Country of origin:

United Kingdom

Description:

Single or two-seat training biplane

Power Plant:

One 37 kw (50 hp) Gnome seven-cylinder rotary piston engine

Specifications:

History:

The Bristol Boxkite was designed by George Challenger and built by the British & Colonial Aeroplane Company in 1910. The first aircraft was flown at Larkhill, UK, on 30 July 1910 by the French pilot, Maurice Edmond. Derivatives were known as the Boxkite Glider and the Type T. A total of 78 Boxkites was built and amongst those services which operated the type were the RNAS, and the air forces of France, Spain and Bulgaria, and the Australian Flying Corps.

A Boxkite, built by Bristol at Filton in South Gloucestershire, was shipped to Australia on board the ‘SS Norseman’. A Boxkite made the first flight in Western Australia in 1911, whilst another won a race from Sydney to Parramatta, NSW in 1912. Two (serials CFS-3 and CFS-8) were operated by the Australian Flying Corps at Point Cook, VIC. The former was received on 15 July 1913 and made the first flight of an Australian military aircraft in Australia when flown at Point Cook on 1 March 1914 in the hands of Lt Eric Harrison. It arrived in Melbourne, VIC on 25 April 1913 on board the vessel ‘Otway’ and cost a total of £3,538 ($7,076). It was, with other aircraft, placed in storage until the Central Flying School was formed.

The second Boxkite CFS-8 was received on 10 August 1915. This machine was constructed in Australia at the Central Flying School workshops at Point Cook, the first aircraft to be built in Australia to a military order, and was first flown on 10 August 1915. Both it and CFS-3 had 37 kw (50 hp) Gnome rotary piston engines. CFS-3 (c/n 133) was a military version with extensions to the upper mainplanes. Trainee pilots were given a ten-hour course on the Boxkite. Notable pilots who completed the course included Air Marshall Sir Richard Williams, Sir Thomas White, and Sir Lawrence Wackett. CFS-8 was written off on 3 October 1916, and CFS-3 was disposed of in 1917.

In November 1910 two Boxkites (No 10 and 11) arrived in Fremantle, WA for demonstrations by a sales mission from Bristol, the team being led by Sydney E Smith, with Joseph J Hammond and Leslie F Macdonald as pilots, and Frank W Coles as mechanic. Aircraft No 10 was the first assembled and preliminary flights were made over the Swan River. In January 1911 there was much in the press in Perth, WA when Joseph Hammond (a New Zealander), chief pilot of the British & Colonial Aeroplane Company, was making some excellent flights in his Bristol machine. These aircraft were also fitted with 37 kw (50 hp) seven-cylinder Gnome rotary engines.

First flight was made on 3 January when a height of 427 m (1,400 ft) was reached, a further flight being made on 5 January. Two flights were made on 7 January at Belmont Park racetrack before a large crowd. Later flights were made at Fremantle before the Governor, Sir Gerald Strickland, the Earl and Countess of Harrowby and Lady Frances Ryan. The ‘West Australian’ newspaper reported he amply proved the possibility of human flight and the excellence of his machine. “At times he flew close to 101 km/h (60 mph) and there is no question nothing on rail or road could have exceeded his speed.” The aircraft was dismantled and conveyed to Melbourne.

On 18 February 1911 Hammond flew for 31 minutes at Altona Bay, VIC, reaching 914 m (3,000 ft), and further flights were made over the following weeks over Williamstown, Government House and the City of Melbourne. At this time the aircraft was demonstrated to defence authorities. It was conveyed to Sydney and, on 3 May 1911, Hammond flew the aircraft (Bristol No 10) from Ascot, near Botany, NSW, to the military manoeuvres area at Liverpool, NSW in a time of 28 minutes, occasionally reaching an estimated speed of 72 km/h (45 mph) and a height of 762 m (2,500 ft).

Mr Hammond at the time contemplated the construction of the Boxkite in Australia, with engines being imported from the United Kingdom until some local equivalent could be found. Hammond is reported to have made 762 flights between January and May 1911 and covered a total distance of about 1,231 km (765 miles).

During his stay in Sydney Joseph Hammond resigned his position and returned to New Zealand but later, in 1917, he re-joined the company, being seconded to the RFC at one stage, and Leslie Macdonald continued as the demonstration pilot, making a further 40 flights. Sydney Smith then decided there was little chance of Australians taking up flying as a means of transport and the mission was recalled, aircraft No 11 being left behind in its packing case.

The second of the Boxkites (No 11) was obtained by W E Hart, a Penrith dentist, and, known as the ‘Hart Biplane’, arrived at Penrith, NSW on 21 September 1911. It was taken to Belmore Park on 23 September and was flown on 25 and 26 September. It was damaged when it hit a tree stump on 29 September, and was extensively damaged on 3 October in a storm. The engine, one wing and the propeller were recovered and the aircraft was rebuilt by Hart between 3 and 21 November that year using Australian timbers. Its ultimate fate is not known.

Three replica Boxkites were built for the film ‘Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines’ and, after completion of the film, one was imported to Australia. This was rebuilt by the South Brisbane Technical College between 1966 and 1972 from data and components supplied by the then owners, a group of Brisbane enthusiasts. In June 1974 it was obtained by and placed on display at the Chewing Gum Field Air Museum at Tallebudgera on the Queensland Gold Coast. After closure of that museum it was transferred to the Army Aviation Museum at Oakey, QLD where it has been further restored and placed on display in a new hangar.

In 2006 a group at Point Cook commenced the construction of a replica of a Bristol Boxkite to be part of the RAAF Museum collection but to fly and be displayed at aviation events around the country. This machine was completed in 2011 and became VH-XKT, registered on 21 December 2010 to the RAAF Museum. It was fitted with an 82 kw (110 hp) Rotec R-2800 radial engine.

This aircraft made its first flight at Point Cook flown by Air Vice Marshall (retd) Mark Skidmore on 11 September 2013, flying at a speed of 68 km/h (42 mph) at 1,000 m (305 m), marked as CFS-3. This aircraft had a length of 11.73 m (38 ft 6 in), a wingspan of 14.17 m (46 ft 6 in), and a wing area of 48.03 m² (517 sq ft). It had an empty weight of 408 kg (900 lb) and a loaded weight of 522 kg (1,150 lb).

Another Boxkite replica is one of the exhibits at the Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden in  Bedfordshire in the United Kingdom and is occasionally flown.