Bristol Racing Biplane

The Bristol Racing Biplane was a British single-seat biplane designed to combine the performance of a monoplane but using the strength of the biplane. It was designed by Robert Grandseigne and Léon Versepuy, who were supervised by George Challenger for the British & Colonial Aeroplane Company of Bristol, it crashed on its first flight.^[1]

The Racing Biplane, also known as The Racer or Biplane No. 33 from its Bristol sequence number, was powered by a 50 hp (37 kW) Gnome engine driving a four-bladed tractor propeller.^[1] It had unequal span wings each with a single steel-tube spar.^[1] The rectangular fuselage was a composite structure of wood and steel tubes covered in fabric. It had a twin-skid steel-tube chassis fitted with two wheels on a rubber-sprung cross axle and also had a tail skid, the main skids were long enough to act as brakes on landing.^[1] The aircraft was displayed at Olympia in 1911 and was then taken to Larkhill in April 1911 where it was wrecked when it overturned attempting its first flight.^[1]

Data from Bristol Aircraft since 1910^[1]

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 25 ft 0 in (7.62 m)
• Wingspan: 27 ft 0 in (8.23 m)
• Wing area: 210 sq ft (20 m²)
• Empty weight: 570 lb (259 kg)
• Gross weight: 750 lb (340 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Gnome piston engine, 50 hp (37 kW)
• Propellers: 4-bladed

Performance

• Maximum speed: 55 mph (89 km/h, 48 kn)