Bristol Boxkite

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The Bristol Boxkite is an improved version of a Henri Farman biplane, built in 1910 the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company (later known as the Bristol Aeroplane Company).

Contents

1 Production History
2 Leading particulars
3 Military Operators
4 References
5 External links

Production History

Developed in 1910 in Britians first aircraft factory in Filton, Bristol http://voxx.demon.co.uk/eccent/eccentd.php?filename=00000077.txt, it was designed on the box kite principles developed by Lawrence Hargrave. The aircraft first flew on the 29 July 1910 and went on to become Bristol's first successful aeroplane. At least 78 were produced in the years building up to WW1 at the Filton factory, which was set up within a tramworks.

Being such an early aeroplane, it holds a number of "first" records:

First plane to fly into RAF Bicester
Australia's first passenger flight took place in 1911, when John Hammond took his wife for a flight in Melbourne
First plane to fly into RAAF Williams, in Point Cook, Victoria http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/02/29/1077989433755.html
First aeroplane to fly into Perth Airport
No's 27/28/29 were sold by visiting Belgian Joseph Christiaens to the South African Army http://rapidttp.com/milhist/vol056dt.html

Flight Lieutenant Pizey (born 1 April 1883 Clevedon, Bristol; died 11 June 1915 Athens, Greece) was one of the early pioneers of British flying, having gained his certificate No 61 in a Bristol Box-Kite on Salisbury Plain on 14th February 1911 - he also took place in the Daily Mail Air Race that year http://www.clevedon-civic-society.org.uk/worldwar1casualties.htm

It was also the first aeroplane to land upside down in Brooklands Sewerage farm - flight lieutenant Frederick Warren Merriam was the first to enact the scene from the film Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machineshttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3324579.stm

No original Bristol Box Kites aeroplanes survive today, although three replica's were created for the film Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines. One was sent to Australia, one to the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery, and one to the Shuttleworth Collection in Bedfordshire

Leading particulars

Wingspan: 34.5ft
Length: 38.5ft
Powerplant: single 50 hp Gnome rotary, air cooled, engine
Maximum Speed: approximately 40mph

Military Operators

Australia, Bulgaria, Russia, South Africa, Spain, United Kingdom (Royal Flying Corps, Royal Naval Air Service).

References

External links

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