Bristol Freighter on 'finals' to Filton

[Mechta]

Congratulations to all involved in getting this piece of Bristol history back home.

M5 to close so giant Bristol-built aircraft can make final part of 11,000-mile journey home - Bristol Post (http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/m5-close-allow-giant-bristol-990451)

[DaveReidUK]

Now would be a good time to find out what became of the tail and engines from the Enstone Freighter.

[lotus1]

Great news last saw one in instone colours around 85/86 at Luton what a sight great noise

[wub]

Why are aircraft always described as ‘giant’?

[bugged on the right]

RNZAF Frightener reporting base at Butterworth in the 70s. "Roger, report ops normal on the hour."

[G-ARZG]

"Why are aircraft always described as ‘giant’?"

Because lazy journos think they need to fill the page.
'Why use one word when you can add one or more useless adjectives'?

Rant over

[wub]

"Why are aircraft always described as ‘giant’?"

Because lazy journos think they need to fill the page.
'Why use one word when you can add one or more useless adjectives'?

Rant over

Agreed, it was a giant rhetorical question

[chevvron]

The last Bristol Freighter I saw was EI-APC flying from Heathrow with Aer Turas. I was working abroad when the Enstone plane was flying. I understand it pranked. How badly was it damaged? Where is it now?

To be pedantic, the Aer Turas one was a 'Superfreighter' (different nose design) not a 'Freighter'.
There was a Freighter at the PFA Rally at Cranfield in '96 (I think) which may have been the Instone (not Enstone) one.

[Tagron]

The Aer Turas aircraft was a mark 31 with standard nose length, not the lengthened Superfreighter mark 32.

The aircraft that crashed at Enstone was a former Instone Air Line aircraft. It had been sold in Canada but returned to the UK for the 1996 display season so this was the one at the Cranfield PFA rally about a month before its accident.

[ian16th]

Do y'all realise that the RAF had a single Britol Freighter?

Boscombe Down trialed it, and advised the RAF not to buy anymore.

It was used by Boscombe to ferry engines around the world.

[DaveReidUK]

I was working abroad when the Enstone plane was flying. I understand it pranked. How badly was it damaged?

Plenty of photos on the 'Net of it in the aftermath of the crash

Where is it now?

That's what I asked in my previous post. :O

A bit more research in the meantime suggests that the wings, tail feathers and engines may in fact still be at Enstone.

If that's the case, there are now enough bits in the UK to rebuild a substantially complete and representative Mk.31M. Let's hope that happens - it would fill an important gap in our heritage.

[washoutt]

Intersting and worthy project!
I always wondered why the windows of the Freighter were tilted a few degrees from the vertical, so that the row of windows looked as if they were dancing. How did they construct the fuselage formers and longerons with these angel differences?
Any-one an idea?
And off course, all the best for the New Year to everybody on this wonderful forum!!

[Old-Duffer]

I think the 'super-freighter' was called The Wayfairyer or some such spelling certainly not right.

O-D

[treadigraph]

Wayfarer.

Remember the first time I saw one, G-BISU overflying Biggin in '83 I guess. Wonderful sight and sound.

[DaveReidUK]

I think the 'super-freighter' was called The Wayfairyer or some such spelling certainly not right.

Not quite.

The Wayfarer was a variant of the original Freighter, built as a passenger aircraft without the nose doors and with extra windows.

The "SuperWayfarer" was the unofficial name for a retrospective conversion of the prototype Superfreighter to carry 60 passengers for Silver City.

[Been Accounting]

I read somewhere that the Wayfarer had a kind of combi-convertible mode where seats could be swapped for cargo space. I tried to find photos of this on the web but without luck.

If by chance a pruner has photos/drawings of this arrangement I would be intrigued to see how it was done.

[Georgeablelovehowindia]

One of my earliest vague memories and surely the first aeroplane I ever saw was a West African Airways Corporation Bristol Freighter at Kumasi, Gold Coast, as it was then, in 1949. My father must've been sufficiently interested to take me up to the airport to look at it. I remember being suitably impressed by this chugging great thing with a tailwheel.

[chevvron]

I spent a week at school summer camp (old army camp I think; not there now) at St Marys Bay, Romney Marsh back in '59 and it seemed every 20 min day and night a 'Freighter would depart from Lydd.

