Bristol Bombay
From Free net encyclopedia
The Bristol Bombay was a medium bomber and troop transport aircraft flown by the Royal Air Force during World War II.
Contents |
Development
The Bombay was built to the Air Ministry Specification C.26/31 for a monoplane aircraft which could carry bombs or 24 troops. Brisol's early experience with monoplanes was downright dismal -- both the 1922 racer prototype and the 1927 Bristol Bagshot fighter suffered from lack of torsional rigidity in the wings. As the result, when a pilot tried to roll in one direction (for example, right), the wings warped causing the roll to happen in the opposite direction (left, in this example). Based on this experience, Bristol overengineered the Bombay's wing to include no less than seven spars made from high-strength steel. Not surprisingly, the end product was a very heavy airplane.
The prototype Type 130 first flew on 23 June 1935, and entered production as the Bombay. All 50 aircraft were built by Short & Harland of Belfast in 1939. The Hele-Shaw propellers used by the Bombay were the first product of a Bristol-Rolls-Royce joint venture called Rotol.
Operational history
Despite the all-metal construction, the Bombay retained some features which were outdated at the time, such as its fixed undercarriage. Outclassed for the European theatre, it saw service in the Middle East, replacing the Vickers Valentia. Although the Bombay was capable of dropping 250 lb (113 kg) bombs, the smaller 20 lb (9 kg) bombs had to be thrown by hand through the cargo door. Nonetheless, the aircraft flew bombing sorties in Abyssinia, Italian Somaliland, Iraq, and Benghazi. Hopelessly obsolete, the Bombays were predominantaly used as transports ferrying supplies and evacuating the wounded. One Bombay crew was credited with flying out 6,000 wounded troops (Gunston 1995).
Specifications (Bombay Mk.I)
{{airtemp |plane or copter?=plane |jet or prop?=prop |crew=3-4 |capacity=24 armed troops or 10 stretchers |length main=69 ft 3 in |length alt=21.1 m |span main=95 ft 9 in |span alt=29.2 m |height main=19 ft 6 in |height alt=5.9 m |area main=1,340 ft² |area alt=124.5 m² |empty weight main=13,800 lb |empty weight alt=6,260 kg |loaded weight main=20,000 lb |loaded weight alt=9,070 kg |max takeoff weight main= |max takeoff weight alt= |engine (prop)=Bristol Pegasus XXII |type of prop=radial engines |number of props=2 |power main=1,010 hp |power alt=755 kW |max speed main=192 mph |max speed alt=309 km/h |max speed more=at 6,500 ft (2,000 m) |cruise speed main= |cruise speed alt= |range main=2,230 mi |range alt=3,560 km |ceiling main=25,000 ft |ceiling alt=7,600 m |climb rate main=750 ft/min |climb rate alt=3.8 m/s |loading main=14.9 lb/ft² |loading alt=72.9 kg/m² |power/mass main=0.10 hp/lb |power/mass alt=170 W/kg
|guns=2× 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers K machine guns in powered nose and tail turrets |bombs=2,000 lb (900 kg)
}}
References
Related content
{{aircontent
|sequence=
|related=
|similar aircraft=
|lists=
|see also=
}}