Bristol 177 Sycamore

The Bristol Type 177 Sycamore was one of the first British built helicopters and the first to gain an air worthiness certificate in 1949. It was also the first British designed helicopter to be operated by the Royal Air Force.

Sycamore at RAF Museum, London

Information
Manufacturer:	Bristol Aeroplane Company
First flight:	1947
Propulsion:	Alvis Leonidas piston engine
Withdrawn:	1972 (RAF)
Number built:	180

The Sycamore was used as a cargo/passenger transport (it could carry up to three passengers) and for air/sea rescue. As well as being used by the British and other militaries it also had success selling to civilian operators including British European Airways.

The Sycamore saw action in the Malaya Emergency with the RAF proving the worth of rotorcraft in being able to deploy soldiers directly to a position in the jungle. It also saw action in Cyrus, Aden and in the Congo (operated by the Belgian government). The Sycamores reached the end of their fatigue life and were withdrawn by the RAF in early 1970s.

Preserved Sycamore at RAF Cosford Museum

Handley Page HP52 Hampden

The Handley Page Hampden was one of the medium bombers with which the Royal Air Force entered the Second World War. The Hampden was designed in response to an Air Ministry specification for a twin bomber which was faster than earlier bombers. The Hampden had a narrow fuselage which gained it the name the "Flying Suitcase"! The Hampden first flew in 1936 and entered service with the RAF in 1938.

SDASM Archive image [2]

Information
Manufacturer:	Handley Page
First flight:	1936
Propulsion:	Bristol Pegasus XVIII radial engine (2)
Withdrawn:	1943
Number built:	1,430

By the start of the war the Hampden equipped ten squadrons. Unfortunately the Hampden did not fare well in the daylight bombing role though was used in the earliest raids against the German mainland. The Hamnpden easy meat for the Luftwaffe despite it's still good performance. The Hampden was switched quickly to nighttime operations and proved useful in bombing, propaganda leaflet dropping and mine laying. Hampdens were later used for torpedo bombing to protect Arctic convoys. It remained in this role until being withdrawn by the RAF in 1943. A version of the Hampden with in-line engines was also produced called the Handley Page Hereford.

The Hampden also served in notable numbers with the Australian, Canadian and Soviet air forces. Two Hampdens survive though neither in a flyable condition.

SDASM Archive image [2]

[1] Handley Page Hampden https://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/15650368358

[2] Handley Page Hampden https://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/15650369808

de Havilland DH89 Dragon Rapide

The de Havilland Dragon Rapide was a successful short range British airliner of the Interwar Period.

Three views of G-ADAH preserved at MOSI Manchester

Information
Manufacturer:	de Havilland
First flight:	1934
Propulsion:	de Havilland Gypsy 6 piston engine (2)
Number built:	727

The DH89 Dragon Rapide was a development of the earlier DH84 Dragon and the DH86 Express. The Dragon Rapide was a scaled down version of the Express and used the same Gypsy 6 engines, tapered biplane wings and fuselage design largely made from plywood. Although a fairly simple aircraft it had few vices and was durable and reliable.

The prototype, which was known as the Dragon 6, first flew in early 1934 with customer deliveries commencing in the Summer. At the commencement of the Second World War the type was accepted into RAF service in a number of roles including communications and wireless training, the type being known as the Dominie in military service.

After the war hundreds of war surplus Dragon Rapides were supplied to rebuilding allied air forces and air lines. It was also used by British European Airlines and other British airlines on domestic services in the 1950s. A number of Dragon Rapides are still airworthy.

Eurofighter Typhoon

The Eurofighter Typoon is a fourth generation fighter which is the front-line fighter of the Royal Air Force and a number of other airforces. Like other modern European combat aeroplanes it was a collaboration between the UK, Germany, Spain and Italy. France was also a member of the programme in it's early days but later left to pursue it's rival design, the Rafale, instead.

Pre-production aircraft ZH588 at RAF Museum London

Information
Manufacturer:	Eurofighter
First flight:	1994
Propulsion:	Eurojet EJ200 turbofan (2)
Number built:	623

The Typhoon first flew in 1994 and is built by a multi-national organisation which includes Airbus and BAE Systems. The Typhoon entered service in 2003 and has also sold to a number of other countries as well as the four builder nations, especially in the Middle East.

The Typhoon is a highly agile canard delta winged fighter designed initially for air superiority but later updates have added an air-to-ground capability. The Typhoon in RAF service has seen combat use over Libya.

