Bristol Buckingham
| Type 163 Buckingham | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Bristol Buckingham C Mk I. | |
| Type | Courier aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Bristol Aeroplane Company |
| Maiden flight | 4 February 1943 |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary user | Royal Air Force |
| Produced | 1943-1945 |
| Number built | 119 |
| Variants | Bristol Brigand |
The Bristol Type 163 Buckingham was a Second World War design for a medium day bomber for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Overtaken by events, it was built in small numbers, and used primarily for transport and liaison duties.
Design and development
In 1940, Bristol was working on a project called the Bristol Type 161 Beaumont, essentially a bomber variant of the Beaufighter. This is somewhat ironic, considering that the Beaufighter itself started as a bomber design, the Beaufort. The Beaumont never proceeded beyond the design stage.
In 1941, the new specification B.2/41 called for a replacement for the Bristol Blenheim that could carry 4,000 lb (1.8 t) of bombs on daylight raids over Germany. At the time, the RAF no longer had any medium bomber capable of carrying out daytime missions, and for this role any new design would have to have excellent performance as well as defensive armament. Bristol responded with the Buckingham B. Mk 1, powered by the new very powerful Bristol Centaurus engine and mounting gun installations in the nose, dorsal and ventral turrets. Generally conventional in appearance, one unusual feature was that the bomb-aimer was housed in a mid-fuselage dorsal gondola. [1] The first flight took place on 4 February 1943.
During testing, the Buckingham exhibited poor stability which necessitated the enlargement of the twin tails along with a number of other modifications. [2]
Operational history
By the time the design entered production the requirements had already changed, and this sort of duty generally fell to night missions with the de Havilland Mosquito instead. However the first batch of 119 had already been built, so after the first 54 bombers, the remainder were converted for high-speed courier duties with RAF Transport Command. The gun installations were removed and four seats and windows fitted in the fuselage. They were then designated Buckingham C. Mk I. Despite its 300 mph speed and superior range to the Mosquito transports, with only room for four passengers, the Buckingham was rarely put to use. [3] A total of 65 Buckingham bombers were unfinished on the production line and ended up re-built as the Buckmaster transport, a close derivative. [4] The Buckmaster was also further modified into a conversion trainer for the similar Bristol Brigand. Considered the "highest performance trainer in the RAF," the Buckmaster continued to serve as a trainer until its eventual retirement in the mid-1950s. [5]
Operators
Specifications (Buckingham C. Mk I)
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Capacity: 4 passengers
- Length: 46 ft 10 in (14.3 m)
- Wingspan: 71 ft 10 in (21.9 m)
- Height: 17 ft 6 in (5.3 m)
- Wing area: 708 ft² (65.8 m²)
- Empty weight: 24,042 lb (10,900 kg)
- Loaded weight: 34,000 lb (15,000 kg)
- Powerplant: 2× Bristol Centaurus VII air-cooled radial engines, 2,520 hp (1,880 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 336 mph (291 knots, 541 km/h) at 12,000 ft (3,700 m)
- Range: 2,000 nm (2,300 mi, 3,700 km)
- Service ceiling: 28,000 ft (8,500 m)
- Rate of climb: 2,000 ft/min (10 m/s)
- Wing loading: 48 lb/ft² (230 kg/m²)
- Power/mass: 0.15 hp/lb (240 W/kg)
References
- Winchester, Jim. The World's Worst Aircraft: From Pioneering Failures to Multimillion Dollar Disasters. London: Amber Books Ltd., 2005. ISBN 1-904687-34-2.
External links
Related content
Designation sequence
Related lists
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