Bristol Aero Collection

BAC talk: RAF Photo Recce and Other Stories (February 2012)

2012-02-19T18:35:00.000Z

The next BAC evening talk takes place on Friday 24th February 2012 at BAWA in Filton. The subject is "RAF Photo Recce and other tales", by ex-RAF photographer and author David Newham. Start time is 7.15pm in Room 4 at BAWA.

BAC talk: Wings Over Filton - The Early Years (January 2012)

2011-12-24T20:02:00.001Z

The next BAC evening talk this winter takes place on 20th January 2012 at BAWA in Filton. The subject is "Wings over Filton - The early years", and will be given by Chris Bigg. It covers the first ten years or so of aircraft production at Filton, including the major types of the period, the influence that the White family had on the foundation of the company, and the development of the site and what remains today.

Chris worked in the aviation industry for 48 years, and retired six years ago. He now works for the City of Bristol College as an NVQ assessor.

BAC talks: winter 2011/12 program

2011-08-11T20:55:00.000+01:00

The following evening talks have been arranged and will be held as usual at BAWA, Southmead Road, Filton. beginning at 7:15 pm.

Friday September 23rd

Phil O’Dell, Chief Test Pilot of Rolls-Royce will give a talk on his experiences of flight testing of the Company’s products.

Friday October 21st

Wing Commander Geoff Lindsay will give us an illustrated talk on his experiences gained on operations with Agusta Westland Merlin helicopters whilst serving in Iraq.

Friday Nov 18th

John Rigby and Peter Sadler will give an illustrated talk about the operations of the Great Western Air Ambulance from Filton, serving the surrounding area.

Airbus pledges one million euros to Filton museum

2011-05-20T18:21:00.000+01:00

The planned museum at Filton for Concorde 216 and the Bristol Aero Collection moved a step closer today with the announcement that Airbus has pledged around £840,000 to the project. This is in addition to the substantial sums that Airbus have already spent on the upkeep of G-BOAF since it arrived at Filton in 2003. News about the Heritage Lottery Fund application for £2.9 million will be announced soon.

National Family Week - 29/5 to 6/6

2011-05-15T13:02:00.000+01:00

Following the success of last years National Family Week, the Bristol Aero Collection at Kemble will be open every day during the week. In addition to the official week (Monday 30th May to Saturday 5th June) the BAC will be open on the Sunday before and Sunday and Monday after, meaning we will be open every day for 10 days running. Normal opening hours apply - 10am to 4pm. There will be plenty of things to do in the Activity Zone for younger people and for the older ones there's a collection of 'Bristol' made aircraft, helicopters, engines, missiles, transport and commercial products to see and hear about how they are made and how they operate.

http://www.nationalfamilyweek.co.uk

New website for the Concorde Trust

2011-05-12T20:06:00.000+01:00

The Concorde Trust, who are leading the project to build an aviation museum at Filton with Concorde 216 as the centrepiece, now have their own website. It describes the project so far, what the future plans are, and why the project is so important. The current website is temporary one, so watch this space for future developments.

View the website at concordetrust.com

Filton airfield closure

2011-05-07T15:12:00.000+01:00

BAE Systems have announced that the airfield at Filton will close in December 2012. This will not affect the Airbus and GKN factory, although alternative arrangements will be made for the transport of Airbus A400M wings to Spain. The closure is not expected to have any effect on the current Heritage Lottery Fund application and the associated Concorde Trust proposals. A close interest will be kept on any emerging plans for the future use of the site.

Easter opening 2011

2011-04-07T12:59:00.000+01:00

The Bristol Aero Collection will soon be switching to summer opening times. The hangar at Kemble will be open on Sundays and Mondays from 10am though to 4pm, from Easter onwards. In addition, we will also be open on Good Friday (22nd April) and Saturday 23rd April.

Prices remain unchanged for 2011.

Cotswold Airport Events 2011

2011-04-07T12:50:00.002+01:00

The following events will take place at Cotswold Airport (Kemble Airfield) during the summer:

18th and 19th June 2011 - Cotswold Air Show
Bristol Aero Collection hangar open on both days. Note that you can only access the museum from inside the air show arena.
See www.cotswoldairshow.com for more details.

30th and 31st July 2011 - Great Vintage Flying Weekend
Bristol Aero Collection hangar open on Sunday. Air show arena is northside, so access to the museum as normal.

