadron RAF based at RAF Middle Wallop. Operations continued until the squadron was disbanded in September 1957.

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Boulton Paul P.120

The Boulton Paul P.120 was a research jet aircraft produced to investigate delta wing aerodynamics in the early 1950s.

The P.120 followed the earlier Boulton Paul P.111 delta-wing experimental aircraft, but differed from the P.111 in having a swept fin and rudder with horizontal tail surfaces high on the fin to improve longitudinal and directional stability. It had much the same wing as the P.111,an unclipped delta; the wing tips of the P.120 could be rotated differentially or together for lateral or longitudinal trim.Inboard of these tips the P.120 gained a pair of wingfences. The fuselages of the two aircraft were also identical, except at the rear.

There had been a problem on its first test flight on 6 August 1952 when the tailplane setting required for takeoff was misjudged,but later the P.120 exhibited pleasant flying characteristics over 11 hours of flight time. Shortly before the Farnborough Air Show of September 1952, the P.120 received a gloss black with yellow trim finish, and immediately gained the nickname "Black Widowmaker." On 28 August,test pilot Ben Gunn reported severe flutter, which led to the loss of the port elevon. Unable to regain control and despite the dramatic nickname, he ejected safely, making the first ejection from a delta winged aircraft, the P.120 was destroyed.

Plans were made to convert the earlier P.111 to the P.120 configuration, however a decision was made to suspend further development, making the P.120 the last Boulton Paul design to fly.

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BAT Bantam

The BAT F.K.23 Bantam was a single-seat fighter biplane produced by British Aerial Transport Company Limited of London during WWI.

It was a two-bay biplane of wooden construction and was planned to have a 120 hp A.B.C Mosquito radial engine but the failure of this engine type led to the installation of the 170 hp A.B.C.Wasp I in the first and third aircraft. The second aircraft was fitted with a 100 hp Gnome Monosoupape rotary engine and was the first to fly in January 1918. The original contract called for six development aircraft but three aircraft were built as the F.K.23 Bantam I, the second prototype then being renamed the Bantam II.

The Bantam I was the same wooden structure but was slightly smaller. Two further prototypes of the larger design were also built followed by 9 development aircraft. One aircraft was delivered to the RAE on 26 July 1918, one was delivered to the French at Villacoublay and a further aircraft to the US Army Air Corps at Wright Field in 1922.
The production Bantam had to be modified due to unsatisfactory spin characteristics of the prototypes. Serious engine problems and downsizing of the Royal Air Force were factors in no more orders for the Bantam.

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BAT Basilisk

The BAT F.K.25 Basilisk was a prototype fighter aircraft of the First World War.

In 1918, the Air Ministry issued a requirement for a single-seat fighter, powered by the new (and untried) ABC Dragonfly air cooled radial engine to replace the Sopwith Snipe. To meet this requirement BAT designed the F.K. 25 Basilisk. It was was a two-bay biplane with a wooden monocoque fuselage. Armament was two Vickers machine guns mounted ahead of the pilot, and enclosed in a large fairing that formed the upper coaming of the pilot's cockpit.

Three prototypes were ordered in early 1918, and the first flew in September 1918. It was destroyed on 3 May 1919 when attempting to break the World altitude record, its engine catching fire. The second and third prototype were fitted with modified, horn balanced ailerons, with the second prototype tested in October 1919. While its performance was good, the Dragonfly engine was hopelessly unreliable, with further development or production abandoned earlier in the year, and the Basilisk was abandoned at the end of 1919.

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BAT F.K.26

The BAT F.K.26 was a single-engined four-passenger biplane transport aircraft produced at the end of World War I.

Aircraft designer Frederick Koolhoven designed a civil four-passenger wooden and fabric civil transport, the F.K.26. The four passengers had an enclosed cabin and the pilot sat above and behind the cabin in an open cockpit. The prototype first flew in April 1919. The second aircraft was displayed in Amsterdam in July 1919. The third was displayed at the Olympia Aero Show in July 1920. The fourth aircraft (Registered G-EAPK), built in November 1919, was the last aircraft produced by (BAT). G-EAPK was sold to Instone Air Line and was based at Croydon Airport for charter work and scheduled services to Paris.

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Bristol Boxkite

The Boxkite was the first aircraft produced by the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company (later known as the Bristol Aeroplane Company).

It was a pusher biplane based on the successful Farman III, it was one of the first aircraft types to be built in quantity. George Challenger, the chief engineer at Bristol's factory in Filton, believed that he could produce a satisfactory copy since full details of the Farman machine had been published in Flight. This was authorized by Sir George White CEO, and Challenger set to work on drawings for a new aircraft.
The first example was constructed in a matter of weeks,and was delivered to the company's flying school near Salisbury Plain, where it was first flown on 30 July 1910, piloted by Maurice Edmond.Farman sued Bristol for patent infringement, but the company's lawyers claimed substantial design improvements in matters of constructional detail, and the lawsuit was dropped.

