Bristol Type 173: Difference between revisions
Content deleted Content added
removed Category:British airliners 1950–1959; added Category:British helicopters 1950–1959 using HotCat |
→top: Removed Designer from infobox, and added hidden note explanation <!-- Only appropriate for one-person designers, not project leaders or chief designers --> |
||
| (43 intermediate revisions by 33 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Short description|1950s British helicopter}} |
|||
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}} |
|||
{{Use British English|date=December 2016}} |
|||
<!-- This article is a part of [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft]]. Please see [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft/page content]] for recommended layout. --> |
<!-- This article is a part of [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft]]. Please see [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft/page content]] for recommended layout. --> |
||
{|{{Infobox aircraft begin |
{|{{Infobox aircraft begin |
||
|name=Type 173 |
|name= Type 173 |
||
|image=File: |
|image= File:Bristol 173 XH379 MoS FAR 11.09.54 edited-3.jpg |
||
|caption= |
|caption= Second prototype Bristol 173 demonstrating at the 1954 Farnborough Air Show |
||
}}{{Infobox aircraft type |
}}{{Infobox aircraft type |
||
|type=13-seat passenger helicopter |
|type= 13-seat passenger helicopter |
||
|manufacturer=[[Bristol Aeroplane Company]] |
|manufacturer= [[Bristol Aeroplane Company]] |
||
|designer= <!-- Only appropriate for one-person designers, not project leaders or chief designers --> |
|||
|designer= |
|||
|first flight=3 January 1952 |
|first flight= 3 January 1952 |
||
|introduced= |
|introduced= |
||
|retired= |
|retired= |
||
|status= |
|status= |
||
|primary user= |
|primary user= |
||
|more users= |
|more users= |
||
|number built=5 |
|number built=5 |
||
| ⚫ | |||
|unit cost= |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
}} |
}} |
||
|} |
|} |
||
The '''Bristol Type 173''' |
The '''Bristol Type 173''' was a British twin-engine, [[tandem rotor]] transport [[helicopter]] built by the [[Bristol Aeroplane Company]].<ref name="Jackson173">Jackson 1973, pp. 260–263</ref> It was designed by [[Raoul Hafner]] as a civil transport helicopter but evoked interest from the military. It did not enter production but was developed into the [[Bristol Belvedere]] which was operated by the [[Royal Air Force]] from 1961 to 1969. |
||
==Design and development== |
==Design and development== |
||
[[File:XF785-Bristol173-2006.jpg|thumb|right|The first prototype Bristol 173 in the Bristol Aero Collection at Kemble airfield in 2006]] |
|||
The Type 173 was a tandem rotor development of the earlier [[Bristol Sycamore|Type 171 Sycamore]] single-rotor helicopter |
The Type 173 was a tandem rotor development of the earlier [[Bristol Sycamore|Type 171 Sycamore]] single-rotor helicopter. It used two Sycamore [[Alvis Leonides Major|Leonides Major]] engine and rotor installations with a new fuselage.<ref name="Barnes" /> The rotor gearboxes were connected by a shaft which enabled one engine to drive both rotors if an engine failed.<ref name="Barnes" /> |
||
The first '''Type 173 Mk 1''' [[United Kingdom aircraft registration|registered]] ''G-ALBN'' made its first hovering flight on 3 January 1952 but it |
The first '''Type 173 Mk 1''' [[United Kingdom aircraft registration|registered]] ''G-ALBN'' made its first hovering flight on 3 January 1952 but it tended to fly backwards. After landing from a second hovering flight ground resonance developed.<ref name="Barnes" /> Modifications to the aircraft to correct these shortcomings delayed the first flight out of the hover, which occurred on 24 August 1952.<ref name="Barnes" /> During 1953 it was evaluated by the Royal Air Force (using [[United Kingdom military aircraft serials|serial number]] ''XF785'') and also carried out sea trials for the Royal Navy on the aircraft carrier [[HMS Eagle (R05)|HMS ''Eagle'']].<ref name="Barnes" /> To overcome resonance in the fuselage it was later fitted with four-bladed rotors.<ref name="Barnes" /> |
