Bristol Tourer Explained
The Bristol Tourer was a British civil utility biplane produced in the years following the First World War, using as much as possible from the design of the Bristol Fighter aircraft. Bristol Tourers were delivered with a variety of engines, subject to availability and customer desires; these included the Rolls-Royce Falcon, Siddeley Puma, Hispano-Suiza 8, and Wolseley Viper. Many Tourers were fitted with a canopy to cover the one or two passenger seats in the rear cockpit, giving the type its original name of Coupé. The pilot's cockpit, however, remained open.
Bristol Tourers operated by Western Australian Airways made the first scheduled airline services in Australia, commencing on 4 December 1921 between Perth and Geraldton.
Variants
- Type 27
First Tourers for the British Controller of Civil Aviation, fitted with Rolls-Royce Falcon engines and dual controls (3 built)
- Type 28
Similar to Type 27 with canopy for rear seat
- Type 29
Siddeley Puma-engined version for Bristol as company transport (2 built)
- Type 45 "Scandinavian Tourer"
Similar to Type 29 with ski undercarriage.
- Type 47
Three-seat version with open rear cockpit.
- Type 48
Similar to Type 47 but built as floatplane.
- Type 81 "Puma Trainer"
Similar to Type 29 modified as trainer (1 converted, 4 newly built)
- Type 81A
Similar to Type 81 with revised undercarriage and empennage for Greek military (6 built)
- Type 86 "Greek Tourer"
Similar to original Bristol Fighter and able to be armed for Greek Air Force (6 built)
- Type 86A
Three-seat version of Type 86.
- Type 88 "Bulgarian Tourer"
Powered by Wolseley Viper for Bulgarian Post Office, two aircraft were delivered in April 1924.
- Type 88A "Improved Bulgarian Tourer"
With various modifications, three aircraft delivered in 1926.Operators
Greece
References
Bibliography
- Anderson. Lennart. La renaissance de l'aviation militair bulgare dans les années vingt. Avions . November–December 2019 . 232. 52–66 . The Rebirth of Bulgarian Military Aviation in the Twenties. French . 1243-8650.
- Grant, James Ritchie. "Anti-Clockwise: Australia the Wrong Way". Air Enthusiast, No. 82, July–August 1999, pp. 60–63.
- Book: Taylor, Michael J. H. . Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation . 1989 . Studio Editions . London . 206 .
- Book: World Aircraft Information Files . Bright Star Publishing. London . File 890 Sheet 87 .
- Thomas, Andrew. "In the Footsteps of Daedulus: Early Greek Naval Aviation". Air Enthusiast, No. 94, July–August 2001, pp. 8–9.
Further reading
- 6 November 1919 . The "Bristol" Tourer . . XI . 45 . No. 567 . 1452 . 13 January 2011 . Contemporary brief technical description of the Type 27 Tourer with photograph.
- 23 October 1919 . The "Bristol" Coupé . . XI . 43 . No. 565 . 1390–1391 . 13 January 2011 . Contemporary technical description of the Type 28 (Coupé) with photographs.
