Bristol Type 101

Bristol Aeroplane Company

Industry	Aerospace
Founded	1910 (1910)
Headquarters	Filton , United Kingdom
Products	Aircraft

The Bristol Type 101 was a British two-seat fighter prototype developed during the 1920s.

Development

Conceived as a private initiative, the Type 101 was a two-seat, single-bay biplane featuring mixed-material construction. Its fuselage comprised a spruce box-girder frame sheathed in plywood, while the wings were constructed from steel spars covered with fabric. Propulsion was provided by a 450 hp (340 kW) Bristol Jupiter VI engine, identical to that used in the Bristol Type 95. The aircraft’s armament included two synchronised .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine guns and a rear-mounted .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis Gun installed on a Scarff ring.

Operational history

The Type 101 was notable for its streamlined and compact design compared to contemporaries, delivering commendable performance upon its maiden flight in 1927. Despite this, the Air Ministry dismissed the design due to its wooden construction, which was considered outdated at the time. With no alternative purchasers emerging, production did not proceed beyond the sole prototype. The aircraft’s first flight took place at Filton on 8 August 1927, piloted by Cyril Uwins, bearing the registration G-EBOW. Equipped with the VIA engine, Uwins secured second place in the 1928 King's Cup air race, recording an average speed of 159.9 mph. Later serving as a company utility aircraft and as a test platform for the more powerful 485 hp Bristol Mercury II nine-cylinder radial engine, it experienced structural failure of the wing centre section on 29 November 1929 during engine overspeed testing. Pilot C. R. L. Shaw successfully bailed out. This marked the final wooden fighter constructed by Bristol.