||
The second Type 173 was designated '''Type 173 Mk 2''' and had a revised landing gear, with castoring front wheels and fixed rear wheels.<ref name="Barnes" /> It was also fitted with small stub wings at the front and rear to improve the cruise speed, the stub wings |
The second Type 173 was designated '''Type 173 Mk 2''' and allocated military serial ''XH379'', and had a revised landing gear, with castoring front wheels and fixed rear wheels.<ref name="Barnes" /> It was also fitted with small stub wings at the front and rear to improve the cruise speed, the stub wings being removed after a few flights when the helicopter was used for Naval trials, and a horizontal tailplane was added.<ref name="Barnes" /> As a result of the trials the Royal Navy showed an interest in ordering the type for carrier duties.<ref name="Barnes" /> In August 1956 the second prototype was leased to [[British European Airways]] for evaluation.<ref name="Barnes" /><ref name="Jackson">Jackson 1973, p. 528</ref> The Mk 2 aircraft was destroyed in an accident during an [[air show]] at Filton in September 1956. The helicopter crashed into the ground nose first while making the transition from hover to forward flight. The crew escaped unharmed but the aircraft was written off.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.transportarchive.org.uk/getobject.php?rnum=G2382&searchitem=type%20173&mtv=G1&pnum=1|title=Bristol 173 Crash at Air Day|work=Aviation Archive|accessdate=6 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326070513/http://www.transportarchive.org.uk/getobject.php?rnum=G2382&searchitem=type%20173&mtv=G1&pnum=1|archive-date=26 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> After the crash the tailplane was salvaged from the Mk 2 and fitted to the Mk 1 to investigate the best configuration for stability.<ref name="FI1958">{{Cite journal|title=Bristol 192, Europe's Largest Military Helicopter|journal=Flight International|volume=74|issue=2584|pages=170|date=1 August 1958|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1958/1958-1-%20-%200166.html|accessdate=13 September 2011}}</ref> |
||
The Mk 1 and Mk 2 prototypes were fitted with two 9-cylinder [[Alvis Leonides]] 73 engines, each rated at 550hp (410 kW)<ref name="Bristol Type 173 1952">{{Citation |title=Alvis Leonides |url=http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/bristol-173.php}}</ref> |
|||
The company received a contract for three evaluation helicopters from the Ministry of Supply, these improved '''Type 173 Mk 3''' had four-bladed rotors |
The company received a contract for three evaluation helicopters from the [[Ministry of Supply]], these improved '''Type 173 Mk 3''' had four-bladed rotors, a taller aft pylon for improved efficiency in gusty air, stronger airframes<ref>[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1956/1956%20-%201617.html "Leonides Majors in Bristol 173"] ''Flight'' 16 November 1956 p775</ref> and were powered by 14-cylinder 850 hp [[Alvis Leonides Major]] engines.<ref name="Barnes" /> They were to be used for evaluation by the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy which has both issued specifications in 1953 for tandem helicopters.<ref name="Barnes" /> |
||
The Royal Navy |
The Royal Navy requirement (Specification HR.146) was for a Leonides Major-powered aircraft for a shipborne helicopter for anti-submarine, rescue and transport duties, Specification HR.149 was for a similar aircraft for the Royal Canadian Navy.<ref name="Barnes" /> The Royal Air Force issued specification H.150 for a general-purpose transport helicopter with the ability to lift bulky external loads. Bristol produced three designs, the Type 191 to meet the Royal Navy requirement, Type 192 for the Royal Air Force and the Type 193 to be built in Canada for the [[Royal Canadian Navy]].<ref name="Barnes" /> In April 1956 orders were placed for 94 helicopters of all three types, prototypes with Leonides Major engines and production aircraft to use [[Napier Gazelle]] turboshafts.<ref name="Barnes" /> |