The Typhoon has twin afterburning turbofans

Another view of ZH588

Vickers Wellesley

The Wellesley was built as a private venture in the mid-1930s for an RAF requirement for a multi-role light bomber (with dive and torpedo bombing capabilities) and reconnaissance aircraft.

(SDASM Archive)

Information
Manufacturer:	Vickers-Armstrong
First flight:	1937
Propulsion:	Bristol Pegasus XX radial piston-engine
Withdrawn:	1944
Number built:	177

The Wellesley used the geodesic construction for it's structure, a lattice work that gave greater strength and resilience. It had been developed by Barnes Wallis for the R101 Airship and later was most notable used in Vickers' later Wellington bomber. The Wellesley was a development of the earlier biplane Vickers Type 253 of 1931.

The Wellesley entered service with the RAF in 1937 but by the outbreak of the Second World War was considered already obsolete for the European theatre and mainly served in the Middle East in the early years of the war.

The Wellesley broke the world long distance record in 1938 when a flight of Wellesleys successfully flew from Ismailia, Egypt non-stop to Darwin, Australia. This is still the longest non-stop flight by a single piston-engined aircraft.

(SDASM Archive)

Bristol Ten-seater / Brandon

The Bristol Ten-seater was an early civilian airliner though only three were built, one of which served with the RAF as the Bristol Brandon.

The Type 75 [1]

Information
Manufacturer:	Bristol Aeroplane Company
First flight:	1921
Propulsion:	Napier Lion or Bristol Jupiter IV radial piston-engine
Withdrawn:	1926
Number built:	3

The Ten-seater was designed to carry up to ten people (no surprise there) and was a biplane with a single engine. The first aircraft was fitted with a Napier Lion engine as the Bristol Jupiter IV originally intended was not ready in time for the first flight. The other two aircraft built both had the Bristol engine.

The first aircraft, known as the Type 62, entered service in 1922 and was used on the London-Paris air route. It was configured to carry a pilot and nine passengers in a luxurious cabin [1]. The second aircraft, the Type 75, was used for cargo flights on the London-Cologne route. The third aircraft, known as the Type 79, entered service with the RAF as an air ambulance.

[1] "The Kings Cup Air Race", Flight Magazine Sept 7 1922 p. 513

Westland SA341 Gazelle

Aérospatiale developed this light helicopter in the late 1960s and entered a joint venture with Westland to produce the aircraft for the British and French armed forces and other customers.

Gazelle at the RAF Museum London

Information
Manufacturer:	Westland Helicopters (with Aérospatiale)
First flight:	1967
Propulsion:	Turbomeca Astazou IIIA turboshaft
Number built:	1,775

The Gazelle was designed for scouting, reconnaissance and light attack duties. Originally the Gazelle was purely a French project but the British got involved early on and placed a large order of the type for the Army. Westland built two hundred and sixty two Gazelles mostly for the British armed forces, serving with all branches. It has served in the Falklands, Afghanistan and Gulf Wars. Around thirty remain in service with the British Army and are due to remain so until the early 2020s.

The Gazelle was the first helicopter to have a fenestron or fan tail with the tail rotor built into the vertical fin. This helped the Gazelle become the fastest helicopter in it's class.

Folland Gnat

The rising cost of jet fighters in the 1950s led to a number of attempts to create an affordable but capable jet fighter for home and export use. The Folland Gnat was a subsonic fighter which saw RAF service as a trainer but also combat service with India.

Gnat F1 XK724 at RAF Cosford

Information
Manufacturer:	Folland Aircraft
First flight:	1955
Propulsion:	Bristol Siddeley Orpheus 701-01 turbojet
Withdrawn:	1979
Number built:	449

Based on the Midge, a private venture by Folland, the Gnat was small and light and also designed to be maintainable without specialised tools by smaller air forces. The fighter version was sold to Finland and India, who later also licence built the type as the HAL Ajeet. In Indian hands the Gnat saw service against Pakistan and Bangladesh. Yugoslavia also bought two for evaluation.

The Gnat F.1 lost out to the Hawker Hunter in a competition to choose a new RAF light fighter but a trainer version, the T.1, was bought by the RAF and served until 1979. Most notably the Gnat was the equipment of the Red Arrows until being replaced by the BAe Hawk. Many Gnats have been preserved, some still in a flyable condition.

Gnat T1 XR977, former Red Arrow, at RAF Museum London

Another view of XR977