The Bristol Biplane Type 'T', sometimes called the Challenger-Dickson Biplane, was a derivative of the

Bristol Boxkite The Boxkite (officially the Bristol Biplane) was the first aircraft produced by the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company (later known as the Bristol Aeroplane Company). A pusher biplane based on the successful Farman III, it was one of the ...

. It was built in 1911 by the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company and was designed as a cross-country racing aircraft for

Maurice Tabuteau Maurice may refer to: People *Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr *Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor *Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and Lo ...

Development

The Type 'T' was not a development of the Bristol Boxkite but did use some of the experience gained with the Boxkite. It was designed by George Challenger, with the assistance of practical advice from Captain

Bertram Dickson Captain Bertram Dickson RHA (21 December 1873 – 28 September 1913) was a pioneer Scottish airman and the first British serviceman to qualify as a pilot. His exploits in the air, watched by Winston Churchill and Lord Kitchener, indirec ...

, a prominent pilot of the day. It had the same "

Farman Farman Aviation Works (french: Avions Farman) was a French aircraft company founded and run by the brothers Richard, Henri, and Maurice Farman. They designed and constructed aircraft and engines from 1908 until 1936; during the French national ...

" configuration as the Boxkite, differing principally in having an enclosed

nacelle A nacelle ( ) is a "streamlined body, sized according to what it contains", such as an engine, fuel, or equipment on an aircraft. When attached by a pylon entirely outside the airframe, it is sometimes called a pod, in which case it is attached ...

to house the pilot. The structure bearing the front elevator also differed substantially: the elevator was mounted lower down, level with the lower wing, and the undercarriage skids were continued forward and upwards to form part of the elevator mounting. The rear-mounted twin rudders were balanced, unlike those of the Boxkite. The first aircraft (Bristol No. 45) was built to compete in the 1911 ''Circuit de l'Europe'' race, with

as pilot, and was powered by a

Gnome Gamma The Gnome 7 Gamma was a French designed, seven-cylinder, air-cooled rotary aero engine. Powering several pre-World War I era aircraft types it produced 70 horsepower (52 kW) from its capacity of 12 litres (680 cubic inches ...

rotary engine The rotary engine is an early type of internal combustion engine, usually designed with an odd number of cylinders per row in a radial configuration. The engine's crankshaft remained stationary in operation, while the entire crankcase and i ...

. Tabateau put up a creditable performance, and completed all of the race's nine stages. Four more aircraft were built for 1911 Daily Mail Circuit of Britain Air Race. These differed from the design of No. 45 in having a modified nacelle and rudders placed further out, away from the slipstream of the engine. *No. 51 was to be flown by

Graham Gilmour Graham Gilmour (5 March 1885 – 17 February 1912) was a British pioneer aviator, known for his impromptu public displays of flying. He was killed on 17 February 1912 when his Martin-Handasyde monoplane suffered a structural failure and crashe ...

in the race but he was unable to compete because his licence had been suspended. After the race the aircraft was fitted with a 50 hp Gnome and sold to Gerald Napier but on 2 August 1911 it crashed at Brooklands, killing Napier. *No. 52 had a 70 hp Gnome engine and was flown by Collyns Pizey. *No. 53 had a 70 hp Gnome engine and was flown by Gordon England, and was withdrawn with engine problems. *No. 54 had a 60 hp Renault engine and was to be flown by

Howard Pixton Howard Pixton (14 December 1885 – 7 February 1972) was an early British aviator who won the 1914 Schneider Trophy air race held in Monaco flying a Sopwith Tabloid seaplane powered by a 100 hp Gnome Monosoupape rotary engine, completing the ...

, who crashed during the race and did not finish.

also entered the race in the original Type T No. 45 but none of Type Ts finished the race. After the crash of No. 51 none of the Type Ts were flown again. An additional machine, No. 59, was modified by Gordon England as the Challenger-England biplane. One more aircraft, No. 78, was to be fitted with a 100 hp Gnome engine but was never completed.

The Challenger-England biplane

Under the direction of Gordon England one aircraft was later converted to a

tractor configuration In aviation, the term tractor configuration refers to an aircraft constructed in the standard configuration with its engine mounted with the propeller in front of it so that the aircraft is "pulled" through the air. Oppositely, the pusher c ...

, powered by a E.N.V. Type F water-cooled V-8 engine.

Specifications (Type 'T')

References

External links

Bristol Aircraft since 1910
- photograph in ''Flight'' 1950 {{Bristol aircraft Biplanes Single-engined pusher aircraft 1910s British civil aircraft Biplane Type T Rotary-engined aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1911

Development

The Challenger-England biplane

Specifications (Type 'T')

See also

References

External links