[NRU74]

Only flew on the ‘Frightener’ once.
I once bummed a ride from Butterworth to Changi with Kiwi 41 Sqn.
It was only slightly faster than catching the train (in the seventies), but, having been on Beverleys, I was somewhat used to the speed and the noise !

[Kieron Kirk]

"Now I want to know exactly how a sleeve valve engine works, other than not very well."

OK, where shall we begin?

Go to Brooklands, where you will find a Bristol Hercules sleeve valve engine cut-away to reveal the inside. If you press the button by the exhibit the full cycle of a sleeve valve engine is revealed.

I will look at Wikipedia, if the explanation seems convincing I will post a link.

Kieron.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeve_valve

[oxenos]

"Now I want to know exactly how a sleeve valve engine works, other than not very well."

They actually worked rather well.
The Perseus was the first of the Bristol engines with sleeve valves. Nearly 60,000 Hercules were built, which suggests they were hardly rubbish

[JW411]

I can well remember being taught the Bristol Hercules when I was learning to fly the Varsity at Valley in 1961.

It was said that the definition of a genius was one who could describe the sleeve-valve principle without the aid of a working model or a blackboard!

[DaveReidUK]

Lots of stuff on Bristol's sleeve-valve engines in Bill Gunston's book:

https://www.transportstore.com/images/content/books/large/15391/P7150154.JPG

(though the Jupiter wasn't one)

[Warmtoast]

Saw them frequently in the Far East 1956-1958, such as these RNZAF ones at Gan in 1958

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/GAN/NZ5909withSgtHenryMoon.jpg



http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/GAN/NZ5909-Offloading-1.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/GAN/NZ5906-3.jpg

[tonytales]

Many moons ago I was inspecting the compressor of a Bristol Proteus on a Britannia using the intrascope to see if the bump stalls it had experienced over the Gulf of Mexico had damaged any blades. They did and the first stage had some rather twisted ones. No rips or tears or missing bits but still a bit questionable. The local Bristol representative showed up and gave us some guidance. Basically, if no rips or missing bit and none of the blades were twisted into a reverse pitch direction, it was okay.
It turned out he had been assigned to Trans Canada during their use of the Bristol Freighters with the Hercules engines. According to him, in the winter's cold, if you didn't have preheaters going, you would have to wait for spring to start them. I had experienced the problems of starting poppet valved engines, particularly carbureted ones in the cold but I can imagine trying to get sleeves to reciprocate and oscillate inside the cylinder in the cold wilds of Canada. Don't know if he exaggerated or to what degree. Any comments on cold weather ops with those engines?

[Old-Duffer]

I only ever flew in a 'frightener' once and that a one hour trip from Kuantan to Changi. I spent the whole flight wondering if the clam doors were going to open. The thought of flying in one from Gan to Changi or vice versa does not bear thinking about. It must have taken about ten hours - ten minutes was enough for me!

Old Duffer

[chevvron]

They actually worked rather well.
The Perseus was the first of the Bristol engines with sleeve valves. Nearly 60,000 Hercules were built, which suggests they were hardly rubbish

There used to be a cutaway one in the museum at Booker; may still be there.

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Now I want to know exactly how a sleeve valve engine works, other than not very well.





Bristol Hercules sleeve-valve engines worked very well for SAFE Air in New Zealand over more than three decades. They were getting more than 2,000 hours between overhauls out of their's fitted to the Bristol B170 Freighters, which was considerably more than what NAC were getting out of their P&W R-1830 Twin Wasps in the DC-3s. And those Bristol Hercules engines in SAFE's Freighters used to get thrashed on short haul flights backwards and fowards every day across Cook Strait between Wellington and Blenheim. Heaps of startups and shutdowns and accompanying full-power takeoffs every day.

[DHfan]

If anybody really wants to make their head hurt regarding sleeve valve engines, there's a cutaway Napier Sabre in AirSpace at Duxford. It's truly mind-boggling.

After the initial teething problems with sleeves, finally cured using Bristol technology, they also were extremely reliable and stayed in service for years.

