The Bristol Taxiplane and Bristol Primary Trainer were

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

single-engine

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

light aircraft built by the

Bristol Aeroplane Company The Bristol Aeroplane Company, originally the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, was both one of the first and one of the most important British aviation companies, designing and manufacturing both airframes and aircraft engines. Notable a ...

in the early 1920s. A total of 28 were built, being mainly used as trainers.

Design and development

In 1922, the

developed a pair of related light aircraft designs, powered by the

Bristol Lucifer The Bristol Lucifer was a British three-cylinder, air-cooled, radial engine for aircraft. Built in the UK in the 1920s by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, it produced 100 horsepower (75 kW). The Lucifer was originally a Cosmos Engineering e ...

three-cylinder

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ca ...

, the Type 73 Taxiplane, a three-seat light utility aircraft and tourer, and the Type 83 Primary Trainer, a two-seat trainer intended for use for primary training at Reserve Flying Schools. The Taxiplane was constructed of wood with fabric covering, and was fitted with single-bay biplane wings. It carried two passengers side by side in a

cockpit A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft or spacecraft, from which a Pilot in command, pilot controls the aircraft. The cockpit of an aircraft contains flight instruments on an instrument panel, and the ...

behind the pilot. The first Taxiplane, registered ''G-EBEW'', flew on 13 February 1923, but could be certificated only as a two-seater, being overweight with two passengers and a pilot. Only two more Taxiplanes were built. The Primary Trainer, also known as the Bristol Lucifer used the same wings,

tail The tail is the section at the rear end of certain kinds of animals’ bodies; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals, r ...

and

undercarriage Undercarriage is the part of a moving vehicle that is underneath the main body of the vehicle. The term originally applied to this part of a horse-drawn carriage, and usage has since broadened to include: *The landing gear of an aircraft. *The ch ...

as the Taxiplane, but with a new, narrower

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraft t ...

containing two tandem cockpits. The Primary Trainer showed better performance owing to its slimmer fuselage and lower weight, and was more successful, 24 being built. A further aircraft, the Bristol Type 83E, was built as a testbed for development of the five-cylinder

Bristol Titan The Bristol Titan was a British five-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company in the late 1920s. It had the same size cylinders as the earlier Bristol Mercury engine, (displacing ), and produced ...

radial engine.

Operational history

The first six Primary Trainers entered service with the Reserve Flying School at

Filton Filton is a town and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England, north of Bristol. Along with nearby Patchway and Bradley Stoke, Filton forms part of the Bristol urban area and has become an overflow settlement for the city. Filton Church d ...

in July 1923, continuing in service until December 1931, when they were replaced by

de Havilland Moth The de Havilland Moths were a series of light aircraft, sports planes, and military trainers designed by Geoffrey de Havilland. In the late 1920s and 1930s, they were the most common civilian aircraft flying in Britain, and during that time ever ...

s. One of the surviving aircraft was modified as a three-seater and was used for sightseeing. It was scrapped in December 1933. The remainder of the Type 83s were produced for export, with twelve being sold to

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

, five to

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

and one to

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

, all in 1926.

Variants

;Type 73 Taxiplane :Three-seat light aircraft. Powered by 100 hp (80 kW)

engine, three built. ;Type 83 Primary Trainer :Two-seat tandem trainer, 24 built. ;Type 83E :Testbed for 250 hp (190 kW)

engine, one built.

Operators

; *

Bulgarian Air Force The Bulgarian Air Force ( bg, Военновъздушни сили, Voennovazdushni sili) is one of the three branches of the Military of Bulgaria, the other two being the Bulgarian Navy and Bulgarian land forces. Its mission is to guard and p ...

received one aircraft. ; *

Chilean Air Force "With full speed to the stars" , colours = Indigo White , colours_label = , march = Alte Kameraden , mascot = , anniversaries = 21 March ...

received 12 aircraft. ; *

Hungarian Air Force The Hungarian Air Force ( hu, Magyar Légierő), is the air force branch of the Hungarian Defence Forces. The task of the current Hungarian Air Force is primarily defensive purposes. The flying units of the air force are organised into a single ...

received five aircraft. ; * Filton Reserve Flying School

Specifications (Type 83)

References

Citations

Bibliography

External links

Bristol Primary Trainer
– British Aircraft Directory {{Bristol aircraft 1920s British civil utility aircraft

Primary Trainer A trainer is a class of aircraft designed specifically to facilitate flight training of pilots and aircrews. The use of a dedicated trainer aircraft with additional safety features—such as tandem flight controls, forgiving flight characterist ...

Biplanes Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1923