Bristol Freighter

British cargo aircraft introduced in the late 1940s

Overview

Bristol Aeroplane Company United Kingdom 1945–1958

The Bristol Type 170 Freighter was a twin-engine aircraft manufactured by the British Bristol Aeroplane Company. It was designed as a freighter and an airliner and was well-known as an air ferry to transport cars and their passengers on fairly short ranges.

Specifications

Units
Engine
2 × Bristol Hercules 734
Engine type
Piston
Power
2 × 2,000 hp · 1,491 kW
Avionics
—
Wing tips
No winglets
Seats
23
Crew
—
Cabin width
—
Cabin height
—
Cabin length
—
Exterior length
68 ft 4 in  ·  20.83 m
Tail height
21 ft 8 in  ·  6.60 m
Fuselage diameter
9 ft 6 in  ·  2.90 m
Wing span
108 ft 0 in  ·  32.92 m
Baggage volume
22,248 ft³  ·  630.0 m³
Gross weight
—
Empty weight
—
Max takeoff weight
44,000 lb  ·  20,000 kg
Max landing weight
—
Max payload
16,200 lb  ·  7,350 kg
Fuel capacity
1,170 gal · 4,400 L · 3,200 kg (AvGas)
Max cruise speed
196 kt  ·  226 mph  ·  363 km/h
Maximum speed
—
Cruise speed
—
Approach speed
—
Range
715 nm  ·  820 mi  ·  1,320 km
Fuel burn
—
Ceiling
23,000 ft  ·  7,000 m
Rate of climb
1,000 ft/min  ·  5 m/s
Takeoff distance
2,500 ft  ·  760 m
Landing distance
2,300 ft  ·  700 m
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Bristol 170 Freighter Mk.31M at the Founders Heritage Park in Nelson, New Zealand

Operational Context

The Bristol Type 170 Freighter was a high mounted-wing monoplane built particularly for the economic transport of freight by air. The Type 170 Freighter was a well-defined aircraft, designed with a box-shaped fuselage with an external length of 20.83 meters, a diameter of 2.9 meters, and a height of 6.6 meters. It also has a circular nose and a high-set flight deck.

So as to achieve the best economical performance, adjustments were made on the performance which resulted in a comparatively low cruising speed, which was not seen as an important factor in a freighter’s role and as well as not a vital diminishing element. The Freighter also featured two big clamshell doors to easily enter the main hold, and because of this layout, the unpressurized fuselage was a bit airy in flight.

The aircraft was proposed to be operated on low speeds and high-frequency short-distance routes. The high-mounted wing and fixed landing gear were thought to be unusual at that time and developed in higher drag compared to a low-mounted wing. The main gear legs were equipped with shock absorbers manufactured by Dowty Group and were strengthened by a configuration of reinforced vertical struts situated further down the engines and underneath the edge of the fuselage. The aircraft has a wheelbase of 14 meters, a wingspan of 32.92 meters, and a wing area of 138.1 square meters

The Bristol Fighter was powered by two Bristol Hercules 734 piston engines with a maximum thrust of 2,000 horsepower each. It was a 14-cylinder, two-row, supercharged, air-cooled radial engine with gear-driven sleeve valves, single-speed centrifugal-type supercharger, Claudel-Hobson carburetor, and a Farman epicyclic gearing. The aircraft was also equipped with four-bladed constant-speed fully-feathering metal propellers built by de Havilland.

The aircraft has a maximum speed of 196 knots at 3,000 feet and a travel range of 710 nautical miles with 5,400 kg of payload. It has a maximum takeoff weight of 19,958 kg.