[scarecrow450]

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4738/39444066052_dc7da0d1ea_b.jpgXJ470 Seen at RAF Ternhill in 63/64
Not RAF But Boscombe's

[G-CPTN]

Bristol Freighter aeroplane to be restored in city (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-42566093).

Successful final journey for Freighter is by road (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-bristol-42573594/successful-final-journey-for-freighter-is-by-road).

[reynoldsno1]

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYjJkMDRiYjAtMjQ3OS00ZDUwLWE5MGYtZThjOGRhZmMxYjNiL2ltYWdl L2ltYWdlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTk2MzI2Ng@@._V1_.jpg

It's quite an enjoyable movie - featuring one of the Bristol Aircraft Company's finest.

[George Richardson]

Pakistan Air Force Bristol 170 were based at Dishforth around 1954/5 . This was for crew training of PAF personnel. Some of cadets of our local ATC squadron (2109Sqn, Whixley)managed to get trips on circuit work,they said PAF crews were very welcoming.

[lotus1]

The film the man in the sky is on today 10pm on channel talking pictures there have been some classic British films on this channel loads of shots of bovingdon blackbuse also old Saint films of Luton in the early sixties .with regards to the Bristol instone had a head quarters in York road Wandsworth London beleive run by Jeremy instone when they first got the Bristol it actually flew low over Wandsworth must have been 81/82 it was a great sight

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

A friend's Dad, who turned 90 last year, delivered the third RNZAF Bristol B.170 Freighter from the factory to New Zealand. He was towards the end of a five-year short service commission with the RNZAF as a transport pilot. At the end of the five years, he joined TEAL (which later became Air NZ) and flew Solent flying-boats, Douglas DC-6, Lockheed L.188 Electra, Douglas DC-8 and McDonnell-Douglas DC-10 airliners. His best boyhood friend while growing up in Auckland was Ray Hanna.

[Fitter2]

RNZAF Bristol Freighters were part of the taxi service Kuching or Labuan to and from Changi during confrontation. The other options were Hastings or upstairs in a Beverley, so not the least desirable option.

[Wander00]

Lotus - which Channel is it on. I get Freesat

[spekesoftly]

Talking Pictures TV is on Freesat Channel 306.

The film 'The Man in the Sky' was shown last night (15/01/2018) but is scheduled to be shown again on TPTV on Sunday morning (21/01/2018) at 07:20.

[Herod]

Just watched it, for the first time in fifty-plus years. Some wonderful old film. I had to laugh though, when the potential customer says he is keen but the board "are considering the Bristol instead"

[Hipper]

In 1962 we flew with a car from Southend to Rotterdam. There were both Bristol Freighters and Carvairs. I remember going in the Carvair:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HF7FtKHPzuc


We weren't 'well heeled' as the video describes passengers but had a flying background - this was the way to go!

[pineridge]

When I was about 7years old we lived in a town called Swaythling, Hampshire.
I would often see Silver City Airways Bristol freighters on approach to Eastleigh.
The next time I saw one of the aircraft in question was about`20 years later
It was perched on a pylon near the airport at Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. I believe that Wardair used to operate the type in the North.

[Flying Palm Tree]

I recall flying from Southend to France (Calais?) in the back of a Silver City Bristol Freighter in about 1960. My mother asked when the car would arrive and the stewardess replied: "just before us" and to my mother's horror opened a door on the left hand side of the passenger compartment to reveal 2 cars and a motorbike. As we were taxying out my father enquired what we might do in the event of a ditching in the channel to which the stewardess pointed to a ladder and a roof hatch and told him to open the hatch and use the ladder! Those were the days!

[reynoldsno1]

The film 'The Man in the Sky' was shown last night
'Tis available on DVD as well ...

[Tony Mabelis]

My one Bristol Freighter experience was standing in the Astro Dome between the engines during a ground run......very impressive!
The aircraft in question was in Dubai on a ferry flight from NZ to UK where it became the Enstone aircraft.
Tony

[bobward]

The RNZAF Bristol Freighter in the colour pictures is now an exhibit in the museum at Wigram. I had the privilege of seeing it last week on their reserve collection tour, hosted by a former nav who had flown in it. A great hour and a half tour! :ok::ok:

Also in the reserve collection are a Devon navigation trainer, a Beaver and a Catalina, plus various other gems.
If you're ever in NZ I recommend a visit.

