Country of origin:

United Kingdom

Description:

Military and civil freighter

Power Plant:

Two 1,455 kw (1,950 hp) Bristol Hercules 734 eighteen-cylinder two-row air-cooled radial engines

Specifications:

History:

Designed initially as a military freighter capable of operating from hot, semi-prepared landing areas with a payload of between four and five tonnes, and the ability to load and unload freight quickly through clam-shell doors in the nose, the Bristol Freighter proved to be reasonably popular with some 214 examples of the type being built.

The prototype of the series, the Mk 1 G-AGPV (c/n 12730) flew for the first time on 2 December 1945.  Since it was too late to see active military service in World War II, it was offered on the civil and military markets in two variants: the Freighter, with opening doors in the nose, and the Wayfarer, with a fixed nose and all passenger accommodation. In the military role it was capable of carrying 30 fully-equipped troops, or 28 litters plus medical attendants in the casualty evacuation role.

The Freighter proved to be a very popular workhorse in this region. Four Mk 21E Freighters were obtained for the RAAF (A81-1 to A81-4). These aircraft saw active service for many years until sold on the civil market.

The first of the type seen in Australasia was the manufacturer’s Mk 1A demonstrator G-AIMC( c/n 12793) in 1947. It was demonstrated in New Zealand, arriving at Whenuapai, where it was operated on behalf of New Zealand Railways and made a number of flights between Paraparaumu on the north island and Woodbourne on the south island, flying across Cook Strait as a trial.

Named ‘Merchant Venturer’ it was chartered by Qantas to examine the feasibility of the type for freight services in New Guinea. It arrived in Australia on its sales tour on 20 March 1947, but on 28 October that year the brakes failed, whilst it was parked on the airstrip at Wau, PNG and it ran backwards down the strip, over a cliff and was wrecked.

A number of Freighters have been registered in Australia. VH-AAH (c/n 12774 – ex F-VNAK), an ex-Air Vietnam aircraft, was operated by Aerial Agriculture Pty Ltd of Bankstown, NSW from 1957 but crashed and was written off at Albion Park, NSW on 8 December 1961.

The Pakistan Air Force obtained 73 Freighters, being Mks 21E, 21M, 31E and 31M. After retirement from that service 48 were offered for sale, and a number of Mk 31Ms came to Australia. Some were to operate in New Guinea, and others were reduced to spares.

Ansett/MAL obtained three, two Mk 31s becoming VH-BFA (c/n 13179) and VH-BFB (c/n 13192), operating from 1961 to 1967, when they were exported to New Zealand as ZK-CVK and ZK-CVL.  The third machine, with ferry markings AP-AMM, was broken-up for spares.

Air Express obtained an ex-Pakistan aircraft, which became VH-ADL² (c/n 13193), and two ex-RAAF aircraft (A81-1 and A81-3), which had been registered for a short period with Jetair as VH-SJG (c/n 12799) and VH-SJQ (c/n 12807).  The latter was lost in Bass Strait on 10 May 1975.

Ansett/ANA operated three: VH-INJ (c/n 12755), VH-INK (c/n 127350); and VH-INL (c/n 12761) from April 1949 to June 1961 to carry beef in north-west Australia. These aircraft were withdrawn from service and broken up at Essendon, VIC in 1961. Another (A81-4) was broken up at Archerfield after withdrawal from RAAF service. Registrations VH-TBC (c/n 13183) and VH-TBD (c/n 13191) were allotted but not taken up and the aircraft were broken up. VH-TBA (c/n 13176) was broken up at Archerfield, QLD. RAAF aircraft A81-2 crashed at Mallala, SA on 25 November 1953.

Only two complete aircraft have survived in Australia. One (VH-TBB), which was retired from service with Air Express, spent many years engineless on the fire dump at Tullamarine in Victoria. At one stage it had VH-JIM painted on the aircraft but this was never allotted to the aircraft. Another (A81-1/VH-SJG) was painted in RAAF markings and placed on display at the Chewing Gum Air Field Museum at Tallabudgera on the Gold Coast, QLD before being transferred to the RAAF Museum at Point Cook, VIC. VH-ADL, which crashed near Pimpana, QLD, was restored and placed on display at Airworld at Wangaratta, VIC until the museum closed in 2002. The aircraft was offered for sale, being obtained by the Moorabbin Air Museum, VIC.

The RNZAF received twelve Mk 31M Freighters (NZ5901 to NZ5912) and these operated from 1951 to 1977. They were used as tactical transports and five were fitted with dual controls including NZ5907, NZ5910, NZ5911 and NZ 5912. NZ5904 for a period was used for aerial topdressing trials in 1954, this being loaned by the RNZAF and using the registration ZK-BEV but this was never painted on the aircraft. Two were lost in accidents, being NZ5908 near Blenheim on 27 May 1953 and NZ5901 on 10 December 1956, whilst based in Changi in Singapore, crashing in the Cameron Highlands in Malaya.

After retirement, the survivors were converted for civil operations. In addition, a number appeared on the civil register and operated with Straits Air Freight Express (SAFE). which company operated one of the largest fleets of the type, as well as a few which were leased from the RNZAF. Two Freighters were rebuilt in New Zealand: ZK-CVY (c/n 12937), using the fuselage of ZK-BMA and the wing of ZK-CVL, and ZK-CWF (c/n R12826), using the fuselage of ZK-AYG and the wing of ZK-CLU.

Other New Zealand civil Freighters have included: ZK-BJP (c/n 13135); ZK-BMA (c/n 12937); ZK-CAL (c/n 13154); ZK-CAM (c/n 13155); ZK-CLT (c/n 13157); ZK-CLU (c/n 13156); ZK-CQD (c/n 13075); ZK-CPT (c/n 13126) and ZK-CPU (c/n 13125). After withdrawal from RNZAF service, a few were sold to civil operators in New Zealand, and others exported overseas. One (ZK-BVI/NZ5912) went to Canada for a period and later to the United Kingdom (as CF-DFC – ex G-BISU) but was wrecked in an accident at Enstone in Oxfordshire on 18 July 1996.  A Bristol Freighter has been placed on display in a museum in Argentina.

A number of Model 170 Freighters have survived in New Zealand: NZ5903 (c/n 12334) with the RNZAF Museum at Wigram; ZK-EPC (c/n 13059) used as a restaurant at Waihi Beach; ZK-AYG/ZK-CWF (c/n 12826) and parts of ZK-CRK (c/n 13159) with the Ferrymead Aeronautical Society at Christchurc; ZK-CLU (c/n 13156) at the Nelson Founders Museum; ZK-CPT (c/n 13126) with the Marlborough Aero Club at Omaka; the fuselage of ZK-EPA (c/n 12833) at Awhitu and ZK-EPE (c/n 13080) and ZK-EPG (c/n 13135) derelict at Ardmore for some years.

NZ5911 in March 1955 was loaned to Straits Air Freight Express as ZK-BJP and later returned and was operated by Nos 3 and 4 Squadrons until August 1972, making its last flight with the RNZAF on 14 February 1977 with a total flying time of 10,654 hours. In June 1978 it was sold by tender to R S Dwen Airmotive of Ardmore and was registered as ZK-EPG for one day. It was again offered for sale in October 2008 with a quantity of spares and in late 2016 was sold to the trustees of the Bristol Aerospace Museum, which has a collection of aircraft at Filton in Bristol, was dismantled in early 2017 and was shipped to the United Kingdom.