Bristol Type 133

Bristol Aeroplane Company · United Kingdom · first flew 1934 · fighter

The Bristol Type 133 was a single-seat, single-engine monoplane fighter armed with four guns, built to meet Specification F.7/30. The single example crashed before the trials commenced.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, straight
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	8.53 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

low cantilever monoplane with cranked, inverted gull wings of constant chord
main wheels retracting into bath-type fairings under the wings
pilot's open cockpit over the wing at mid-chord

The wings have negative dihedral in the centre section and positive dihedral beyond, with rounded tips, and the fabric-covered ailerons extend over the whole of the outer wing. Two of the four machine guns were in the wing and two on either side of the nose.

Specifications

The Bristol Type 133 has a length of 8.53 m (28 ft).
It has a wingspan of 11.89 m (39 ft).
Its maximum speed is 418 km/h (260 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

It was powered by a Bristol Mercury radial and was the first aircraft intended for RAF service to have a retractable undercarriage. It was also the first Bristol aircraft to use stressed-skin construction for the wings, using Alclad sheets, and first flew on 8 June 1934 flown by Cyril Uwins.

Variants

Only one was built. Testing over the next eight months produced modifications including a sliding canopy, a crash pylon, better brakes and an enlarged rudder.

Where you'll see it

The Type 133 was built for the F.7/30 competition, but the single example crashed before the trials commenced.

Related aircraft

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