17th & 18th September 2011 - Battle of Britain Air Show
Bristol Aero Collection hangar open on Sunday. Air show arena is northside, so access to the museum as normal.
See www.battleofbritainairshow for more details.

'Grow your own aircraft’ Science Fiction or future fact? talk on 1st April 2011

2011-03-26T10:02:00.000Z

The last in the 2010/11 series of Bristol Aero Collection talks takes place on 1st April 2011 at BAWA. The subject is 'Grow your own aircraft’ Science Fiction or future fact? and it will be given by Julian Lea-Jones, FRAeS.

In his Talk Julian Lea-Jones will give a brief overview of a small selection of ‘Future Now’ developments, the first of which was only announced by Imperial College last month. He will then go on to focus on the exciting development of ‘Additive Layer Manufacturing, particularly where this applies to the Aerospace Industry.

Factory of the Future ?
“Imagine entering an empty factory space with a gantry inside and an iPad workstation. Imagine touching a button on this iPad marked ‘grow wing’. Imagine coming in 12 hours later and finding a full sized wing, complete with internal fuel tanks, flaps and other moving parts all ready for installation.” Tim Robinson, Editor Raes, Aerospace International July 2010

Click here for the flyer.

"Filton Aerodrome, Early Summer 1916" - Talk on 25th February 2011

2011-02-13T13:48:00.001Z

The next talk in the Bristol Aero Collection series of winter lectures takes place on Friday 25th February 2011, at BAWA. The subject is Filton Aerodrome, Early Summer 1916, and it will be given by Professor Duncan Greenman CEng, FRAeS.

It's early Summer 1916 and at Filton many forms of buzzing can be heard. In the British and Colonial Aeroplane Factory at the top of the hill can be heard the buzzing of many tools as they construct aeroplanes for the RFC and RNAS. On the flying ground at the bottom of the hill can be heard the buzzing of many insects and, just occasionally, the softer and more hesitant rattling buzz of aeroplane engines. These noises are from the various RFC and RNAS aircraft preparing pilots for the war in France ....

In this talk, illustrated by many original photographs dating from 1916, Duncan Greenman looks at the start of a relationship between Filton and the RFC and RAF that lasts until today. In particular, he looks at the military presence at Filton during the First World War.

Click here to view the flyer.

History of RAF Yatesbury - Talk on 28th January 2011

2011-01-08T10:10:00.002Z

The next talk in the Bristol Aero Collection series of winter lectures takes place on Friday 28th January 2011, at BAWA. The subject is the history of RAF Yatesbury, and it will be given by Philip Tomaselli, who has also written a book on the subject.

Bristol Aeroplane Company’s connection with Yatesbury dates back to 1935 when the Company was asked to set up a Flying School similar to the one that it had operated at Filton since 1923. However, Yatesbury’s history had begun in 1916 when training of Pilots for the Royal Flying Corps had commenced, with the development of Yatesbury Field on either side of the minor road from the A4 to the village.

Click here to view the flyer.

Concorde Visitors Centre closes

2010-12-06T22:41:00.001Z

The Concorde Visitors Centre at Filton, managed by volunteers of the Bristol Aero Collection since 2004, closed its doors in October 2010. The closure will allow for maintenance to take place on the aircraft, which is expected to take place inside the Brabazon Assembly Hall a few yards away. Plans for a future museum at Filton are still ongoing, and Concorde will be the centrepiece once it opens. The Collection would like to thank all the dedicated volunteers who have staffed the centre over the past six years, in all weathers. Each volunteer has added to the visitors experience, and we have received so much positive feedback over the years. We would also like to thank our two employed staff Andy Treweek and Elizabeth Corsie, who have done a splendid job of keeping the centre running. Until the new museum opens, visitors can still see a range of Concorde artefacts in our hangar at Kemble, including the cabin section from the original Concorde mock-up, still kitted out in 1960's style.

Flight Exhibition - Bristol City Museum

2010-09-15T18:42:00.000+01:00

The Flight Exhibition at Bristol's City Museum and Art Gallery opens to the public this coming Saturday, 18th September. In addition to the resident 1910-era Bristol Boxkite replica at the museum, the Bristol Aero Collection have supplied our own Bristol Babe aircraft for the main entrance. The diminutive aeroplane, a replica of the biplane from 1919, easily fits in the hall, as it a wing span of only 20 feet, and was the smallest plane built at Filton in the 20th Century. A short clip of the biplane and the exhibition can be seen on the BBC, but only for the next seven days (Points West from 14th September, move the slider to 18:24).

