Jetrader - Spring 2018 - 56

aviation history

THE

Bristol Brabazon

By Jack Feir, Appraiser Fellow and ISTAT Member Emeritus

The Beginning

TOM WIGLEY COLLECTION

Britain, in late 1942, three years into WWII: Germany had
captured virtually all of the European continent, but the Royal
Air Force and the Royal Navy, despite terrible losses, had won the
Battle of Britain, and Germany's "Operation Sea Lion," the invasion
across the channel, was not going to happen.

The Brabazon Committee
While the war's end was nowhere in sight, a few of Britain's
leaders looked forward to imagine how civilian transport aviation
was likely to evolve after fighting ceased. A committee was formed
in December 1942, headed by Lord Brabazon, whose aviation
experience included being, in 1909, the first Englishman to fly a
powered aircraft from English soil, winner of air races, and service
in the Royal Flying Corps during WWI. By 1940, Prime Minister
Winston Churchill had appointed him minister of transport and
minister of aircraft production.
The committee realized that after the war Britain would again
wish to be self-reliant with respect to manufacturing several types
of large and small commercial aircraft. The two most ambitious
new types they envisioned would be (1) a passenger-carrying,
jet-propelled airliner and (2) a large, pressurized, propeller-driven
passenger aircraft, able to fly nonstop from London to New York.
British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), the predecessor of
today's British Airways, was invited to aid in design and development, although they never actually committed to purchase any
of these aircraft.

Plans Come Together
By mid-1943, the committee and the UK government had chosen
de Havilland to design the jet airliner that would eventually become
the Comet. The Bristol Aeroplane Company would be responsible for
the large, long-range passenger aircraft that came to be named the
Brabazon. Bristol was to proceed with two experimental prototypes
and prepare to deliver an initial batch of 10 production aircraft.
The first prototype was to have reciprocating engines, but for
greater speed the second prototype and the production models
were expected to use yet-to-be developed turboprop engines. In
any case, the war was not yet over so production of fighters and
bombers took priority over the civil transports. Nevertheless,
Bristol was able to begin some design work, even though actual
production would have to wait.

On a cloudy day at Filton in 1949, the prototype Bristol Brabazon,
Britain's largest ever aircraft, performs engine tests outside the
new assembly hangar.

The initial design objectives for the Brabazon were very fluid.
BOAC insisted on the nonstop range capability for its prestige.
Also, for service reliability reasons, this would avoid refueling in
Iceland or Newfoundland where breakdowns or weather conditions
could affect their operation. Consequently, allowing for typical
headwinds of about 70 mph over the westbound North Atlantic
route, this aircraft would have to have a still-air-range capability
of about 5,000 miles.
The optimal size of this long-range aircraft seemed to be anyone's guess. BOAC initially suggested it should seat only 25 passengers, but later they considered 100 or 150 passengers. BOAC
also feared that the passengers might not tolerate a nonstop
flight of 18 to 20 hours unless there were spacious passenger
compartments and sleeper berths as might be found on railway
cars, in addition to a dining room and possibly a promenade or
movie theater to help pass the time. As such, it would have to
be a very large aircraft, carrying tons of fuel.

War's End
By mid-1945, with the war finally over, Bristol began new construction to enlarge their facility at Filton airport. By 1946, most
of the nearby village of Charleton had been cleared to make room
for an extension of the runway, making it 8,175 feet long and 300
feet wide - larger than most runways in the world - and a huge
assembly hall was under construction.
One word - austerity - describes Britain's situation after
the war. The national debt was more than 200 percent of the
GDP, and the country was essentially bankrupt, having to beg

56 The official publication of the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading

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