The Bristol Brabazon – The First Wide Bodied Airliner.
In September 1949, just over four years after the end of World War Two, the first flight of a stunning new British airliner took place – the Brabazon. This new aircraft was innovative and truly vast: it was the largest landplane ever built in Britain at the time, with a wingspan more than twice that of the largest wartime bomber.
The task of creating the long range and luxurious Trans-Atlantic airliner was given to the Bristol company.
Although the original design parameters of this Bristol Brabazon aircraft were to carry 300 passengers the Bristol Brabazon, being the epitome of luxury, was only fitted out to carry 100 passengers.
BOAC, the British Airways of that time, believed that passengers would find a long transcontinental flight unbearable unless each was provided with at least 5,7 cubic meters of individual space, with at least 7.7 cubic meters being needed for luxury accommodation. In modern airliners, each passenger in economy class is provided with less than 1.1 cubic meters of space.
All passengers should have access to common areas including walkways, a lounge, dining area, and a cocktail bar.
The original design parameters of the Bristol Brabazon aircraft could have been fitted out to carry 300 passengers, but the plane was built to carry out 100 passengers only.
The design envisaged a cabin crew of 14 serving 96 passengers on day flights or just 52 in sleeping berths on night flights.
To accommodate all the spaciousness and luxury the Bristol Barbizon’s fuselage was 8 meters in diameter: which is about 1.5 meters more than the Boeing 747 which would come many years later.
Each passenger was allocated rather extensive and luxurious space. The aircraft was equipped with a cocktail bar, and a movie theater in the rear.
In a sense, it was fitted out to compete with the luxury ocean liners that carried passengers between London and New York and this was not such a silly idea.
Back then, travel by ship was the norm, travel by air was a new thing that had to establish itself as a better and more comfortable way of traveling.
Larger hangers and construction facilities also had to be built to accommodate the new airliner.
It was to be powered by four pairs of Bristol Centaurus air-cooled radial engines, each producing over 2300hp and driving four pairs of contra-rotating propellers.
To provide the required passenger space, the most notable feature of the new airliner was its sheer size. It was to have a wing span of 70,1 meters. In comparison, even the Boeing 747-100 “Jumbo” which would first fly in 1966 had a wingspan of 60 meters.
In late 1948, the now-completed prototype finally began engine tests and, by September 1949, it was declared ready for flight-testing. The plane was capable of a cruise speed of 420km/h and a top speed of 482km/h. Its cruise speed was limited by the piston engines.
The Bristol 167 Brabazon was demonstrated at the Paris Air Show in June 1951 and at the Farnborough Air Show later the same year. It was also flown on demonstration flights to other parts of the UK.
Technically, the giant aircraft performed just as the design team had hoped, and it proved reliable and safe during test flights. The project was cancelled not because of any design issues, but because no one (including BOAC) wanted to buy the Brabazon.
In September 1952, the prototype Brabazon made its last flight after having spent more than 380 hours in the air in the course of more than 150 flights. In July 1955, the flying prototype and the second, still uncompleted, prototype, was sold by Bristol to a local scrap merchant for £10000. A sad end for an innovative and lovely aircraft.
General characteristics. Crew: 6-12 and 100 passengers; Engines: 8×Bristol Centaurus 18-cylinder air-cooled engines, 2650hp each; Max. speed: 482km/h; Cruising speed: 420km/h; Flying range: 8900kms.