Bristol P.B.8
| P.B.8 | |
|---|---|
| Role | Trainer |
| Manufacturer | Bristol Aeroplane Company |
| Designer | Henri Coandă |
| Introduction | 1914 |
| Retired | 1914 |
| Number built | 1 |
The Bristol P.B.8, or Bristol-Coanda P.B.8', was an early British-built, Romanian-designed two-seat biplane trainer made by the Bristol Aeroplane Company in 1914. Only one was completed, which was never flown.
Design and development
[edit]Romanian Henri Coandă, chief designer of the Bristol Aeroplane Company, developed the P.B.8 as a biplane trainer to replace the early Bristol Boxkite at the Bristol flying school at Brooklands, it was the only biplane designed by Coanda.[1] It was small biplane with equal span wings with ailerons on both the upper and lower wings.[1] The small cockpit had room for two in tandem, although access to the rear seat was restricted by the upper wing.[1] It inherited an unusual four-wheel landing gear from other Coanda designs like the T.B.8.[1] The aircraft was powered by an 80 hp (60 kW) Gnome Lambda engine fitted at the rear of the cockpit nacelle and driving a pusher propeller.[1]
The design was started November 1913 but its construction was a low priority for the company and the completed aircraft was not delivered to Brooklands until July 1914.[1] The Gnome engine was requisitioned by the war office and removed from the aircraft before it had a chance to fly.[1]
Specifications (T.B.8)
[edit]Data from [1]Bristol Aircraft Since 1910
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Length: 27 ft 6 in (8.38 m)
- Upper wingspan: 27 ft 6 in (8.38 m)
- Lower wingspan: 27 ft 6 in (8.38 m)
- Powerplant: 1 × Gnome Lambda 7-cyl. air-cooled rotary piston engine, 80 hp (60 kW)
References
[edit]- Barnes, Chris (1988). Bristol Aircraft since 1910. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-85177-823-2.