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The
Bristol
Aeroplane
Company (formerly British and Colonial Aeroplane
Company) began building primitive Bristol Boxkites in a former
tram shed and became famous for the production of the war-time
Blenhein and Beaufighter, the Brabazon airliner prototypes, the
Britannia and Freighter and the Belvedere and Sycamore
helicopters. The helicopter divisions of Bristol, Fairey and
Saunders-Roe were merged with Westland to form
Westland
Helicopters in 1961.
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Bristol Belvedere HC Mk.1,
XG452, C/n. 13347.
Built as the 5th prototype it
first flew in February 1960 at Weston-super-Mare. The Belvedere, a tandem rotor heavy transport helicopter, was powered by two Napier Gazelle
100 turboshaft engine. G452
undertook a series of record breaking flights to Libya via Rome, Malta, and Idris in June
1960, taking only 13 hours 57 minutes. The museum
aircraft was declared "surplus to operational
requirements" by the RAF in 1967. Parts from a variety of
sources,
including Singapore, were located to aid
the restoration. XG452 represents the only
British tandem rotor helicopter to enter series production. The Belvedere is currently
under going major
restoration.
Bristol Type 171 Sycamore Mk.3,
G-ALSX, C/n. 12892.
Built in 1951 at Filton, near Bristol and first flown on 30th April
1951, the aircraft was initially allocated as a company demonstrator.
The 5 seat general
purpose helicopter is powered by a single Alvis Leonides 173 9-cylinder radial piston
engine. G-ALSX was the seventh production Sycamore and in 1951 it was used
for aircraft
carrier landing trials on HMS Triumph. It also played a significant part
in the relief
work during the Dutch flood disaster of 1953. In April 1991 it was
allocated to the
Apprentice Training School at Westland Industrial Products Ltd. for restoration as a
training project and was then returned to the museum for
restoration of the cockpit area.
Bristol Type 171 Sycamore HC Mk.14, XL829, C/n. 13474.
Built in Weston-super-Mare in 1957 and the last Sycamore to be
delivered to the Royal Air Force and one of the last to be
withdrawn from service. It was flown, in a support role, with
the SAS, at El Adem, in Aden, from December 1958 and then with
the Khormaksar Search and Rescue Flight until March 1964 and
transferred to the RAF's Metropolitan Communications Squadron on
VIP communications duties. The four-door cabin was modified for
this role and extra fixed steps were fitted to the fuselage port
side, to aid access. From 1970, No.32 Squadron started replacing
its five Sycamores with Whirlwinds and in December 1971 XL829
was acquired by the City of Bristol Museum and was flown from
Northolt to Bristol Lulsgate airport before transfer, by road,
to the City Museum. There it remained in storage until 1978 when
it was put on display at the newly-opened Bristol Industrial
Museum at Prince's Wharf. Due to redevelopment of the museum it
was transferred to the Helicopter Museum in October 2007.
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