BAC 100 events: Wings over Stonehenge - 1910 Autumn Manoeuvres Centenary Walk

2010-09-09T19:39:00.000+01:00

Walk in the slipstream of pioneer aviators Captain Bertram Dickson and Robbie Loraine. See where their Bristol Boxkites were based when they flew the first aerial scouting sorties for the Army's Autumn Manoeuvres on Salisbury Plain in 1910. These sorties galvanised the Army into ordering its first aeroplanes and led to the foundation of the Royal Flying Corps and hence the Royal Air Force. These illustrated walks cover how aviation developed on Larkhill and Stonehenge from 1908 to 1918.

These two walks take place on 25th and 26th September 2010 both starting at 11:00am. They are organised by the National Trust, and prices are £3 for NT members, £5 for non-members. For more details, visit the National Trust website.

BAC 100 events: Flight exhibition at Bristol's City Museum and Art Gallery

2010-09-09T17:05:00.000+01:00

Flight is a major new exhibition that will bring to life the stories of the aeroplanes, engines and human endeavour involved in 100 years of aviation innovation in the West of England. The exhibition will open at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, home of the replica Bristol Boxkite, on Saturday 18 September and is part of the BAC 100 celebrations marking the centenary of the founding of the Bristol Aeroplane Company. Visitors to the exhibition will be able to follow the journey ‘back in time’, from the cutting edge research in today’s aviation industry back through two World Wars to the pioneering work of Sir George White, founder of BAC in 1910.

The exhibition runs to Sunday 28 November, and entry is free. For more details, see the website by clicking here. Click on the poster for the exhibition leaflet (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader).

Children's Activity Day - 21st August 2010

2010-08-18T22:21:00.010+01:00

On Saturday 21st August the Bristol Aero Collection is hosting a Children's Activity Day. There will be special hands-on workshops for youngsters 7-16 years old, starting at 10.00am, 12.00 noon and 2.00pm. Activities include: making and flying gliders, kites, rockets, hot-air balloons, radio-controlled flying models and mini-beast hunts. Normal museum entry charges apply - no additional charge for workshop sessions. Adults - £5.00 Concessions - £4.00 Children (5-16) - £2.50 Family (2 + 2) - £12.00.

To reserve workshop places, please email learn@bristolaero.com or phone 01761 490653. All participants will receive a free copy of The 2010 Book of Aviation Wonder, celebrating the Bristol Aeroplane Company centenary.

BAC Education website

2010-08-18T22:14:00.001+01:00

Make sure to visit our education website, which complements our Activity Zone in the museum hangar at Kemble. The pages are full of resources and activities for kids, including several downloads - the BAC centenary Trumps pack and a cut-out AIROH pre-fab, quizes, drawings for colouring in, and much more!

Click here for BACEd - Bristol Aero Collection Education website

100th anniversary of the Boxkite

2010-07-06T19:29:00.001+01:00

July 2010 sees the centenary of the first flight of the Bristol Boxkite, the first successful aeroplane built at Filton. The flight was made at Larkhill near Stonehenge, but a few months later Sir George White, chairman of the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, brought a Boxkite to Durdham Downs, to show the local population his new contraption.

The Bristol Aero Collection is celebrating the maiden flight but organising an event on the Downs, with the support of the Bristol International Kite Festival. In the absence of an original Boxkite, we have arranged for school pupils from Bristol and South Gloucestershire to launch one hundred box kites, decorated by the pupils themselves. The event starts at 10:30am, and should finish by 12:30pm.

BAC 100 events: 10/7 service at Bristol Cathedral

2010-07-06T19:08:00.000+01:00

The BAC 100 service will take place at Bristol Cathedral from 11am to 12.15pm on Saturday, 10th July and will include performances from the RAF Central Band and the Bristol Male Voice Choir. Admission is by ticket only.

Hangar re-open, and National Families Week

2010-05-21T15:25:00.002+01:00

Following the completion of our unplanned essential maintenance, the Bristol Aero Collection at Kemble has re-opened to visitors, from Sunday 23rd May.

