Flight, January 1920

The Paris Aero Show 1919

The Bristol Machines.

   Last, but by no means least, though smallest, there is the new Bristol Babe, a small single-seater sporting machine fitted with a two-cylinder opposed air-cooled Siddeley engine. The Bristol Babe is of very pleasing appearance, with its small bottom plane and Vee inter-plane struts, and its three-ply covered fuselage. We are told that the machine flies very nicely, its longitudinal sensitiveness being by no means so great as one might expect in a machine of this small size.
   The fuselage is built up of a light framework covered with three-ply wood, which is in turn covered by fabric. In this manner the ply-wood is well protected, especially as it is painted with two or three coats of red lead on the inside. The bracing, in addition to that formed by the three-ply covering itself, is in the form of a series of crosses of thin wood laths, the sides of the body being divided horizontally by an auxiliary longeron, and the cross bracing being both above and below this. The pilot’s cockpit is very comfortable and quite roomy, considering the small size of the machine. The view obtained is very good on account of the low position of the top plane and the narrow chord of the bottom wing.
   Ailerons are fitted to the top wing only, and are operated by cables passing over pulleys in the bottom plane, the aileron crank levers being horizontal, somewhat after the manner of German aeroplanes. The lower plane has practically three spars, as the leading edge is very strongly built, thus forming really a third spar. The Vee interplane struts, of which there is only one pair on each side, are reinforced by blocks at the bottom, where they spread out so as to form a rigid attachment for the bottom wing.
   The undercarriage is of the simple Vee type, with very narrow track, as the undercarriage struts are vertical in front view. It is a question whether it would not be advisable to fit wing tip skids, but this is a small matter which could easily be attended to if it is found necessary. The tail skid is very simple, consisting of a small steel leaf spring. We understand that it is contemplated to place the Babe on the market at a price in the neighbourhood of ?400, at which figure the machine should, we think, find ready purchasers.