Flight, December 1919

THE PARIS AERO SHOW 1919

PRELIMINARY REPORT ON BRITISH SECTION

The British and Colonial Aeroplane Co., Ltd.

The Bristol "Bullet"

   As the name indicates, this machine is one designed for high-speed racing. Its general ДальшеMore>>> appearance is indicated in the accompanying silhouette. Fitted with a nine-cylindered radial air-cooled Cosmos "Jupiter" engine, this machine is capable of a maximum speed of 160 m.p.h. As a racer, therefore, the "Bullet" should give a good account of itself in the events of the coming year. A feature - one might say the feature - of this machine, which is not apparent on a casual examination, is the exceptional strength of the wing structure. This is attained, chiefly, by the novel design of the wing spars, which are in duplicate. In this manner, while adhering to the employment of aerofoils of the usual section, extraordinarily high spar strength is maintained, and we understand that in the case of the "Bullet" the spars are so strong that any evolution of which the machine is capable may be carried out with perfect safety at the maximum speed of 160 m.p.h. As a racer and "stunt" machine the "Bullet" will probably be much in evidence during 1920. Considering the high maximum speed - 160 m.p.h. - the landing speed is reasonably low, i,e,. 50 m.p.h. The machine has an overall length of 24 ft. 1 in. and a span of 31 ft. 2 1/2 ins. The petrol tank has a capacity of 50 gallons.

Flight, January 1920

The Paris Aero Show 1919

The Bristol Machines.

   The second machine shown is a racer, known as the Bristol Bullet. Although by no means a small machine the Bullet is very fast indeed, probably somewhere in the neighbourhood of 165 m.p.h. It is fitted with a Cosmos Jupiter engine of 450 h p., neatly covered in except for the top of the cylinders. A very neat oil cooler is placed on the top of the fuselage, where its fins, metal channel section strips placed back to back, are in contact with the oil container and also exposed to the air from the propeller. The outstanding feature of the Bullet is its great strength. As the machine is intended for “stunting" and racing the factor of safety has been kept extremely high. This has been accomplished, as regards the main planes and tail plane, by fitting double spars. The consequence is that the wings are of nearly double the strength of ordinary wings, while the double spar arrangement has the advantage that the pull on the bracing wires is nicely centralized in the middle of the spars. The factor of safety of the Bullet is said to be such that the machine can safely be put through any sort of aerial acrobatics at its full speed of about 165 m.p.h. There is no doubt that this machine will be heard a good deal of in the races of 1920.