The Boxkite was a two-bay biplane with an elevator carried on booms in front of the wings and an empennage consisting of a pair of fixed horizontal stabilisers, the upper had an elevator, and a pair of rudders carried on booms behind the wing. There were no fixed vertical surfaces. Lateral control was effected by ailerons on both upper and lower wings. These were single-acting, the control cables arranged to pull them down only, relying on the airflow to return them to the neutral position. The wings and fixed rear horizontal surfaces were covered by a single layer of fabric: the other surfaces were covered on both sides. Power was usually provided by a 50 hp Gnome rotary engine, although other engines were also used.

Production continued until 1914 with a total of 78 being built, 60 of which were the extended Military Version, one racer (No. 44) and the voisin variant (No. 69); all but the last six aircraft were built at Filton.

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Bristol Prier monoplane

The Bristol Prier monoplane was an early aircraft produced in a number of single- and two-seat versions.

The Bristol Prier Monoplanes were a series of tractor configuration monoplanes designed for the Bristol and Colonial Aeroplane Company by Pierre Prier,former chief pilot of the Bleriot school,who had joined Bristol in July 1911.
The aircraft resembled the successful Blériot XI monoplane, with a fabric-covered wire-braced wood fuselage and parallel-chord wings using wing-warping for lateral control, although differing in details. The all-moving tailplane was an elongated fan-shape, mounted in a mid-position between the upper and lower longerons, and the undercarriage had a pair of wheels on an axle mounted onto a pair of forward-projecting skids. It was powered by a 50 hp Gnome rotary engine. The first aircraft built (works No. 46) had been intended to compete in the Gordon Bennett Trophy race, but it was not ready in time.

Work then started on developing a two-seater version.Six airframes were started, the first of which was carefully prepared, with the aluminium cowling polished, a pigskin-upholstered seat and stowage for binoculars and a thermos flask, for exhibition at the 1911 Paris Aero Salon where it was the only British aircraft on display. At the same time two of the prototype aircraft were adapted to take a 35 hp Anzani engine, with the intention of developing a low-powered sports aircraft. It was joined in Paris by No. 74, where it was used to make demonstration flights over Paris during the Aero Salon.

The Prier monoplanes were used mostly for training and racing, and some were purchased for military use. Two of the two-seaters were sold and delivered to the Turkish Government. One of the two-seaters was sold to the Bulgarian government and delivered on 16 September 1912. It flew during the Balkan War and once carried Hubert Wilkins who was taking films for a London newspaper.

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Bristol B.R.7

The Bristol B.R.7 was a single-engine two-seat biplane built in 1913.

Romanian aircraft designer Henri Coandă was appointed head designer at the Bristol Aeroplane Company in January 1912. His first bi-plane design,was a two-seat single-engine machine, which attracted the interest of both the Spanish and German government`s.
The Spanish wanted the 70 hp Renault engine which they used in their Maurice Farmans. The German version was to use a 90 hp Daimler engine, so Coandă had to prepare a design suitable for both powerplants. The Renault-engined version become known as the B.R.7; the German design seems not to have had a distinct label. The first of five B.R.7s ordered for Spain appeared at the Olympia Aero Show in February 1913, flying for the first time in March 1913.
Its wings were of two-bay form with no stagger. There were tandem cockpits, one under the wing and the other, for the pilot behind the trailing edge. Behind the cockpits, the fuselage was slender, carrying an almost semi-circular tailplane with a one-piece elevator and a finless balanced rudder. The undercarriage had the unusual four-wheel form, with a pair of large wheels mounted together with a slightly smaller pair forward of the engine; the B.R.7 sat on the ground like a tricycle aircraft.

Test flights showed the wings of the B.R.7 produced too little lift, the wings were replaced with a set of greater camber, which improved performance but still not by enough to meet the specification. Trials with a four-bladed propeller also failed to produce the required improvement and the Spanish contract was cancelled. The second machine was destroyed in a fire,and the remaining four of the Spanish order rarely flew.A final, seventh B.R.7 was fitted with larger-span wings, but the only example to do much flying was the first prototype, which remained in service as an advanced trainer.

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Bristol T.B.8

The Bristol T.B.8, or Bristol-Coanda T.B.8 was an early biplane built in 1913.