As part of National Families Week, our hangar display will be open to the public every day of the week, which starts on Monday 30th May and runs through to Sunday 6th June. We are also open on our usual summer opening days, Sundays and Mondays.

BAC 100 website update

2010-04-26T20:03:00.000+01:00

More material has been added to the BAC 100 website, celebrating 100 years of aviation in the West of England. It includes an article by David Farrar, a former Bristol Aircraft director, on how the company was saved financially by the guided weapons programme; original film footage of the Braemar and Type 188 being rolled out from the hangar for flight tests; and photos and poems from some of the schools in Bristol and South Gloucestershire that have been taking part in the BAC 100 workshops.

Events added to the calendar include a symposium on Eilmer of Malmesbury, a Royal Aeronautical Society Aerodynamics Conference, Bristol Vintage Bus Group's Annual Bus Rally and the Bristol International Kite Festival.

The website home page is http://www.bac2010.co.uk.

March 2010 lecture

2010-02-28T17:25:00.002Z

On 19th March 2010, we are holding the last in this winter's series of talks. The subject is "The Barnwell Years", and the speaker is Quentin Wilson. In view of the subject, the event will be held at the Alveston House Hotel, the former family home of Captain Frank Barnwell, chief designer of the Bristol Aeroplane Company from 1912 to 1938. This topic will be of great interest to members in this celebratory year for Bristol.

The hotel advises that the capacity of their function room is limited to 75 people and we are therefore obligated to ensure that this number is not exceeded. In order to comply we are asking that members wishing to attend phone 01454 613442 as soon as possible. Alternatively, email wmtockton (at) aol.com (please replace (at) with @ - the email address is displayed this way to prevent spam).

Listen to a walk around our hangar

2010-02-19T14:59:00.002Z

Click here to hear our very own Mike Jones talk to Clare Forestier at BBC Bristol about our museum.

19th February - BAC 100 launch

2010-02-19T14:33:00.006Z

Today (Friday 19th February 2010) saw the media launch for BAC 100, a year of events and celebrations of 100 years of aviation in Bristol. The date coincides with the 100th anniversary of the formation of the company that started it all, the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company. This became the Bristol Aeroplane Company in 1920, and was followed by the British Aircraft Corporation, British Aerospace, and now Airbus today.

The launch event took place at Filton, in the former Brabazon hangar. The central event of the day was the naming of a new Easyjet Airbus after Sir George White, who founded the company in 1910, and sparked off Bristols long and successful relationship with aviation. The hangar was also full of Bristol products throughout the century, including Bristol cars, buses, aero engines, aircraft models, and a pristine Bristol Bulldog biplane.

The extended BAC 100 website goes live today providing a What's On guide, timeline of historic events, audio and film clips, learning zone, children's showcase, comment pages and much more. Click here to visit the BAC 100 website.

The website will be regularly updated during the year to give you news and pictures of activities taking place. Among the highlights in the first few months are exhibitions at Bristol Central Library, Frenchay Village Museum and Thornbury and District Museum, lectures at Yate Heritage Centre and at-Bristol, extended opening hours at the Bristol Aero Collection in Kemble and the publication of the official BAC 100 books, Take Flight: Celebrating Aviation in the West of England Since 1910 and The 2010 Book of Aviation Wonder. There are also creative writing, collage-making and science workshops taking place in schools.

January 2010 lecture

2010-01-20T19:25:00.004Z

Our first lecture of 2010 takes place on 22nd January at BAWA, and is an illustrated talk by Dick Richardson on 'The Rise and Fall of the Strathallan Collection'. This museum, located in Perthshire in Scotland, was wound up in 1988, and had an enviable collection of aircraft, some airworthy, including a Lancaster, Mosquito, Hurricane, Lysander and Hudson. Dick flew the Lancaster from Canada to Strathallan in 1975.

It take place at the BAWA Leisure Centre, Southmead Road, Filton, and starts at 7:15pm. Our Winter lecture series are intended for members, but non-members are welcome to come along and find out about membership.

Kemble hangar Christmas times

2009-12-22T12:32:00.002Z

As per usual, the Bristol Aero Collection at Kemble will be closed between Christmas and New Year, due to the closure of industrial park. This means that the hangar is open to visitors on Monday 21st December and Monday 4th January, but closed on Monday 28th December.

