Aerospace Manufacturing in Bristol Written By: James Throup, University of Bristol, Department of Mechanical Engineering
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Aerospace Manufacturing in Bristol Written by: James Throup, University of Bristol, Department of Mechanical Engineering 26/04/2016 The history of aerospace manufacture in Bristol began in February 1910 during a routine annual meeting of the Bristol Tramway Company. The company chairman, Sir George White, announced that he and his brother Samuel had decided to turn their attention to aviation and had several machines on order. They had decided ‘personally to take the risks and expense of the endeavour’, both believing that they could ‘make the headquarters close to Bristol’ and ‘give our own city a prominent place in the movement nationally’ [1]. Three days after the meeting Sir George White registered four new companies: The British & Colonial Aeroplane Company Ltd The British & Colonial Aviation Company Ltd The Bristol Aeroplane Company Ltd The Bristol Aviation Company Ltd These names were intended to cover any possible options for manufacture and geographical location. Sir George White started trading with the first of these companies, personally injecting an initial capital of £25,000, with the remaining three left dormant [1]. The British and Colonial Aeroplane Company was set up with a house and a few adjoining sheds in Filton [2]. Five months after the company was started it achieved its maiden flight; the Bristol ‘Boxkite’ Biplane flew on the 30th of July 1910. It would not be until November that the general public in Bristol would get a chance to see the Boxkite fly. The following year the government and military realised that aviation was not the preserve of enthusiasts but also had a practical part to play in national defence. The War Office placed its first order for Boxkites in March 1911 [3]. A year after the company was started, it could boast being the largest aircraft factory in the world. It was argued by Sir George White that at this early time for aviation more pilots were needed to fuel the demand for sporting and display flying. It was decided that whilst production would continue, the company would spend much of its time training pilots. When war began in August 1914 there were over 300 pilots trained through the Bristol schools, over 80% of the total available [1]. World War One led to a rapid expansion for the aviation industry. The first Bristol plane to enter war production was the single seat Scout, which was originally intended as a civilian racing aircraft. It was designed by Captain F.S. Barnwell, who also designed the successor; the Bristol Fighter F2B, of which over 4,500 were built. In March 1920 the company moved their assets into the company that would see its glory years; Bristol Aeroplane Company (BAC). After acquiring the manufacturing rights to Cosmos Radial engines on the encouragement of the Air Ministry, an Aero-Engine department was formed under the technical leadership of Roy Fedden, who was its Chief Engineer from 1920 to 1942. The department had type-tested its first engine, the Jupiter, within a year [2]. In 1929 the Bristol Bulldog was selected as the standard model for the Royal Air force, which went into full scale production [2]. 1935 was an historic year for the industry with the Blenheim being developed based on the Type 142. The research developing the sleeve-valve engine had produced the Perseus, the 1 Taurus, Hercules and Centaurus. That year the Directors took the company public, a move which would increase their capital to £1.2 million [2]. Meanwhile, the Nazi Government was making its aggressive intentions clear, leading the British government to re-equip the Royal Air Force. The Second World War saw over 14,000 Bristol Aircraft and 100,000 Bristol engines produced. The company employed a peak of 52,000 staff, working in 150 premises up and down the country [2]. Record expansion took place in Filton, with the sites taking on the characteristic layout that we see today [1]. After the war ended in 1945 Bristol faced the task of readjusting to peacetime operations. This was managed by taking on a variety of projects including the Brabazon – the largest landplane at that time [2]; whilst it was a technical success it was mothballed due to limited demand from the market and high costs. The Helicopter Department was formed and produced the Type 171 Sycamore, which was the first helicopter in the UK to be certified as airworthy. There was also the Type 170 Freighter, one of the most successful post-war aircrafts. The Guided Weapons Department began the design and production of Bristol’s missiles. [2] During the post-war years the factories at Filton diversified into producing cars, marine equipment, plastic products and pre-fabricated houses and hospitals [4]. The Britannia airliner, known as the “Whispering Giant”, was a landmark aircraft which saw its first flight on 16 August 1952 [1]. It was one of the world’s largest turbo-prop airliners, holding several speed records and making the first ever non-stop flight from Europe to the western coast of North America [5]. Due to the post-war expansion in the business, in 1956 the company was split into three separate subsidiary companies; Bristol Aero Engines Ltd, Bristol Cars Ltd and Bristol Aircraft Ltd, with Bristol Aeroplane Company remaining the holding company. In January 1959 Bristol Aero engines and Armstrong Siddeley Motors merged to form Bristol Siddeley Engines Ltd. The first run of the Bristol Siddeley BS53 Pegasus was on 2nd September 1959, which was the first vectored thrust Vertical Take-Off and Landing Engine [2]. In June 1960 Bristol Aircraft Ltd joined Vickers-Armstrong and English Electric to become British Aircraft Corporation. The following year Bristol Siddeley absorbed the Blackburn and de Havilland engine companies [3]. In 1962 BAC signed an agreement with the huge French company Sud-Aviation to be partners in the Concorde project. January 1964 saw the death of Sir Stanley White (Sir George’s White’s son and fellow founding director) and the land speed record being broken by a car with a Bristol ‘Proteus’ engine [3]. In 1966 Bristol Siddeley and Rolls-Royce merged to run aero-engine production at the Patchway works under the Rolls-Royce name. 1966 also saw the assembly of the first Concorde undertaken at Filton. The first Filton flight of Concorde was on 9th April 1969 and the first Harrier was delivered to the RAF on 18th April. BAC’s Rapier ground-to-air missile entered service in 1971. The same year, Rolls-Royce went into receivership and was then nationalised as Rolls-Royce Ltd [2]. In January 1976 commercial flights on Concorde were started [4]. In April 1977 British Aircraft Corporation was nationalised to become part of British Aerospace. It became a publically traded company again in 1981 trading as British Aerospace plc. April 1986 saw the dispatch of the first Filton-built wings for the Airbus consortium’s A320. In 1987 Rolls-Royce was privatised. In 1993 Rolls-Royce closed its Leavesden engine business, consolidating all UK helicopter business to Patchway. 1999 saw Rolls-Royce Defence Aerospace established at Filton, British Aerospace merged with GEC’s Marconi Electronic Systems business, and the formation of BAE Systems. 2 In July 2001 partners from Airbus Industrie formed Airbus SAS, with BAE Systems holding a 20% stake. In November Concorde resumed its transatlantic service after the July 2000 crash in Paris, but 2003 would see Concorde’s final commercial flight. The Airbus A380’s first flight was in April 2005. In 2006 BAE sold its 20% stake in Airbus, leaving it wholly owned by EADS. In 2008 GKN bought Airbus’ Filton wing-making facility. 2010 was the centenary of BAC and aerospace in Bristol. With over a century of aeronautical endeavour, the Filton site in Bristol has contributed to the development of all aspects of aerospace manufacturing. It has produced fixed and rotary wing aircraft; commercial and military; under-water and space research; rockets and missiles; piston and turbine engines; private and commercial road vehicles, and even pre-fabricated homes [4]. References [1] to [11] are available from UoB Queen’s Building Library [1] R. Wall, Bristol Aircraft: A Pictorial History of British Achievement, Tiverton: Halsgrove, 2000. [2] Bristol Aeroplane Company Ltd., Bristol's fifty years : from Boxkite to Britannia, Bristol : The Bristol Aeroplane Company, 1960. [3] A. K. a. M. Kelly, Take Flight: Celebrating Aviation in the West of England since 1910, Bristol: Bristol Cultural Development Partnership, 2010. [4] D. N. James, The "Bristol" Aeroplane Company, Stroud: Tempus Publishing, 2001. [5] D. Littlefield, A History of the Bristol Britannia, Devon: Halsgrove Press, 1992. [6] D. Greenman, "Bristol" 75 years, Bristol: Royal Aeronautical Society, 1985. [7] C. G. Grey, Something About Bristols, Bristol: Bristol Aeroplane Company, 1950. [8] Bristol Aerojet, Shadow to Shadow : a history of the Bristol Aeroplane Banwell Shadow Factory and Bristol Aerojet (BAJ) 19441-1991, Weston-Super-Mare: BAJ Coatings Ltd., 1993. [9] C. H. Barnes, Bristol Aircraft Since 1910, London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1964. [10] P. R. March, Boxkite to Concorde : One Hundred Years of Bristol Aircraft, Yeovil: PRM Aviation, 2010. [11] Bristol Aerospace Limited, Bristol Aerospace Limited - 50 years of technology 1930- 1980. Vol. 2, The Second Quarter Centuary, Winnipeg: Bristol Aerospace Ltd., 1982. [12] BAC 100, “BAC 100: 2010,” [Online]. Available: http://www.bac2010.co.uk/. [Accessed 26 April 2016]. [13] Bristol Aerospace Centre, “Bristol Aerospace Centre,” [Online]. Available: http://www.bristolaero.org/. [Accessed 26 April 2016]. 3 .