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Aviation History
1960
1960 - 0212.PDF
212 FLIGHT, 12 February I960 FIFTY BRISTOL YEARS . . . was not just aviation but world news, and the story was carried byevery English-speaking newspaper—possibly by every newspaper the world over. Brabazon I with eight coupled Centaurus, and II,intended for coupled gas-turbine Proteus, were broken up and sold for scrap. The reasons, and the controversy, have no placehere; yet but for this great technical achievement and its require- Brabozon ments, there would be no great runway at Filton and no greatAssembly Hall—and because of the advance in technology, pos- sibly no Britannia. The prototype pilot of both Brabazon and Britannia was A. J.Pegg, who had joined Bristol in 1937 after service in the RAF; "Bill" Pegg handed over the controls to Walter Gibb in 1956,to become helicopter service manager at Weston-super-Mare. Sent Flying, recently published, tells Pegg's own story. Walter Gibb joined Bristol as an apprentice and returned toFilton after a distinguished RAF career in which he won the DSO and the DFC with Bar. Gibb later undertook much of the exact-ing piloting required for the icing trials of the Proteus, and with the Britannia became a familiar figure on the African and Indianroutes in search of cumulo-nimbus clouds. The Brabazon was the last of L. G. Frise's designs for Bristol,and his place—first as chief designer and later as chief engineer —was taken by Dr A. E. Russell, a graduate of Bristol Universitywho joined Bristol in 1926. Dr Russell was to father and foster Type 175, now well knownon international routes as Britannia: the nickname "Whispering Giant" seems almost forgotten, but this gracious airliner is stillthe quietest of aircraft. The landing of G-ALRX in the Severn mud (a wonderful featby Bill Pegg) arising from stripped teeth in the reduction gear of a Proteus, the structure fatigue tests following on Comet dis-asters (tests which proved the Britannia's splendid structure), the Proteus icing troubles—all these problems became the respon-sibility of the chief engineer and a cause for much anxiety to Britannia KBE, MVO, DFC. Sir Alec remains with Bristol-Siddeley atPatchway, and it is interesting to recall that in 1919 he taught King George VI to fly. A Northern god to join classical mythology is Thor, to power the(second) Bloodhound, and one of the first of production ramjets. Bristol was early with the setting up of a British Guided WeaponsDepartment, and has had exceptional success with Bloodhound, now in the RAF and Swedish Air Force and also destined forAustralia. The chief designer of G.W. from its inception has been t David Farrar, OBE, FRAes, who was responsible for the struc-tural design of the Brabazon. The fixed wing chief designer is Dr W. J. Strang, FRAes,once a Bristol apprentice. In a fashion somewhat recalling his distant predecessor, Capt Barnwell, he went to Australia and thenreturned to Filton. The third chief designer (until the recent merger) under Dr Russell was Raoul Hafner, FRAes, a namesynonymous with that of British rotating wing aircraft. Starting his early experiments in Austria, he built and flew his Hafner Gyro-plane before the war: during hostilities he was with the Airborne Forces experimental section—with a flying road jeep (a "Rota-buggy") and a small "Rotachute" that fitted into the rear gun turret of a WeUington. He joined Bristol with the coming of peace. The Sycamore is surely one of the classic helicopters, and evenat this late date is giving good service in many parts of the world. As a contribution to the export drive with Britannia, Freighter,Bristol engines and licences, some 50 Sycamores are with the West German Air Force. (And of licences—the Canadair maritime Bristol and BOAC. The early days of Britannia service were alsotrying times, with public interest in every minute's delay and every minor defect. That the Britannia is now hardly mentioned is, by contrast, asgreat a compliment. But just for the record, it is in service (and doing splendidly) with BOAC, El Al, CPA, the RAF, HuntingClan and Air Charter, Aeronaves de Mexico, and in Cuba and in the Argentine. Eighty Britannias have been built and sold—andyears hence these pages will still have much to tell of Britannia and Proteus. Bristol's association with Belfast has been continued withBritannia production and in the current design of the Britannic, for which Bristol is responsible for wing design and production.The chairman of Short Bros & Hariand, and of Bristol Aircraft from 1957, is Rear Admiral Sir Matthew Slattery, CB, DSC,FRAes, RN(retd), and it is of note that Bristol Aeroplane has a financial holding in the Belfast company. Sir Roy Fedden left Bristol in 1942 (taking part in some of theearly design work on the Theseus, Bristol's entry into the gas- turbine era), and was followedby N. Rowbotham, R. L. Ninnes and later by F. Owner, who pro-jected the Proteus. Under Dr S. G. Hooker and Dr Warlow-Davies Bristol has produced the Olympus and Orpheus, poweringsuch diverse aircraft as the Avro Vulcan and the Folland Gnat. The chairman and managingdirector of Bristol Aero Engines Ltd from 1951 to the amalgama-tion with Armstrong-Siddeley as Bristol-Siddeley is Air Chief Bloodhound Marshal Sir Alec Coryton, KCB, m Sycamore Type 192 reconnaissance Argus and CL-44 are direct descendants ofBritannia. The Britannic is perhaps an indirect descendant.) Following the Sycamore was the twin-rotor 173, now developedinto the 192 for RAF service, but as yet un-named. As assistant chief engineer to Dr Russell is Mr H. Giddings,FRAes, long with Bristol and originally with Parnall Aircraft. Managing director of Bristol Aircraft, and an international figurein aviation, is Peter G. Masefield, now President of the Royal Aeronautical Society, who joined Bristol from BEA in 1955. It isinteresting to recall that Mr Masefield signed the Britannia con- tract when with the Ministry of Civil Aviation. During the war the various departments of the Company weregrouped into Divisions under a Head Office: these divisions," four in number by 1955—Aircraft, Engine, Car and Buildings—then became three subsidiary companies, Bristol Aircraft Ltd, Bristol Aero-Engines Ltd, and Bristol Cars Ltd. From this timeBristol aluminium buildings were discontinued, but cars have continued with a series of high-class models built under the chair-manship of Mr George White, grandson of the founder. Sir Reginald Verdon Smith and Mr George White becamejoint assistant managing directors in 1947, and joint managing directors in 1952, two years before the death of Sir WilliamVerdon Smith, who had been chairman for 25 years. The family tradition has survived this astonishing 50 years, andcovers almost the whole period of powered flight in Great Britain. And Sir Stanley White, as witness the original letter-head, wasthere on February 19, 1910. Fifty years from feeble flight to lunar rocket—and a time ofvast change. And just before this 50th anniversary have come more changes in a changing pattern of military requirements, inter-national politics, commercial competition and financial develop- ments. These changes have come about, with engines, aircraft, carsand helicopters, within the last year, and some of very recent Type 188 announcement. There is a certain sadness in this, but also asign of that flexibility in a company which can change, with others in the industry, to meet the even greater innovations of the day.The end of one fifty-year period is but the beginning of another, and Flight for February 19, 2010, will doubtless record anotheranniversary—and tell of the all-steel 188, more world records, and. . . .
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