||
The third Type 173 was first hovered on 9 November 1956 but further flights were stopped when engine overheating and transmission failures were experienced during ground rig trials.<ref name="Barnes" /> Although these problems were not severe they were used by the Admiralty as part of the case to cancel the British naval order and place an alternate order for [[Westland Wessex|the Westland-built variant]] of the US [[Sikorsky S-58]] |
The third Type 173 was first hovered on 9 November 1956 but further flights were stopped when engine overheating and transmission failures were experienced during ground rig trials.<ref name="Barnes" /> Although these problems were not severe they were used by the Admiralty as part of the case to cancel the British naval order and place an alternate order for [[Westland Wessex|the Westland-built variant]] of the US [[Sikorsky S-58]].<ref name="Barnes" /> Soon afterwards Canada cancelled the Type 193 in an economy drive.<ref name="Barnes" /> The company concentrated on the Gazelle-engined Type 192 for the Royal Air Force and the first two of the cancelled Type 191s were used as Gazelle ground test rigs, the third being used as a control fatigue rig.<ref name="Barnes" /> The original Royal Air Force order for 22 was increased to 26, and the first Type 192 (later given the service name [[Bristol Belvedere|Belvedere]]) flew on 5 July 1958.<ref name="Barnes" /> |
||
==Variants== |
==Variants== |
||
| Line 55: | Line 60: | ||
==Aircraft on display== |
==Aircraft on display== |
||
The prototype Type 173 ''XF785'' |
The prototype Type 173 ''XF785'' was stored at the [[RAF Museum Cosford]] until 2002, when it was moved to [[Kemble Airport|Kemble]] for display at the Bristol Aero Collection, until that site closed in May 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filton.flyer.co.uk/bristol/prod173.html|title=Bristol Type 173 Production List|work=Filton Flyer|accessdate=6 September 2011|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20020513044345/http://www.filton.flyer.co.uk/bristol/prod173.html|archivedate=13 May 2002}}</ref> It was subsequently moved to [[Aerospace Bristol]]. |
||
==Specifications (Type 173 Mk 2)== |
==Specifications (Type 173 Mk 2)== |
||
{{Aircraft specs |
|||
{{aerospecs |
|||
|ref=<ref name="Barnes">Barnes 1988, pp. |
|ref=''Bristol Aircraft since 1910.''<ref name="Barnes">Barnes 1988, pp. 366–372</ref> |
||
| |
|prime units? =imp |
||
| ⚫ | |||
|genhide= |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
|capacity=13 passengers |
|capacity=13 passengers |
||
|length m=16.82 |
|length m=16.82 |
||
|length ft=55 |
|length ft=55 |
||
|length in=2 |
|length in=2 |
||
|rot number= |
|rot number=2 |
||
|rot dia m= |
|rot dia m=14.81 |
||
|rot dia ft= |
|rot dia ft=48 |
||
|rot dia in= |
|rot dia in=7 |
||
|height m=4.57 |
|height m=4.57 |
||
|height ft=15 |
|height ft=15 |
||
|height in=0 |
|height in=0 |
||
|rot area sqm=<!-- helicopters --> |
|||
|rot area sqft=<!-- helicopters --> |
|||
|empty weight kg=3547 |
|empty weight kg=3547 |
||
|empty weight lb=7820 |
|empty weight lb=7820 |
||
| Line 81: | Line 83: | ||
|gross weight lb=11000 |
|gross weight lb=11000 |
||
|eng1 number=2 |
|eng1 number=2 |
||
|eng1 |
|eng1 name=[[Alvis Leonides Major]] air-cooled 14-cylinder radial |
||
|eng1 kw= |
|eng1 kw=410 |
||
|eng1 hp= |
|eng1 hp=550 |
||
| ⚫ | |||
|eng2 number= |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
|eng2 type= |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
|perfhide= |
|||
|max speed kmh= |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
|range km=298 |
|range km=298 |
||
|range miles=185 |
|range miles=185 |
||
|ceiling m= |
|||
|ceiling ft= |
|||
|climb rate ms= |
|||
|climb rate ftmin= |
|||
}} |
}} |
||
==References== |
==References== |
||
{{Commonscat}} |
|||
;Notes |
|||
===Citations=== |
|||
{{Reflist}} |
{{Reflist}} |
||
===Bibliography=== |
|||
{{Refbegin}} |
{{Refbegin}} |
