Farewell to the Belfast!

The Belfast was indeed evolved from the Britannic, which was a high wing development of the Brittania.

The RAF Brittania fleet were ordered new from the manufacturer and were not ex BOAC, interestingly I think most were made by Shorts of Belfast.

As or the Argosy, it had trouble lifting it’s own weight (certainly the military ones anyway), so I would assume a Hercules could carry a lot more. The civil ones were not to bad as the didn’t have the strengthened floor or the rear clam shell doors which hampered performance somewhat.

Its pointless comparing the Hercules with the Belfast as they were designed for different roles, one a tactical airlifter the other a long range strategic freighter.

Originally posted by alamo
But I think we should care. In any event, we did not build the Belfast to outdo the C-130. Much closer to the Herc in its intended role was the Argosy. Interestingly, the first Argosy flew after the prototype Herc.

Surely the Belfast was not a great success – it was known in the Force as the Belslow. But it represented the final development of the Bristol Britannia and this important piece of our aviation history (and Canadian aviation history), cannot be ignored.

The first artist’s impression I saw of what became the Short Belfast was the Bristol Britannic freighter. I can’t be sure why the design was transferred except that Shorts built quite a few Britannias including the order for the RAF I believe.

I has me dowts about it being any development of the Brittania design unless you know of a quick cheap way to shift from low to high wing.

I reckon the Argosy had a lot less carrying capacity than the C 130

RAF Brittanias were ex BOAC (anyone remember them?)

Originally posted by mike currill
How,why, who cares. We tried to build an aircraft to outdo the C-130 when everyone knows that the only replcement for a Herc is a Fat Albert

But I think we should care. In any event, we did not build the Belfast to outdo the C-130. Much closer to the Herc in its intended role was the Argosy. Interestingly, the first Argosy flew after the prototype Herc.

Surely the Belfast was not a great success – it was known in the Force as the Belslow. But it represented the final development of the Bristol Britannia and this important piece of our aviation history (and Canadian aviation history), cannot be ignored.

The first artist’s impression I saw of what became the Short Belfast was the Bristol Britannic freighter. I can’t be sure why the design was transferred except that Shorts built quite a few Britannias including the order for the RAF I believe.

Originally posted by David Burke
Funnily enough Mike the RAF found that the best airlifter available to them during the Falklands War was the Heavylift Belfast’s that they chartered because their C-130’s wern’t big enough.

That’d be its only saving grace

She was Flight Planned for Malta.

9L LDQ is safely on her way south. She crossed the West Midlands at 18.45 at FL170 and heading 150 degrees. Didn’t pick up where she was heading for. She looked great with the sun shining on her. Sad to think we’ll probably never see her again, but at least she’s back in the air.

Regards,

kev35

Funnily enough Mike the RAF found that the best airlifter available to them during the Falklands War was the Heavylift Belfast’s that they chartered because their C-130’s wern’t big enough.

long may she fly

Good to see she didnt meet the scrapman then ! Hopefully she can continue operating for years to come!

Belfast survivors

9L-LDQ ex G-HLFT is the last airworthy Belfast. There are two other survivors G-BEPS used for spares at Southend and XR371 preserved at the museum at Cosford.

Get rid of them. It has to be the only aircraft that does not become more fuel efficient as the fuel load lightens apparently the further they flew the more they cost. How,why, who cares. We tried to build an aircraft to outdo the C-130 when everyone knows that the only replcement for a Herc is a Fat Albert

Great stuff!
Nice to see she’s got a new lease of life.
Is this the last flying Belfast then?