Country of origin:

United Kingdom

Description:

Two-seat light sport biplane

Power Plant:

(Bluebird III) One 60 kw (80 hp) Armstrong Siddeley Genet II five-cylinder air-cooled radial engine; or

(Bluebird IV) One 75 kw (100 hp) de Havilland Gipsy I four-cylinder inline air-cooled engine

Specifications:

History:

The prototype Blackburn Bluebird I G-EBKD (c/n 9803/1) was first flown in 1924 and was entered in a number of air races before it crashed, being destroyed at Bournemouth in Dorset on 6 June 1927 when it collided with a Westland Widgeon (G-EBWE). The Bluebird was the first light aircraft built in the United Kingdom with side-by-side seats to go into production, it being one of a number of designs built for the Lympne, Kent low-powered two-seat trials in September 1924.

Of all-wood construction, the prototype Bluebird was fitted with a three-cylinder 1100 cc Blackburn Thrush radial engine but was not completed in time for the trials. However, it was entered in the 1926 trials, at this time being fitted with an Armstrong Siddeley Genet radial of 45 kw (60 hp).

The first production batch comprised 13 aircraft, these being the Blackburn L.1A Bluebird II with a 60 kw (80 hp) Genet II radial. The L.1B Bluebird III differed in having a plywood rear fuselage decking and a 67 kw (90 hp) ADC Cirrus III engine. Final model was the L.1C Bluebird IV, which appeared in 1929 and was a complete re-design, being fitted with the 67 kw (90 hp) ADC Cirrus III, the 75 kw (100 hp) Cirrus Hermes, the 90 kw (120 hp) de Havilland Gipsy I, or the 101 kw (135 hp) Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major I. Blackburn built three Bluebird Is and Saunders Roe was contracted to build 55, but the last 20 or so were in fact built by Blackburn at Brough in Yorkshire.

A few were used for long-distance flights, one such flight being claimed as the first solo round-the-world flight by a light aircraft. This flight was made by Mrs Victor Bruce (nee Mildred Mary Petre – 1895-1990) between September 1930 and February 1931 in Blackburn Bluebird IV G-ABDS (SB.245) fitted with a de Havilland Gipsy II engine. However, stages of the flight, ie Tokyo to Seatttle, and New York to Leitavre, were on board a ship.

In March 1931 Ms Delphine Reynolds, with Mr W G Pudney as co-pilot, in a Bluebird IV G-ABGF (c/n SB.252) fitted with a de Havilland Gipsy III engine, flew from London in England to Dakar in Senegal, where the aeroplane was fitted out as a seaplane and proceeded on to Capetown in South Africa. In 1928 a Bluebird II floatplane G-EBSW (c/n 9803/6) made round Britain and Germany flights.

A small number of examples were imported to this region, mainly by the distributor, Larkin Aircraft Supply Co Ltd. This company placed advertisements in magazines for the Bluebird in the late 1920s, describing it as “This 2-seater aircraft is specially useful for instruction and pleasure flying purposes. The side-by-side seating arrangement greatly facilitates instruction and is much more sociable. Suitable for use as a seaplane with float chassis”.

Examples imported have included ZK-AAQ (c/n 1450/1 – ex-G-AABB), the first production Bluebird III, which arrived in February 1929, bought by H T Merritt of Auckland. It is said to have been used by Southern Cross Airways Ltd of Mangere. Ownership was transferred to S J Blackmore who fitted floats and flew it to Hokianga Harbour, North Auckland. Later it went to the Waikato Aero Club and was re-fitted with its wheeled undercarriage but crashed at Te Rapa aerodrome at Hamilton on 2 April 1933.

A Bluebird III VH-UOC (c/n SB.216) fitted with a Genet Major I engine was imported for use at the LASCO School of Flying. It crashed at Coode Island, VIC on 20 November 1930 and was re-built and registered to Australian Aerial Services on 10 October 1931. It was struck off the register on 9 June 1933.

VH-UNS (c/n SB.212), a Bluebird IV named ‘Raysola’, was also imported by LASCO, arriving in Melbourne, VIC on 31 March 1930 on board ‘RMS Cathay’. Originally fitted with a de Havilland Gipsy Major engine, the engine was later changed to a Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major radial. It operated initially with the LASCO School of Flying and was sold to Ludwig Nudl. He, together with Mr R W McKenzie MC of No 2 Squadron AFC, made the first commercial round Australia flight, leaving Essendon,

VIC on 24 October 1931 and returning on 6 December 1931 covering 9,656 km (6,000 miles) at an average speed of 177 km/h (110 mph). The object of the flight via Brisbane, western Queensland, Darwin, Wave Hill, Derby, Port Hedland, Perth and Adelaide was to solicit support for the marketing of a new ignition device for motor car and aeroplane engines. The Shell company organised fuel and oil supplies for the flight. Ownership was transferred to Australian Aerial Services Ltd on 13 March 1933; and later on 31 August 1936 to Mr K R M Farmer of Malvern, VIC. It crashed on 30 January 1937 at Essendon.

VH-UQZ (c/n SB232 – ex G-AAVG) with a Cirrus Hermes engine was registered on 31 May 1933 to Lt Cdr G Hall of the RAN and named ‘Five Winds’. Mr Hall left Croydon in Greater London, England on 8 August 1932 to fly to Australia, reaching Wyndham, WA on 1 September. After a number of owners its registration lapsed on 18 March 1936.

It is interesting to note that a British registered machine G-ABJA (c/n SB249) was registered to Australian aviator, Harry Frank Broadbent, and was named ‘City of Sydney’. Powered by a de Havilland Gipsy II engine, he left Hanworth in Middlesex on 29 March 1931 in an attempt to lower the record to Australia but abandoned the flight at Constantinople, Turkey on 1 April. The aircraft later became EI-AAO in Ireland in December 1932 and never reached Australia. It was destroyed on 31 July 1932 when it crashed on a beach whilst demonstrating at an aviation event.