||
*{{cite book |
*{{cite book|last=Barnes|first=C. H.|title= Bristol Aircraft since 1910|edition=3rd|year=1988|publisher=Putnam|location=London|isbn=0-851778232}} |
||
*{{cite book |
*{{cite book|last=Jackson|first= A. J.|title=British Civil Aircraft Since 1919 Volume 1|year=1973|publisher=Putnam|location=London|isbn=0-370100069}} |
||
{{Refend}} |
{{Refend}} |
||
<!-- ==External links== --> |
|||
{{Bristol aircraft}} |
{{Bristol aircraft}} |
||
{{Aviation lists}} |
|||
[[Category:British helicopters |
[[Category:1950s British helicopters]] |
||
[[Category:Bristol aircraft|173]] |
[[Category:Bristol Aeroplane Company aircraft|173]] |
||
[[Category:Tandem rotor helicopters]] |
[[Category:Tandem rotor helicopters]] |
||
[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1952]] |
|||
[[Category:Twin-engined piston helicopters]] |
|||
Latest revision as of 18:30, 8 June 2022
| Type 173 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Second prototype Bristol 173 demonstrating at the 1954 Farnborough Air Show | |
| Role | 13-seat passenger helicopter |
| Manufacturer | Bristol Aeroplane Company |
| First flight | 3 January 1952 |
| Number built | 5 |
| Developed into | Bristol Belvedere |
The Bristol Type 173 was a British twin-engine, tandem rotor transport helicopter built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company.[1] It was designed by Raoul Hafner as a civil transport helicopter but evoked interest from the military. It did not enter production but was developed into the Bristol Belvedere which was operated by the Royal Air Force from 1961 to 1969.
Design and development[edit]
The Type 173 was a tandem rotor development of the earlier Type 171 Sycamore single-rotor helicopter. It used two Sycamore Leonides Major engine and rotor installations with a new fuselage.[2] The rotor gearboxes were connected by a shaft which enabled one engine to drive both rotors if an engine failed.[2]
The first Type 173 Mk 1 registered G-ALBN made its first hovering flight on 3 January 1952 but it tended to fly backwards. After landing from a second hovering flight ground resonance developed.[2] Modifications to the aircraft to correct these shortcomings delayed the first flight out of the hover, which occurred on 24 August 1952.[2] During 1953 it was evaluated by the Royal Air Force (using serial number XF785) and also carried out sea trials for the Royal Navy on the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle.[2] To overcome resonance in the fuselage it was later fitted with four-bladed rotors.[2]
The second Type 173 was designated Type 173 Mk 2 and allocated military serial XH379, and had a revised landing gear, with castoring front wheels and fixed rear wheels.[2] It was also fitted with small stub wings at the front and rear to improve the cruise speed, the stub wings being removed after a few flights when the helicopter was used for Naval trials, and a horizontal tailplane was added.[2] As a result of the trials the Royal Navy showed an interest in ordering the type for carrier duties.[2] In August 1956 the second prototype was leased to British European Airways for evaluation.[2][3] The Mk 2 aircraft was destroyed in an accident during an air show at Filton in September 1956. The helicopter crashed into the ground nose first while making the transition from hover to forward flight. The crew escaped unharmed but the aircraft was written off.[4] After the crash the tailplane was salvaged from the Mk 2 and fitted to the Mk 1 to investigate the best configuration for stability.[5] The Mk 1 and Mk 2 prototypes were fitted with two 9-cylinder Alvis Leonides 73 engines, each rated at 550hp (410 kW)[6]
The company received a contract for three evaluation helicopters from the Ministry of Supply, these improved Type 173 Mk 3 had four-bladed rotors, a taller aft pylon for improved efficiency in gusty air, stronger airframes[7] and were powered by 14-cylinder 850 hp Alvis Leonides Major engines.[2] They were to be used for evaluation by the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy which has both issued specifications in 1953 for tandem helicopters.[2]