Winter talks - dates for the diary

2009-11-04T17:15:00.005Z

We have two more talks coming up in the next couple of months. The first one is an illustrated talk by Graham Pitchfork on 'A History of Aviation in Gloucestershire'. This takes place on Friday 13th November at BAWA. We then have an illustrated talk by John Bartlett on 'From Scales to Concorde', A history of Parnalls - Bristol's other aircraft manufacturer. This takes place on Friday 11th December.

Both of these take place at the BAWA Leisure Centre, Southmead Road, Filton in Room 4, and start at 7:15pm. The talks are intended for members, but non-members are welcome to come along and find out about membership.

BAC 2009/10 lecture season starts 23rd October

2009-09-23T16:51:00.003+01:00

The 2009/10 Bristol Aero Collection lecture season gets underway soon, with the first talk on Friday 23rd October. Our guest speaker for the evening will be Major Shugart, a United States Air Force Exchange Officer, currently based at RAF Lyneham. He will be talking about the story of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, which first flew in 1954, and is still in production today.

The talk takes place at the BAWA Leisure Centre, Southmead Road, Filton in Room 4, and starts at 7:15pm. It is intended for members, but non-members are welcome to come along and find out about membership.

Bolingbroke Restoration project - latest report

2009-09-12T13:28:00.003+01:00

The latest six-monthly report on the restoration of Bolingbroke 9048 is now on the website. Click this link to view the report.

Brabazon anniversary

2009-09-12T13:11:00.003+01:00

On 4th September 1949, 60 years ago this month, the huge Bristol Brabazon airliner made its first flight from Filtons runway. The prototype was powered by eight Bristol Centaurus piston engines, coupled in twos. Although it never entered production, the project helped to develop many features we take for granted today, including pressurised cabins. It also led onto the manufacture of the Britannia airliner, and secured the factories future in airliner development and construction. Enjoy these news clips from time!

Military Vehicle Trust Show - 29th - 31st August

2009-08-18T22:29:00.002+01:00

The 2009 Military Vehicle Trust National Show takes place at Kemble airfield off the A429 on Saturday 29th, Sunday 30th and Monday 31st of August. The Bristol Aero Collection in hangar E2 will be open on those days at a discounted price for visitors to the Military Event. Transport by vintage bus to and from the Museum and Showground will be provided free of charge.

Steam Extravaganza - 1st & 2nd August

2009-07-20T20:15:00.003+01:00

The Gloucestershire Steam Extravaganza takes place on Kemble airfield on Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd August. The Bristol Aero Collection will be open on both days, exclusively to visitors of the event. Entrance fees on both days will be reduced (£2 for adults, £1 for children), so make sure you fit in a visit to our hangar. We are also running a free bus service from the showground to the hangar and back, operated by a vintage Bristol bus - another great reason to visit us!

More details here - http://www.steamextravaganza.com

Summer opening - Easter 2009

2009-04-06T18:07:00.003+01:00

This Easter we switch to summer opening hours, with the display hangar at Kemble open on Sundays and Mondays throughout the summer, from 10am to 4pm. For 2009 we have increased our entry charges, but this is the first change to our pricing for many many years. Members of the Bristol Aero Collection still get free entry all year round. Among our changes this year is our childrens' activity area, which has been expanded and improved.

Bolingbroke Restoration Project - July 2008 Update

2008-09-12T17:59:00.004+01:00

The latest six-monthly progress report on our Bolingbroke restoration has now been posted on the website. Click here to read the report.

Blenheim Mark I components donated to BAC

2008-09-08T20:30:00.007+01:00

The Bristol Aero Collection has recently received a number of components from a Mark I Blenheim. Shortly after World War 2, a Filton employee, Ralph Nelson acquired the nose from an ex-RAF Blenheim Mark I, later identified as L6739. He converted the nose into an electric car, on an Austin 7 chassis, and drove it around Bristol until 1953. In 1990 the car was donated to the Aircraft Restoration Company at Duxford, who are now in the process of fitting the nose to their airworthy Bolingbroke airframe, which will result in the first flying Blenheim Mark I in over 60 years.