There are two (!!) other Mk 31 Freighters on view on South Island New Zealand. One is at the Founders Museum in Nelson, with a second at the Omaka Aviation heritage museum. Both are former Pakistani Air Force machines that were used in NZ for civil freighting work. If you like WW 1 aircraft a visit to Omaka will blow your socks off.....

[India Four Two]

There is also one you can sleep in, after visiting the spectacular Glow Worm Caves at Waitomo:

https://i.imgur.com/TjSW5LY.jpg

» Travel: 1950?s Bristol Freighter Plane Motel (Waitomo, New Zealand) (http://cloudmind.info/travel-1950s-bristol-freighter-plane-motel-waitomo-new-zealand/)

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

The RNZAF Bristol Freighter in the colour pictures is now an exhibit in the museum at Wigram. I had the privilege of seeing it last week on their reserve collection tour, hosted by a former nav who had flown in it. A great hour and a half tour! :ok::ok:

Also in the reserve collection are a Devon navigation trainer, a Beaver and a Catalina, plus various other gems.
If you're ever in NZ I recommend a visit.

There are two (!!) other Mk 31 Freighters on view on South Island New Zealand. One is at the Founders Museum in Nelson, with a second at the Omaka Aviation heritage museum. Both are former Pakistani Air Force machines that were used in NZ for civil freighting work. If you like WW 1 aircraft a visit to Omaka will blow your socks off.....




The Bristol Freighter at Omaka has two live engines and can be taxiied around the aerodrome. The starboard engine “sucked the kumura” about three years ago (it was still running, but ever larger pieces of metal were being discovered in the oil filter), so it was removed from the wing and replaced with an engine owned by Al Marshall, who had it mounted on a trailer on which he used to run it from time to time. I think the plan is to sort out the starboard engine (it may need a backyard overhaul), then replace it back onto the wing so Al can claim his Hercules back.


And if the WWI collection at Omaka impressed you, next time you are in NZ you need to take a look at what The Vintage Aviator have got in their hangers at Hood Aerodrome in Wairarapa. Virtually everything at Hood can take to the air and fly, including the genuine WWI machines, the amazing reproductions, and a few replicas.


BTW, I can remember the days when SAFE Air were operating an aerial trucking operation backwards and fowards across Cook Strait with their fleet of Bristol Freighters. My Mum's cousin owned an aviation radio business at Wellington Airport (he installed the nav beacons and radio installations at the airport when it opened in the late-1950s, as well as the original radar installation up on Hawkins Hill) and I used to occasionally stay at his place during school holidays in the early- and mid-1960s. His house was up on the hill in Strathmore Park overlooking Wellington Airport. You could always see at least three Bristol Freighters at any time, sometimes as many as four of them - one on approach, one climbing out, one taxiing and one unloading and loading at the traverser.

[DHfan]

It was Al Marshall who virtually single-handedly revived the Omaka Bristol Freighter.

There's a long thread on Dave Homewood's Wings over New Zealand board about the whole story, largely written by Al Marshall himself.

Omaka's Bristol Freighter to run again | Wings Over New Zealand (http://rnzaf.proboards.com/thread/17594?page=1)

[arem]

My father delivered the last frightener to NZ from Blackbushe ZK-BVM - he took an 8mm cine of the journey which I have somewhere at home.

[consub]

Plenty of photos on the 'Net of it in the aftermath of the crash



That's what I asked in my previous post. :O

A bit more research in the meantime suggests that the wings, tail feathers and engines may in fact still be at Enstone.

If that's the case, there are now enough bits in the UK to rebuild a substantially complete and representative Mk.31M. Let's hope that happens - it would fill an important gap in our heritage.
A lot of bits came back with NZ 5911, and in all it looks like a lot of work, see photo of flight deck, but it is not as bad as the Bolingbroke that is being restored and that is coming along fine, and the Bristol Fighter that is being "restored" was built from scratch from the original drawings.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1004x621/170_rnzaf_5911_cockpit_939ea214490809a7b3688170524a63730d05d ccd.jpg

[Fareastdriver]

I like the red knobs for the port engine and light green for the starboard.