Bristol Aircraft Books - History, Types and Construction

Bristol 1910-59

NEW

While not the first aircraft manufacturer in Britain, Bristol had the distinct advantage of being created by a well-established businessman, rather than an enthusiastic aviator, by the name of Sir George White.
Bristol grew rapidly, from a few hangars at the influential Larkhill in Wiltshire to a new site at Filton, and, up to 2012, was one of the key aviation design, development and manufacturing locations in Britain. Thanks to the many talented designers, engineers, test pilots, not to mention the vision of Sir George over a century ago, Bristol has made its mark on the aviation industry with revolutionary aircraft, and a number of firsts and records along the way.

Both military and civilian aircraft and the engines, piston, turboprop and jet have benefited from the standard in engineering excellence that was set on the hallowed turf of Filton. This book explores the history of the company, and the aircraft that it produced.

Bristol F2 Fighter Aces of World War I

This is the history of the best Allied fighter-destroyer of World War I and the pilots who flew it. Numerous ace teams earned the 'Biff' grudging respect from its German opponents, as the crews operated the plane not as a standard two-seater, but as a single-seat with a 'sting in the tail' in the form of a rear gunner with a Lewis machine gun.

This book charts the development of the plane from its inauspicious beginnings to the revised model operating with a new kind of tactics. Numerous first-hand accounts and combat reports give a fascinating insight into the combat experiences of the pilots themselves.

Contents: Development and Disaster (The first F2A operations) - A Scout with a Sting in the Tail (Development of the F2B and new tactics) - 'Biff Boys' (Bristol aces and their exploits) - Ascendancy On Other Fronts (Bristol operations in Italy, the Middle East and post-war) - Appendices: Aces - Squadrons and bases - Ace airframes - aircrew awards.

Bristol Scout 1264 : Rebuilding Granddad's Aircraft

In 1913, Frank Barnwell designed the Bristol Scout, which was the fastest and most manoeuvrable warplane for the first eighteen months of the First World War, and became the prototype single-seat fighter from which all later fighters were derived. As a result Barnwell became one of the seminal figures in the development of aircraft design.

In 1916, Flt Sub Lt F.D.H. Bremner RNAS flew Bristol Scouts for No. 2 Wing in the eastern Mediterranean. In 1983, his grandson David discovered three aircraft parts from Scout no. 1264 in his late grandfather's workshop and twenty years later he, together with his friend Theo Willford, researched the possibility of rebuilding her from these three parts.

This book interweaves the previously unpublished early life of Barnwell and his brother Harold, the operational and technical history of his creation the Bristol Scout, Bremner's flying career, and the challenges faced by Theo together with David and his brother Rick in recreating 1264 and getting her back in the air.
Neither Frank Barnwell nor the Bristol Scout have received the acclaim due to them in the history of military aviation and this lavishly illustrated book attempts to put the record straight.

Blenheim Squadrons of World War 2

The Bristol Blenheim was the result of a speculative private venture, rather than a design built to a specific Air Ministry request. First flown in 1935 its impressive performance led to a large production run.
It was the Blenheim that performed the first recce and bomber raids on Germany at the beginning of the war. It continued in front-line service in Africa and the Far East well into 1943.

This volume on the Bristol Blenheim includes interviews with aircrews, unit histories and describes the tactics used in combat with Blenheims. Scale drawings of the fighter and bomber variants are presented and there is a section on uniforms as worn by Blenheim aircrew.

Contents: Genesis of the Blenheim - 'Phoney War' and Blitzkrieg - On the Offensive - Fighter Command - Coastal Command - Middle East and Mediterranean - Blenheims East of Suez - Appendices.

Blenheims Over Greece and Crete 1940-1941

The Bristol Blenheim entered Bomber Command service in 1937 and became one of the Command's most important aircraft. On its inception, the Blenheim was fast and sleek, and at the outbreak of war, achieved a number of early firsts. It was the first British aircraft to enter German airspace and attacked warships near Wilhelmshaven.

Before being replaced by the Wooden Wonder, the mighty Mosquito, the Blenheim soldiered on with almost suicidal consequences for its crews. This book covers the operations, often tragic, of the Blenheims during the fighting over Greece and Albania. By the end of the fighting and withdrawal to Crete, all three squadrons had effectively been wiped out, with great sacrifice by the crews involved.

One of the airmen involved was No. 30 Squadron's Sgt Lofty Lord whose grandson Simon has amassed much information and photographs, many previously unpublished, from survivors and/or their families. The same three squadrons, with many new crews to replace those lost in Greece, later fought together in Sumatra and Java (the Dutch East Indies) in an endeavour to repel the Japanese invasion.

Written by one of the world's leading authorities on Second World War military aviation, this is a gripping account of the heroics of the small band of British and Greek airmen who flew the Blenheims against ever-increasing odds, particularly once the Luftwaffe were determined to decimate them.

Bristol Beaufighter

Known as the "Beau", Bristol's Beaufighter was based on the design of the Beaufort torpedo bomber. Heavy and slow by fighter standards, it nevertheless had a long career as a fighter, fighter bomber and eventually replaced the Beaufort as a torpedo bomber.
Equipped with radar in its nose, it flew over the skies of the United Kingdom in 1941 as a night-fighter and proved a strong counter to the Luftwaffe. Beginning in 1942, the Beau flew in the Mediterranean where it proved very effective against shipping, aircraft and ground targets.
The torpedo-carrying variant "Torbeau", TF Mk. X, made its first successful attacks in April of 1943, sinking two merchant ships off Norway. The North Coates Strike Wing of Coastal Command used Torbeaus and Beaus in concert and accounted for over 117 enemy vessels, nearly half of all enemy shipping sunk by strike wings in 1942-45.
The Beau also flew in the Pacific and CBI Theaters, attacking Japanese supply lines and shipping. Royal Australian Air Forces units flew an Australian-produced variant, most notably in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea where they sank twelve enemy ships.

Originally printed by the Minister of Air Production and Bristol, this pilot's flight operating instruction manual taught pilot's everything they needed to know before entering the cockpit. Includes instructions for both the Beaufighter II and TF X models.

Bristol Brabazon

The Brabazon - the name evokes the immediate post-war optimism of civil aviation. The giant airliner was built by Bristol Aircraft in 1949 to cross the Atlantic and serve the empire. However, the plane proved to be a commercial failure when airlines felt that it was too large and expensive to be useful.
Large and luxurious, it carried only 60-80 passengers, and with a range of 5,000 miles, a 225ft wing span and eight engines buried in the wings with enough fuel to reach New York, the '100-ton bomber' was more impressive and capable than the B-29: the ultimate passenger airliner was born.

Now, with previously unpublished material and illustrations from the original Bristol Brabazon sales brochure, among other sources, the Brabazon's 1930s-style elegance is displayed once again, celebrating its design, construction and sheer luxury.
A fitting outcome for such a paragon of post-war optimism and an aircraft still considered by many to be the foremost in propeller-driven civil aviation.