The aircraft was a single-engined, two-seat biplane, with two-bay wings and a slender fuselage. It was powered by a variety of rotary engines, including the Gnome and Le Rhône engines with power ranging from 50 hp Gnomes to 100 hp Gnome Monosoupape. Early Bristol T.B.8s used wing warping for control, with later production aircraft being fitted with ailerons. Bristol T.B.8s were normally equipped with a distinctive four wheel undercarriage. They were produced by both the conversion of existing Coanda-Bristol Monoplanes and the manufacturing of new aircraft.

Bristol T.B.8s were purchased for use both by the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps, with the RFC`s being transferred to the RNAS shortly after the start of World War I.
Three Bristol T.B.8s, including the aircraft displayed at the Paris Air Show in December 1913, were sent to France following the outbreak of World War I, serving with a RNAS squadron commanded by Charles Rumney Samson. One of these took part in a bombing attack on German gun batteries at Middelkerke Belgium on 25 November 1914,it was the only bombing sortie flown by the Bristol T.B.8. It was soon considered too slow for frontline operations, and was relegated to training operations, serving until 1916. In total 54 machines were completed, ten of which went to Romania.

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Bristol M.1

The Bristol M.1 Monoplane Scout was a fighter aircraft from the First World War.

It featured a carefully streamlined circular cross-section fuselage built using conventional wood and fabric construction techniques to minimise manufacturing difficulty. On 14 July 1916, the first prototype, designated as the M.1A, flew for the first time.During testing, the type quickly demonstrated its capabilities as a high speed aircraft for the era, possessing a maximum speed that was significantly higher than any of the contemporary German Fokker Eindecker and French Morane-Saulnier N monoplanes.

Despite its promise, only 130 aircraft were constructed, largely due to an institutional mistrust of the monoplane platform held by the War Office and many pilots of the RFC at that time, believing it to be accident-prone and inferior to the more common biplane configuration.As a consequence of the type being believed to possess too great a landing speed to be safely handled by the constrained French airfields on the Western Front, the M.1 was commonly deployed to the Middle East and the Balkans theatres.
During December 1918, Lt. Dagoberto Godoy of the Servicio de Aviación Militar de Chile, flew from Santiago to Mendoza, Argentina, a feat which was recorded as being the first flight conducted across the Andes.

The Bristol M.1 was a single-seat tractor monoplane. It was powered by a single Clerget rotary engine, capable of generating up to 110 hp, which drove a large twin-bladed propeller that was in turn furnished with a bulky hemispherical spinner for the purpose of reducing drag.The exterior of the aircraft, which was covered in fabric, was fully faired; this was a contributing factor to the type being referred to as one of the simplest and cleanest aircraft of its day.

At the end of WWI, a number of former military M.1s were resold into civilian service,often used as a sporting and racing aircraft. The sole Lucifer-engined M.1D, painted red and registered G-EAVP, was successfully raced during 1922,winning the 1922 Aerial Derby.The next year, it was fitted with a specially-tuned 140 hp Lucifer engine and was entered for the Grosvenor Cup: however, the aircraft was lost following a fatal crash on approach to Croydon Airport.

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Bristol Badger

The Bristol Badger was a two-seat fighter-reconnaissance aeroplane at the built toward the end of World War I.

The Badger was, a proposed upgrade of the Bristol F.2B using a 200 hp Salmson radial (Type 22), a 300 hp ABC Dragonfly radial (Type 22A), or a 230 hp Bentley B.R.2 rotary (Type 22B).
The Type 23 Badger was a new design using the Dragonfly engine,it was a single-bay biplane with strongly staggered, unswept and unequal-span wings. The pilot and observer sat in tandem, the pilot in front and the observer behind with a ring-mounted 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis Gun. At first, the Badger carried almost no fixed fin. Construction was the traditional wood-and-fabric and the undercarriage was a single axle plus tailskid arrangement.

Bristol was awarded a contract to build three Badgers, two powered by the Dragonfly and one by a Jupiter. The first Badger flew on 4 February 1919 but crashed on this first flight due to a failure of the fuel system.It was rebuilt with a larger rudder and delivered to the Air Board. The second, Jupiter-engined Badger, flew on 24 May but was re-engined with a Dragonfly and was purchased by the Air Board in September. It had full armament and a fixed, rounded fin, introduced to cope with the heavier Jupiter engine. The Badger proved to have a stability problem, an adverse yaw effect caused by aileron drag,and because of this, the third machine was not accepted by the Air Board.

Despite the instability and without having received a Jupiter-powered Badger, the Air Board were sufficiently encouraged by this engine's promise to order a fourth, fully armed Badger with this powerplant. After some testing, the rudder was modified with a horn balance and larger ailerons were fitted. This aircraft was the sole Badger II and was loaned by the Air Board to Bristol for the development of the Jupiter and its cowling during 1920-1.Five aircraft were built, but the aircraft did not enter service.