Ralph Nelson with his electric car

In June 2008, David Bradley, the project manager for the Bristol Aero Collections own Bolingbroke restoration, received a phone call from a lady who had recently become the owner of the house where Ralph Nelson had lived. She discovered some aircraft parts in outbuildings and wondered if they would be of use to the BAC. David investigated and between BAC and Duxford they will be able to use all the parts in their respective rebuilds of Bristol aircraft.

links:
Bristol Aero Collections Bolingbroke Restoration
The Blenheim Society - Blenheim Mk I Restoration

Bristol Centaurus goes on display

2008-07-01T17:33:00.002+01:00

The hangar at Kemble has a new exhibit in the form of an 18 Cylinder Centaurus engine – the ultimate piston engine produced by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. The engine has been partially sectioned for display purposes, giving an excellent view of its internal workings. It is on loan from the RAF Museum, and replaces an example that had been difficult to display properly.

This Centaurus is one of only 523 Bristol engines built in the shadow factory at Spring Quarry near Corsham in Wiltshire. Also known as Beaverbrook, it was the largest underground factory in the world at the time, and is still owned by the MoD. The display also includes many photographs and documents on the factory, including photos of the famous murals painted by Olga Lehmann. She was employed by Sir Reginald Verdon Smith to brighten up the canteen and other areas, and her murals still survive to this day.

Blenheim parts go on display

2008-06-01T18:16:00.005+01:00

The Bristol Aero Collection is putting on display several components recovered from the crash site of a Bristol Blenheim. The aircraft, R3912, of Bicester-based No.13 OTU (Operational Training Unit) was on a training sortie over Somerset on 5th July 1942, when it crashed in a field at Pawlett near North Petherton. The crew (Sgt. James Anderson, Sgt. Gilbert McBoyle and Sgt. Adam Hogg) were killed in the crash, which has never been fully explained, although it is thought it may have collided with a barrage balloon cable. After ten years of negotiations, local aviation archaeologist Tike Hake received permission from the MoD to recover any wreckage, and conducted a dig in July 2007. Shortly after the crash in 1942, the bodies were recovered, and the crew were buried in Scotland and Bridgwater.

Several items were recovered during the dig including propeller blades, engine and airframe parts, and personal items such as coins and a mug. Some of these items will shortly be going on display in the BAC hangar at Kemble, as a memorial to the crew.

Components from R3912 shortly after arrival at Kemble - these include an undercarriage oleo, propeller hub, and engine parts.

Summer opening hours - Easter 2008

2008-02-29T16:40:00.003Z

Volunteers in the Bristol Aero Collection hangar at Kemble have been gearing up for the extended Summer opening hours, which begins at Easter. From 23rd March 2008, the display hangar will be open on Sundays as well as Mondays. As a special bonus, the museum will be open all through the Easter weekend, including Friday and Saturday. Admission prices remain the same for yet another year - £4 for adults, £3 for concessions, £2 for children (age 4-12), and £10 for a family ticket. The hangar is open from 10am to 4pm, and remember that access is via the main gate, which is on the A429 to the south of Kemble Airport, and not the A433 north gate entrance to the airport itself.

Brian Winston Wren

2006-08-11T20:55:00.002+01:00

The Bristol Aero Collection has recently lost one of its most energetic volunteers, Brian Wren. Brian passed away on 29th July 2006, just over a month before his 81st birthday. Until recently he managed the hangar at Kemble, but had been very much involved in the BAC since the early days. He became chairman of the volunteers when the BAC was in its first home at Banwell. When the collection had to vacate these premises in 1987, he oversaw the move to Kemble, and turned the haphazard collection of artefacts into a workable museum open to the public. His devotion to the Bristol Aero Collection was apparent to anyone who met him, and he had a real skill in persuading local companies to make donations. When the BAC had to move again, over the winter of 2005/06, he planned the relocation, despite the deterioration of his health. His great regret was not to see the fulfilment of proposals for the establishment of a heritage museum at Filton to house both Concorde and the history of the aircraft industry as represented by the BAC. His colleagues at Kemble, the volunteers committee and the board of trustees will all miss his tremendous enthusiasm, but will never forget him.

The photograph here shows a proud Brian receiving a South Gloucestershire community award in 2004 for his work with the Bristol Aero Collection, and the successful appeal to bring a Concorde back to Bristol.

