Bristol 167 Brabazon

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johnbr

2nd Lieutenant
5,591
5,171
Jun 23, 2006
London Ontario Canada
S View attachment 498895 Specification
Powerplants 8 coupled 2,500 hp Bristol Centaurus XX engines
Span 230 ft 0 in
Maximum Weight 290,000 lb
Capacity 12 crew and 100 passengers
Maximum Speed 300 mph
Cruising Speed 250 mph
Endurance / Range 5,500 miles
Number built
Type 167 Brabazon I One only – G-AGPW
Survivors
None (Scrapped) Some components are displayed in the Science Museum, London and at the National Museum of Flight in Scotland
 
Last edited:
.... you can see why jet turbine engines are so superior ... the complexity of coupled piston engines and the weight and complexity of counter rotating props .... dinosaur in a turbine age
 

Specification
Powerplants 8 coupled 2,500 hp Bristol Centaurus XX engines
Span 230 ft 0 in
Maximum Weight 290,000 lb
Capacity 12 crew and 100 passengers
Maximum Speed 300 mph
Cruising Speed 250 mph
Endurance / Range 5,500 miles
Number built
Type 167 Brabazon I One only – G-AGPW
Survivors
None (Scrapped) Some components are displayed in the Science Museum, London and at the National Museum of Flight in Scotland
 
michaelmaltby said:
.... you can see why jet turbine engines are so superior ... the complexity of coupled piston engines and the weight and complexity of counter rotating props .... dinosaur in a turbine age
Click to expand...

The Brabazon Mk II would have been powered by 4 coupled Bristol Proteus (ie 8 in total) gas turbines. Development difficulty with the Proteus and the Brabazon meant that the Mk II was never built.

The Mk II would have had similar or more power, and a reduction in weight of 10,000lb (4540kg)!

But I guess the Mk II would have been stuck with those thick wings - how deep do they have to be to house a Centaurus completely inside?
 
The major cost items were the building hangers etc. and runway. This was returned in their use in the Concorde program so it was not as great a loss as it appeared. Still. Had they gone for cheap seats then 300 passengers transatlantic in one lift with no fuelling stops and a cruising speed only 17% slower than the later US piston competition, it could have been a viable business model and this is on the Mk1 figures. Today passengers cope (badly in some cases) with durations non stop that are even longer. More Loftleidir CL44 than Concorde.
 
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