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Bristol Braemar / Bristol Pullman

The Bristol Braemar was a heavy bomber aircraft developed at the end of the First World War for the RAF.

The prototype Braemar was developed in response for a bomber capable of the long-range bombing of Berlin if necessary. A large triplane, it had internal stowage for up to six 250 lb (110 kg) bombs.
The initial design featured a unique engine installation with a central engine room housing all four engines. Both the completed Braemars had a conventional engine installation, with the engines in inline tandem pairs, driving pusher and tractor propellers. However, the engine-room design was resurrected later in the Braemar's development life, for the proposed steam-powered Tramp.

A contract from the Air Board for three prototypes was awarded and the first prototype Braemar flew on 13 August 1918, with four 230 hp Siddeley Puma engines. The prototype showed generally good performance with a top speed of 106 mph, but there were complaints from test pilots about the view from the cockpit and the controls.The next aircraft produced was an uprated version designated Braemar Mk.II. The Mk.II received considerably more power from its four 400 hp Liberty L-12 engines, which gave it an improved speed of 125 mph.

The Braemar never entered service with the RAF, and the two prototypes were the only Braemars built. The third prototype was completed as a Pullman 14-passenger civil transport,which first flew early in May 1920. It was shown at the International Aero Show at Olympia in July of that year, where its great size and interior fittings were much admired. The Pullman was one of the earliest British aircraft to have a fully enclosed crew cabin.

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[Angry Turnip]

Bristol Babe

The Bristol Babe was a light single-seat biplane, intended for the private flyer and produced immediately after the First World War.

The Bristol Babe was the creation of Frank Barnwell, Bristol's chief designer. It was aimed at the private owner flyer and was a small single-engined single-seat biplane with unswept staggered single-bay wings of unequal span. Full-span ailerons were fitted on the top wing only. The fuselage was plywood-skinned, with fabric covering it for protection. The cockpit was below the upper wing trailing edge with rounded decking to the tail. The fin and rudder were large and rounded, the undercarriage was a conventional single-axle plus tailskid arrangement.

The original intention was to use the 60 hp ABC Gadfly radial, but in April 1919 ABC pulled out of aero-engine manufacture. An alternative was the 40 hp flat-twin Siddeley Ounce currently being developed, so a third Babe was begun as a testbed. The second Babe made its first flight on 28 November 1919. The pilot,reported that it was an easy aircraft for an experienced pilot but rather unstable for a novice.Following discussions at the Paris Aero Show in November 1919, two seven-cylinder 60 hp Le Rhône Type 7B2 rotary engines were ordered for the first two Babes. The third Babe appeared at this show with an incomplete Ounce engine.

The first Babe underwent a major modification in May 1920, it received a thick cantilever monoplane wing. Safety concerns prevented its testing and by February 1921 both aircraft were off the Civil Register.In the retrospective allocation of Bristol type numbers made in 1923, the Babe I was labelled Type 30, the Babe IIs as Type 46 and the unflown Babe III the Type 46A.

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[Angry Turnip]

Bristol Ten-seater / Bristol Brandon

The Bristol Ten-seater and Bristol Brandon were single-engine biplane transport aircraft from the early 1920s.

Early in 1921, the British government decided to provide subsidies for approved airlines, so Bristol's management authorised a design for a single-engined transport aircraft. It was intended to be powered by a Bristol Jupiter engine, but this had not yet been type-approved, so the initial prototype had a 450 hp Napier Lion engine.
The Lion-engined prototype, the Bristol Type 62, or Bristol Ten-seater, with the registration G-EAWY first flew on 21 June 1921. The Ten-seater was a large, two-bay biplane, with a cabin for nine passengers and a forward cockpit for the single pilot.

The second aircraft, the Bristol Type 75 was powered by the preferred 425 hp Jupiter engine, which was mounted forward of a fireproof bulkhead,to allow easy access to the rear of the engine. The Type 75 was designed to accommodate eight passengers and two crew. This aircraft,first flew in July 1922. A third aircraft, the Bristol Type 79 was ordered by the Air Council to meet a requirement for a single-engined ambulance landplane for the RAF. It was fitted with redesigned wings, and had accommodation for three stretchers and an attendant or two stretchers and four sitting patients.

The Type 75 received its COA on 16 July 1924. By this time, Instone Air Lines had merged with the other three subsidised British airlines to form Imperial Airways. Imperial had a policy of using only multi-engine aircraft for passenger flights, so the Type 75 was converted into a freighter, going into service on the London-Cologne route on 22 July 1924,continuing in service until 1926.
The Type 79 first flew on 19 March 1924 and was delivered to the RAF, who named the aircraft the Bristol Brandon in 1925. It was overweight at full load and did not go into overseas service, being used as an ambulance at RAF Halton.

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