Country of origin:

United Kingdom

Description:

Three-seat commercial airliner

Power Plant:

One 179 kw (240 hp) Siddeley Puma six-cylinder in-line liquid-cooled engine

Specifications:

History:

The Bristol Tourer was originally a conversion of the Bristol F.2b Fighter built for and flown by the RAF in World War I. At the end of the war a number were converted in the UK as low-cost commercial airliners, fitted with a 134 kw (180 hp) Wolseley Viper, 179 kw (240 hp) Siddeley Puma, or 224 kw (300 hp) Hispano Suiza engine. Four distinct conversions were built, all flown from the front seat, varying in type of accommodation provided for the passengers, ie an enclosed cabin or open cockpit. Bristol type-numbers 27, 28, 29 and 47 were allotted to the series in 1923.

The first conversion was flown in 1919 and another was shown at the Paris Salon in December of that year. Two were sold in the USA and two others were fitted with floats. Two went to Spain and eight to Australia.

The first of the Australiann aircraft G-AUCA arrived in June 1921 and made a 14,481 km (9,000 miles) route survey in the hands of Lt Colonel Horace Clowes Brinsmead, Comptroller of Civil Aviation. Five (G-AUDF to G-AUDK) entered service with West Australian Airways. One (G-AUDK) achieved fame when Sir Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm flew it around Australia in June 1927, a total distance of 12,067 km (7,500 miles) in 10 days 5 hours.

Australian Tourers were: G-AUCA/VH-UCA (c/n 6117)  registered to the Civil Aviation Branch, Department of Defence, Melbourne, VIC on 28 June 1921. It crashed at Bourke, NSW on 16 March 1923. It was rebuilt and re-registered as G-AUDX.

G-AUDF/VH-UDF (c/n 6108) was registered to West Australian Airways Ltd of Perth on 28 November 1921. It was burnt in a fire at Onslow, WA on 27 January 1923.

G-AUDG/VH-UDG (c/n 6111) was registered to West Australian Airways Ltd on 28 November 1921. It was sold to G C Wilson trading as Wilson Air Service Ltd on 1 August 1928 but was destroyed in a fire at Wauchope, NSW on 17 December 1928.

G-AUDH/VH-UDH (c/n 6115) was registered to West Australian Airways on 28 November 1921. It crashed at Port Hedland, WA on 15 July 1924. It was rebuilt at Maylands, WA and re-registered in November 1924 as G-AUDZ, becoming VH-UDZ in 1928 when registrations were changed to the VH system. It crashed again at Ceduna, SA in February 1931  and some parts were used to rebuild the aircraft, becoming VH-UDZ.

G-AUDI/VH-UDI (c/n 6116) was registered to West Australian Airways Ltd on 28 November 1921. It crashed on 15 December 1921 at Murchison, WA.

G-AUDJ/VH-UDJ (c/n 6118) was registered to West Australian Airways Ltd on 26 November 1921. It was sold to Charles E Kingsford Smith and Keith V Anderson trading as Interstate Flying Services of Longueville, NSW and named ‘Old Pioneer’. It crashed near Pine Creek, NT on 11 September 1928 and was removed from the register two months later.

G-AUDK/VH-UDK (c/n 6119) was also registered to West Australian Airways Ltd on 26 November 1921. It crashed on take-off at Port Hedland, WA on 31 January 1923. It was rebuilt and purchased by Charles Kingsford Smith and Keith Anderson trading as Interstate Flying Services. It later went to L Shaw of Lae, Papua New Guinea, being registered to Morobe Trading Company on 21 November 1927. It crashed landing at Lae, on 15 February 1928.

GAUDX/VH-UDX (c/n 6117) was registered to West Australian Airways Ltd on 1 March 1923, sold to F T O’Dea of Sydney on 16 April 1928, and then to H R Clarke of Sydney. It crashed in Queensland and was struck off the register on 20 September 1930.

G-AUDZ/VH-UDZ (c/n 6115 – see above) was registered to West Australia Airways Ltd on 12 November 1924. Subsequent owners included F T O’Dea and H R Clarke of Sydney. It crashed at Ceduna, SA and was destroyed by fire on 6 September 1930.

G-AUEB/VH-UEB (c/n 4965) was fitted with a 254 kw (340 hp) Hispano Suiza engine and was registered as a Bristol Fighter to H “Horrie” C Miller on 12 April 1923. It was sold to Qantas Ltd of Longreach and was converted to Tourer configuration but suffered an accident at Longreach on 18 December 1923. It was rebuilt, at this time being fitted with a 172 kw (230 hp) Siddeley Puma engine, and saw service with The Flying Doctor Service. It was sold to Ken M Frewin of Ascot, Sydney, NSW and later to Bulolo Goldfields Aeroplane Service Ltd. It arrived in New Guinea in December 1927 but crashed flying between Salamaua and Wau on 17 April 1928.

Australian Tourers were all Bristol Model 28s fitted out as three-seat coupes.

Three Bristol Tourer replicas were built in Australia. A static display replica was built over 18 months during 1980-1981 as a project by the Civil Aviation Historical Society (WA Division) by Ansett WA carpenter Frank Matthews, under supervision of Ansett engineer Billy Tilly, with help of Frank Colquhoun, a former West Australian Airways mechanic/engineer.  It was built for display at the Ansett terminal at Perth Airport (now Terminal 3) and was unveiled in the terminal on 5 December 1981, painted to represetn G-AUDK.  The Ansett terminal was expanded in the mid-1980s, so in 1986 this replica was donated to the RAAF Association Aviation Heritage Museum at Bull Creek, WA, where it is displayed with part of the fuselage and wing unskinned to reveal the structure.

In 1984-1985 an Australian company called A Thousand Skies Ltd had two airworthy Bristol Tourer replicas built in Brisbane, QLD by Air Charter Pty Ltd for a television mini-series “A Thousand Skies”, a story on the life of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith. They were registered as Air Charter Bristol F.2b Tourers, VH-UDC (c/n QA-32-1, painted as G-AUDK) and VH-UDR (c/n QA-32-2, painted as G-AUDJ). These aircraft were powered by 172 kw (230 hp) Continental IO-520 six-cylinder engines, the fuselages being of steel tube construction and the wings of wood, with fabric covering overall. These aircraft were later seen at a number of aviation events but suffered their share of problems.

On 1 June 1992 VH-UDC (painted as G-AUDK) was on a 70-year commemorative flight by owner/pilot Barry Hempel when it suffered engine trouble and was damaged in a forced landing on North West Coastal Highway, 100 km (62 miles) north of Geraldton, WA.  The aircraft was restored by Mid West Aero Club and the Shire of Greenough donated it to the Western Australian Museum at Geraldton, where it is now displayed suspended from the ceiling. This is a fitting location, given that the first scheduled air service in Australia by Bristol Tourers of West Australian Airways began at Geraldton Airport on 5 December 1921.

The second aircraft VH-UDR (painted as G-AUDJ) was registered in March 1985 and was withdrawn from service in March 1986.  It was converted to a Bristol Fighter F.2b configuration, painted in military markings to represent C-4623, and was placed on display at the Army Aviation Museum at Oakey, QLD.