AAAAHHH Belvedere !
Stable because Raoul Hafner ,the designer didn't believe in power operated controls,although they were fitted after a few flights,one engine at each end because it was born as a piston design but modified for turboshafts when they first arrived on the scene in the mid fifties ,able to fly at AUW on one engine (with an auto doubling of power if one failed) but never intended for the RAF who got the short straw when the original customer ..the RN cancelled in favour of the Wessex ,hence the lack of cabin windows,the stalky front landing gear,and the overall fuselage dimensions.
Mind you Belvedere Mk 2 would have beaten the Chinook hands down if Bristol's had been allowed to build it.Aft mounted Gnome engines(3 or 4),rear ramp,four blade rotor system ,cabin plug option for civil use, but cancelled because the short sighted government didnt see any use for large helicopters once they withdrew from east of Suez.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing !
Last edited by heli1; 2nd Aug 2011 at 08:35.
Reason: spelling