I remember seeing the Brabazon at Filton in about 1950; we lived in Beverley Road in Horfield and from there I could hear her engines being tested. My uncle worked at BOAC as it was then at Filton and got me and my mum into a special area to see her take off; also we saw some sort of ''flying bedstead'' on the same occasion.
I saw the Brabazon flying over our house in Gloucestershire in 1949 or 1950. I didn't know what it was and I had to call my father to tell me. It looked enormous to a child like me. I was 9 at the time, and I thought it was the most beautiful aircraft I had ever seen. Come to think of it - it still is! - with an approving nod to the Concorde and the XB-70 Valkyrie. Thanks for this video!
Some of the design work related to a "100 ton bomber" concept doing the rounds during the war. Some of the preliminary structural work and aerodynamic testing for the bomber passed over to the Brab. The bomber was nowhere near being built and only very basic layout drawings exist and it may have had a vee tail.. The Brab was a complete waste of time and money but I'm really glad they built it. Pity they broke them both up.
HEY BOMBER GUY,IF YOUarethe one putting this video onyoutube ,YOU DESERVE A GOLD MEDAL FOR GIVING us AVIATION FANS SUCH NICE flashes of a gone era 1 congrats!
I remember this flying over Bristol in the 50s. A technological cul de sac. Vickers had the right with the VC 7 would have been a 707 beater but a a hopeless Govt and an American biased BOAC saw that consigned for scrap months away from its test flight. Why Bristol thought they could build a plane of the size of the Brab when they had never built anything larger than a twin engine aeroplane heaven knows.
Had this plane been fitted with turbojets (not just turboprops) instead of radial piston engine props, it probably would have seen commercial service.
Jets would have fundamentally altered the concept of the Brabazon. It was intended to fly from London to New York non stop which was technically unachieveable in the late 40s. BEA wanted to try the Brabazon on a London-Nice route but there was no certificate of airworthiness covering fee paying passengers. No british airline would buy it so no foreign airlines would take the risk. A sad waste really.
Lovely footage! I believe they totally misunderstood the needs of the post war world. They built a huge plane with steward service for the passengers, sleeping berths, and huge opulence for the upper classes and toffs little realising that what was needed was capacity. Silly really.
It certainly would have needed to increase the seating capacity.
When you consider that the Proteus engines weren't really ready for commercial operations for almost another ten years, I really think the Brab was doomed from the outset. It could never have competed on piston power only with the more efficient and faster American designs.
A scaled down version of the Brabazon emerged a few years later called the Britannia using many of the technical advances achieved during the Brabazon project. This was a fairly successful aircraft purchased by the military and several airlines.
Looking at the diameter of the fuselage of the Brabazon it appears to be a 'widebody', the very first?
well, ahead of its time in terms of size, but developed at a time when DeHavilland's Comet, and Boeing's 707, were just about to emerge. Very bad timing!
why the hell they put prop's on it ?.. F Whittle had worked out the Jet engine was alot more fuel efficient at high altitude ..the BB couldn't of got up to those high altitudes..complete waste of talent
Right! This was socialism for the rich! They knew this was going to be a pooch, but they hewed to the program of projects laid out in 1943 because they were funded! The one real
I remember seeing the Brabazon at Filton in about 1950; we lived in Beverley Road in Horfield and from there I could hear her engines being tested. My uncle worked at BOAC as it was then at Filton and got me and my mum into a special area to see her take off; also we saw some sort of ''flying bedstead'' on the same occasion.
banduraplayer 9 months ago
I saw the Brabazon flying over our house in Gloucestershire in 1949 or 1950. I didn't know what it was and I had to call my father to tell me. It looked enormous to a child like me. I was 9 at the time, and I thought it was the most beautiful aircraft I had ever seen. Come to think of it - it still is! - with an approving nod to the Concorde and the XB-70 Valkyrie. Thanks for this video!
Ynot1666 11 months ago
Some of the design work related to a "100 ton bomber" concept doing the rounds during the war. Some of the preliminary structural work and aerodynamic testing for the bomber passed over to the Brab. The bomber was nowhere near being built and only very basic layout drawings exist and it may have had a vee tail.. The Brab was a complete waste of time and money but I'm really glad they built it. Pity they broke them both up.
Alembic25 1 year ago
HEY BOMBER GUY,IF YOUarethe one putting this video onyoutube ,YOU DESERVE A GOLD MEDAL FOR GIVING us AVIATION FANS SUCH NICE flashes of a gone era 1 congrats!
HITHEREFOLKS 2 years ago
Two Centaurus engines per prop assembly, if memory serves. Eight powerful engines, hidden away in those massive wings!
ElectraGSX 2 years ago
I remember this flying over Bristol in the 50s. A technological cul de sac. Vickers had the right with the VC 7 would have been a 707 beater but a a hopeless Govt and an American biased BOAC saw that consigned for scrap months away from its test flight. Why Bristol thought they could build a plane of the size of the Brab when they had never built anything larger than a twin engine aeroplane heaven knows.
atomage2006 2 years ago
looks so big and heavy it's a miracle it ever took off.......
HITHEREFOLKS 2 years ago
Had this plane been fitted with turbojets (not just turboprops) instead of radial piston engine props, it probably would have seen commercial service.
BeebeCh1972 2 years ago
Jets would have fundamentally altered the concept of the Brabazon. It was intended to fly from London to New York non stop which was technically unachieveable in the late 40s. BEA wanted to try the Brabazon on a London-Nice route but there was no certificate of airworthiness covering fee paying passengers. No british airline would buy it so no foreign airlines would take the risk. A sad waste really.
Alembic25 2 years ago
Lovely footage! I believe they totally misunderstood the needs of the post war world. They built a huge plane with steward service for the passengers, sleeping berths, and huge opulence for the upper classes and toffs little realising that what was needed was capacity. Silly really.
Alembic25 2 years ago
Really?
It certainly would have needed to increase the seating capacity.
When you consider that the Proteus engines weren't really ready for commercial operations for almost another ten years, I really think the Brab was doomed from the outset. It could never have competed on piston power only with the more efficient and faster American designs.
EricIrl 3 years ago
No it wasn't. It was built to a pre-war philosophy of large aircraft and few passengers in relation to its size.
It was designed to have turboprops (jets) but as the Proteus wasn't ready, the prototype had to use radial piston engines.
However, it would never have succeeded against aircraft like trhe Douglas DC-6 and Constellation.
EricIrl 4 years ago
Nah it would've taken on the connie and dc-6 with ease :D
donaircooleone 3 years ago
A scaled down version of the Brabazon emerged a few years later called the Britannia using many of the technical advances achieved during the Brabazon project. This was a fairly successful aircraft purchased by the military and several airlines.
Looking at the diameter of the fuselage of the Brabazon it appears to be a 'widebody', the very first?
wallaby4 4 years ago
well, ahead of its time in terms of size, but developed at a time when DeHavilland's Comet, and Boeing's 707, were just about to emerge. Very bad timing!
tjf4375 4 years ago
why the hell they put prop's on it ?.. F Whittle had worked out the Jet engine was alot more fuel efficient at high altitude ..the BB couldn't of got up to those high altitudes..complete waste of talent
SpikeXtreme 4 years ago
Ahead of its time !! It was obsolete before it left the drawing board.
bistooooo 4 years ago
Right! This was socialism for the rich! They knew this was going to be a pooch, but they hewed to the program of projects laid out in 1943 because they were funded! The one real
success was the Viscount.
whizbang47 3 years ago
One of a kind, well ahead of it's time!
lostinthetriangle 4 years ago