Bristol Brabazon

The Bristol Type 167 Brabazon was a large propeller-driven airliner, designed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company to fly transatlantic routes from the United Kingdom to the United States. The prototype was completed and flown in 1949, only to prove a commercial failure when airlines felt the airliner was too large and expensive to be useful. Despite its size, comparable to a Boeing 767 or a DC-10, it was designed to carry only 100 passengers, albeit in roomy conditions not generally found in modern aircraft. In the end, only a single prototype was flown; it was broken up in 1953 for scrap, along with an uncompleted second fuselage.

General characteristics

Crew: 6-12
Capacity: 100 passengers
Length: 177 ft (54.0 m)
Wingspan: 230 ft (70 m)
Height: 50 ft (15 m)
Wing area: 5,317 ft² (494.0 m²)
Airfoil: Root T.P.4 (mod) Tip T.P.5
Empty weight: 145,100 lb (65,820 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 290,000 lb (130,000 kg)
Powerplant: 8 × Bristol Centaurus radial engines, 2,650 hp (1,860 kW) each
Propellers: paired contra-rotating Rotol, three wooden blades
Propeller diameter: 16 ft (4.9 m)
*Fuel capacity 13,650 Imp gal (61,971 L)

Performance

Maximum speed: 300 mph (260 kn, 480 km/h) at 25,000 ft
Cruise speed: 250 mph (220 kn, 400 km/h) at 25,000 ft
Range: 5,500 mi (4,800 nmi, 8,900 km) at 250 mph and 25,000 ft
Service ceiling: 25,000 ft (7,600 m) at full weight
Rate of climb: 750 ft/min (3.8 m/s) at sea level
Max. wing loading: 54 lb/ft² (270 kg/m²)
Minimum power/mass: 0.073 hp/lb (120 W/kg)