Bristol Type 173

Bristol Aeroplane Company · United Kingdom · first flew 1952 · helicopter

The Bristol Type 173 was a British twin-engine tandem-rotor transport helicopter, designed by Raoul Hafner as a civil machine that also attracted military interest.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, rotary
E — Engines	2 × piston, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	Tandem rotors, one at each end of the fuselage
T — Tail	No tailplane

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

Spot it by:

Tandem rotors, one at each end of the fuselage
Two Alvis Leonides piston engines driving linked rotor gearboxes
Second prototype briefly carried small stub wings at the front and rear

A tandem-rotor helicopter with a new fuselage built around two Sycamore engine and rotor installations. It did not enter production but led to the Bristol Belvedere.

Specifications

The Bristol Type 173 has a length of 16.82 m (55 ft).
It has a wingspan of 14.81 m (49 ft).
Typical crew: 2.

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

History

The first Type 173 made its first hovering flight on 3 January 1952, and its first flight out of the hover on 24 August 1952. Five were built.

Variants

The Mk 1 and Mk 2 prototypes had two 550 hp Alvis Leonides engines. The improved Mk 3 had four-bladed rotors, a taller aft pylon and stronger airframes. The second prototype was fitted briefly with stub wings and a horizontal tailplane.

Where you'll see it

The Royal Air Force evaluated the first aircraft in 1953 and it did sea trials from HMS Eagle. The second aircraft was leased to British European Airways in 1956 and was destroyed in a crash at an air show at Filton that September.

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