Filton's place in history

My wifes Grandfather was a Filton working on the Brabazon………

That is very interesting, thanks for the photos Flanker Man. Looking forward to that kit going on sale.
I remember the model display at the 2004 Filton Families Day, I was manning the Bristol Aero Collection stand close to it.

Andy

Talking of big Bristols…….. :rolleyes:

I have just received – from my man in the Ukraine – test shots of a model kit of the Bristol Brabazon.

It is made by the Ukrainian firm of Amodel – and comprises a fibreglass-resin fuselage, wings and tailplane…..(the MiG-15 is to the same scale)

… with the rest of the parts in injection-moulded plastic……

More photos here.

The fuselage (minus the cockpit section) is approx 27.5in (70cm) long and the wing span is 38.25in (97cm).

Once made it will be a fitting replacement for our scratch-built version seen above….

Ken

daveg4otu: Thanks for that. I had found S E Saunders yard together with Sopwith producing the ‘Bat Boat’ in 1913, and another yard (J Samuel White) producing the Wight Seaplane in 1912. Do you know of aircraft production by any yard that eventually became Saunders-Roe before 1912?

Flanker man: Off topic, but only just noticed in your first pic, on the back shelf, between the sounding rockets (Skylark?) and Concorde, is that a model of the Bristol Type 182R Blue Rapier ‘unmanned bomber’ of 1953? Now, that’s a rarity if it is – almost as rare as the real thing!

Ned

This may be stretching things a little but the Saunders/SARO/Westland/GKN organisation have been involved in the aircraft industry since 1909 at East Cowes.However the past 40 years have only been component mnufacture.

David S …two more manufacturers locations you could add to the list (provided it was pre 1960ish) are Christchurch (D-H)and Eastleigh(SARO and Vickers).

Thanks for the replies to date.

To Planemike (post#3) I have contacted the Bristol Aero Collection and, as with Airbus etc (Post #2), they don’t have sufficient in-depth info regarding the history of other companies – they’d like to know the answer, too!

I’ve done my own research into most UK, US and European sites, and haven’t yet found one that beats or even equals Filton’s longevity. For instance, Short Brothers was founded in 1908 at the Isle of Sheppey, but moved several times before establishing in Belfast during 1936.

Thanks also to Thunderbird167 for the compehensive details for the eighties. I think there might have been some landing gear integration and test towards the end of this period also?

Ned

I can spot an He-219, a Welkin, Gladiator, U-2 and F-117 among that collection – interlopers one and all!:D

I don’t know if it’s still there – but the model club to which I belong (the Avon Scale Model Society) had a display of Bristol aircraft models at the Bristol City Council Museum.

The models are all to the same scale (1:72) and range from the Bristol Boxkite to Concorde – and even includes the huge Brabazon!!

I made the Britannia, Brisfit, Belvedere, BAC-221 and a few others….

Here they are on display on our stand at a Filton Families Day in 2004…..

I have just searched for the Bristol museum’s website – and the exhibition has been extended until January 2011.

So go along and take a look.

Ken

oh, OK, wasn’t counting the bitty stuff or the non BAE conversions.

Amazing to think when I started watchin aircraft there were…
Kingston, Dunsfold, Weybridge, Filton, Yeovil, Weston?, Hurn, Hatfield, Woodford, Chadderton, Hawarden, Samlesbury, Warton, Prestwick, Brough, Holme on Spalding Moor, Bitteswell, Cardington, Belfast, Slingsbys place and others….
And then there were …….

Between Concorde and the Airbus Wings were the following

Manufacture of Centre Fuselage for BAE146
Two contracts for conversion of VC-10 airliners to VC-10 Tankers
Depot Level Maintenance of over 300 F-111 aircraft for the USAF
Conversion of A300 airliners into Freighters
“C” & “D” checks on A300/A310 airliners
Active parts manufacturing for many aircraft (machine shop, press shop)
Trailing Edge assemblies for A330/A340
Wing Equipping for A320

So the site may not have been assembling complete aircraft but manufactured components for and maintained many other aircraft

Would it be correct to say that this is the only location to have had continuous aircraft manufacturing activity on the same site for 100 years?

Ned

Not wanting to nitpick (though I will :)) but what happened between the last Concorde and the first big Airbus wing?

Ned……………

Have you tried these guys ???? http://www.bristolaero.com/

Planemike

Just kicking this one out of the weeds for a last attempt to attract the attention of passers-by.

Over 100 views and not one reply to date – must either be remarkably difficult to answer or of no great interest.

I have to say that none of Airbus Archive, Rolls-Royce Historical Trust or BAE Systems (current owners/operators of the airfield) had a clue either!

Ned