The Bristol Pullman was a British

prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototyp ...

passenger aircraft An airliner is a type of aircraft for transporting passengers and air cargo. Such aircraft are most often operated by airlines. Although the definition of an airliner can vary from country to country, an airliner is typically defined as an ai ...

developed from the

Braemar Braemar is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, around west of Aberdeen in the Highlands. It is the closest significantly-sized settlement to the upper course of the River Dee sitting at an elevation of . The Gaelic ''Bràigh Mhàrr'' prop ...

triplane A triplane is a fixed-wing aircraft equipped with three vertically stacked wing planes. Tailplanes and canard foreplanes are not normally included in this count, although they occasionally are. Design principles The triplane arrangement may ...

heavy bomber Heavy bombers are bomber aircraft capable of delivering the largest payload of air-to-ground weaponry (usually bombs) and longest range (takeoff to landing) of their era. Archetypal heavy bombers have therefore usually been among the larges ...

Design and development

The Pullman was developed as a 14-passenger variant of the

bomber. The third prototype Braemar was completed as the prototype and sole Pullman and first flew early in May 1920. It was shown at the International Aero Show at

Olympia The name Olympia may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Olympia'' (1938 film), by Leni Riefenstahl, documenting the Berlin-hosted Olympic Games * ''Olympia'' (1998 film), about a Mexican soap opera star who pursues a career as an athlet ...

in July of that year, where its great size and interior fittings were much admired. The Pullman was one of the earliest British aircraft to have a fully enclosed crew cabin, and this feature was disliked by service pilots, who often carried

fireman A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also a ...

's axes with them to enable them to escape in an emergency.

Operational history

Ultimately the Pullman was not accepted for squadron use by the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

, nor was it selected for use by any civil operator. The

was the sole example of the type constructed or configured.

Variants

;Type 26 Pullman :Passenger variant of the Braemar bomber powered by four

Liberty L-12 The Liberty L-12 is an American water-cooled 45° V-12 aircraft engine displacing and making designed for a high power-to-weight ratio and ease of mass production. It saw wide use in aero applications, and, once marinized Marinisation (also m ...

engines, one built and first flown in May 1920, sometimes known as the Pullman 14. ;Type 33 Pullman 40 :Proposed upscaled 40-passenger variant, it was to be powered from a central engine room, at first with four

Siddeley Tiger The Siddeley Tiger was an unsuccessful British aero engine developed shortly after the end of World War I by Siddeley-Deasy. Problems encountered during flight testing caused the project to be cancelled. Design and development Developed usi ...

engines and later by two steam turbines. A smaller testbed for the central engine room concept was built as the

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Operators

; *

Specifications

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * {{Bristol aircraft Pullman 1920s British airliners Four-engined push-pull aircraft Triplanes Aircraft first flown in 1920