Bolingbroke 9048 arrives at Filton

2006-07-26T22:33:00.002+01:00

The Bristol Aero Collection received its latest acquisition on Tuesday 25th July 2006, a World War 2 Bolingbroke bomber. The Bolingbroke is a Canadian-built version of the Bristol Blenheim, a twin engined aircraft that was used extensively in the early years of the war. The aircraft has been donated by Graham Kilsby, a founder member of the BAC, who now runs his own collection in Nashville, Tennessee. The Bolingbroke has not been restored since it was disposed of in 1946, but it is in relatively good condition. It has spent the last 30 years in Southern California, and the dry conditions have prevented deterioration of the basic structure. A restoration programme will commence once a full inspection has taken place, and it will be returned to the Royal Canadian Air Force colours in which it flew in 1942. Details of its history, and its epic journey from California will appear on the Bristol Aero Collection website soon.

Concorde wins 20th Century design survey

2006-03-17T01:00:00.001Z

Concorde has been voted the number one design icon of the 20th Century by viewers of BBC2's The Culture Show and visitors to London's Design Museum. The aircraft came in first place, in front of the London Underground map and the Spitfire, in the programs survey, the results of which were revealed on 16th March. The result underlines the importance of the Bristol-built supersonic airliner in the eyes of the British population. Although the aircraft was designed and built jointly with Sud (later Aerospatiale) of France, its appearance is still very similar to the BAC Type 223, a preliminary design from Filton in 1961. Click on the picture of Concorde to find out about the Great British Design Quest.

Airfield Buildings Listed

2006-02-20T01:00:00.001Z

In December 2006, the Culture Minister David Lammy announced that several airfield buildings have been added to the List of Buildings of National Importance, highlighting the historical significance of aviation in the UK. Several of these will be of interest to the readers of the Bristol Aero Collection website.

Firstly, the flight sheds at Larkhill on Salisbury Plain have received a Grade II* listing. Three sheds were built in June 1910 by the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, on land leased from the Army. The first Boxkite flew from here, in July 1910, and the company set up its own flying school on this site. The location was ideal, as the company flew its products right over the top of the senior officers in the Army on Salisbury Plain.

Secondly, two World War 1 hangars at Filton have been Grade II listed. These were built for the Royal Flying Corps, which became the RAF in 1918. The earliest is a metal clad side entry hangar, probably built around 1916. The other is a three bay Belfast Truss hangar, built around 1917, and used by the RAF for almost 60 years. Both are still in use, the latter is used to shelter Filtons resident light aircraft. Both the 1935 art deco New Filton House and the earlier Filton House next door have been grade II listed for some time.

Lastly, on Kemble Airfield, 24 hangars formerly used by the RAF for storage and maintenance have been listed. These were built in the late 1930's, and the Bristol Aero Collections new hangar is one of those listed.

Comings and goings at Kemble

2005-05-26T01:00:00.002+01:00

The Bristol Aero Collection at Kemble has a new exhibit this spring - a Bristol 4-ton lorry, built in 1920, which comes straight from the Streetcars of Desire event in Bristol. This vehicle is an important addition to the Bristol road transport display, which stretches from an 1895 horse drawn tram, through to buses of the fifties, sixties and seventies. It was exhibited at the 1920 Commercial Motor Show on the Bristol Stand, and is the oldest surviving Bristol commercial vehicle. The lorry has been fully restored by Hanson Aggregates in a style similar to their own lorries of the period, and we are very grateful to Hanson for the loan of the vehicle.

Leaving the hangar is the Collections Beagle 206X prototype, which is going to Shoreham for a reunion of Beagle staff on 11th June 2005. The Beagle 206 was based on a Bristol design, the Type 220, and first flew from Shoreham in 1961. Following the event, the Beagle will undergo a well earned period of restoration, and will return to the Bristol Aero Collection in the future.

Last Skylark Launch

2005-05-06T01:00:00.002+01:00

The last ever launch of a Skylark sounding rocket took place on Monday 3rd May 2005, in Sweden. The Bristol Aero Collection contains a complete Skylark rocket, including a 'Raven' booster, built by Bristol Aerojet (BAJ). This final launch was the 441st mission, the first Skylark launch was in Australia in 1957. Over the years it has been used to perform a huge range of experiments in space, allowing several minutes of zero gravity at its apogee, which could be over 600 miles (1000 km) above the Earth, depending on the weight of its payload. Visitors to the Bristol Aero Collection this summer can see a Skylark 12 rocket on display, complete with its Bristol-built motor. Also on display are a Goldfinch first stage motor and heat-damaged fins recovered after a Skylark launch in Sweden.