The Royal Navy requirement (Specification HR.146) was for a Leonides Major-powered aircraft for a shipborne helicopter for anti-submarine, rescue and transport duties, Specification HR.149 was for a similar aircraft for the Royal Canadian Navy.[2] The Royal Air Force issued specification H.150 for a general-purpose transport helicopter with the ability to lift bulky external loads. Bristol produced three designs, the Type 191 to meet the Royal Navy requirement, Type 192 for the Royal Air Force and the Type 193 to be built in Canada for the Royal Canadian Navy.[2] In April 1956 orders were placed for 94 helicopters of all three types, prototypes with Leonides Major engines and production aircraft to use Napier Gazelle turboshafts.[2]
The third Type 173 was first hovered on 9 November 1956 but further flights were stopped when engine overheating and transmission failures were experienced during ground rig trials.[2] Although these problems were not severe they were used by the Admiralty as part of the case to cancel the British naval order and place an alternate order for the Westland-built variant of the US Sikorsky S-58.[2] Soon afterwards Canada cancelled the Type 193 in an economy drive.[2] The company concentrated on the Gazelle-engined Type 192 for the Royal Air Force and the first two of the cancelled Type 191s were used as Gazelle ground test rigs, the third being used as a control fatigue rig.[2] The original Royal Air Force order for 22 was increased to 26, and the first Type 192 (later given the service name Belvedere) flew on 5 July 1958.[2]
Variants[edit]
- Type 173 Mk 1
- First prototype.[2]
- Type 173 Mk 2
- Second prototype.[2]
- Type 173 Mk 3
- Three more prototypes for military evaluation with four-bladed rotors.[2]
- Type 191
- Projected naval version. Never flown; first two aircraft used as Gazelle ground test rigs for Type 192.[2]
- Type 192
- Military transport helicopter for the Royal Air Force, named Belvedere.[2]
- Type 193
- Variant of the Type 191 for the Royal Canadian Navy, not built.[2]
Operators[edit]
- British European Airways for evaluation
- Royal Air Force for evaluation
- Royal Navy for evaluation
Aircraft on display[edit]
The prototype Type 173 XF785 was stored at the RAF Museum Cosford until 2002, when it was moved to Kemble for display at the Bristol Aero Collection, until that site closed in May 2012.[8] It was subsequently moved to Aerospace Bristol.
Specifications (Type 173 Mk 2)[edit]
Data from Bristol Aircraft since 1910.[2]
General characteristics
- Crew: two
- Capacity: 13 passengers
- Length: 55 ft 2 in (16.82 m)
- Height: 15 ft 0 in (4.57 m)
- Empty weight: 7,820 lb (3,547 kg)
- Gross weight: 11,000 lb (4,990 kg)
- Powerplant: 2 × Alvis Leonides Major air-cooled 14-cylinder radial , 550 hp (410 kW) each
- Main rotor diameter: 2 × 48 ft 7 in (14.81 m)
Performance
- Cruise speed: 115 mph (184 km/h, 100 kn) [1]
- Range: 185 mi (298 km, 161 nmi)
References[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bristol Type 173.
Citations[edit]
- ^ a b Jackson 1973, pp. 260–263
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa Barnes 1988, pp. 366–372
- ^ Jackson 1973, p. 528
- ^ "Bristol 173 Crash at Air Day". Aviation Archive. Archived from the original on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
- ^ "Bristol 192, Europe's Largest Military Helicopter". Flight International. 74 (2584): 170. 1 August 1958. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
- ^ Alvis Leonides
- ^ "Leonides Majors in Bristol 173" Flight 16 November 1956 p775
- ^ "Bristol Type 173 Production List". Filton Flyer. Archived from the original on 13 May 2002. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
Bibliography[edit]
- Barnes, C. H. (1988). Bristol Aircraft since 1910 (3rd ed.). London: Putnam. ISBN 0-851778232.
- Jackson, A. J. (1973). British Civil Aircraft Since 1919 Volume 1. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-370100069.