Bristol Racing Biplane
| Racing Biplane | |
|---|---|
| Role | Biplane racer |
| National origin | United Kingdom |
| Manufacturer | British & Colonial Aeroplane Company |
| First flight | 1911 |
| Number built | 1 |
The Bristol Racing Biplane was a British single-seat biplane designed to combine the performance of a monoplane but using the strength of the biplane. It was designed by Robert Grandseigne and Léon Versepuy, who were supervised by George Challenger for the British & Colonial Aeroplane Company of Bristol, it crashed on its first flight.[1]
Design and development
[edit]The Racing Biplane, also known as The Racer or Biplane No. 33 from its Bristol sequence number, was powered by a 50 hp (37 kW) Gnome engine driving a four-bladed tractor propeller.[1] It had unequal span wings each with a single steel-tube spar.[1] The rectangular fuselage was a composite structure of wood and steel tubes covered in fabric. It had a twin-skid steel-tube chassis fitted with two wheels on a rubber-sprung cross axle and also had a tail skid, the main skids were long enough to act as brakes on landing.[1] The aircraft was displayed at Olympia in 1911 and was then taken to Larkhill in April 1911 where it was wrecked when it overturned attempting its first flight.[1]
Specifications
[edit]Data from Bristol Aircraft since 1910[1]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 25 ft 0 in (7.62 m)
- Wingspan: 27 ft 0 in (8.23 m)
- Wing area: 210 sq ft (20 m2)
- Empty weight: 570 lb (259 kg)
- Gross weight: 750 lb (340 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Gnome piston engine, 50 hp (37 kW)
- Propellers: 4-bladed
Performance
- Maximum speed: 55 mph (89 km/h, 48 kn)
References
[edit]Notes
[edit]Bibliography
[edit]- Barnes, C.H., ed. (1988). Bristol Aircraft since 1910. London, United Kingdom: Putnam. ISBN 0-85177-823-2.