Bulldog

Scottish Aviation · United Kingdom · first flew 1969 · light aircraft

A British side-by-side piston trainer derived from the Beagle Pup, long used by RAF University Air Squadrons.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, tapered
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	7.09 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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

Spot it by:

Side-by-side bubble canopy on a low-wing monoplane
Single piston engine with two-blade propeller
Tapered low wing with rounded tips and fixed gear

The side-by-side bubble canopy, tapered low wing and fixed tailwheel-style stance of a piston monoplane identify it. It resembles the Beagle Pup it was developed from but is larger and military-marked.

Specifications

The Bulldog has a length of 7.09 m (23 ft).
It has a wingspan of 10.11 m (33 ft).
Its maximum speed is 241 km/h (150 mph).
Typical crew: 2 (instructor and student).

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

History

The Bulldog first flew in 1969, developed by Beagle from the Pup and put into production by Scottish Aviation. The RAF ordered 130 from 1972, and it entered service as the Bulldog T1 in 1973. It was a robust fully aerobatic primary trainer.

Variants

Civil and export military Bulldogs were built for Sweden, Kenya, Nigeria and others; the RAF's Bulldog T1 was the principal military version.

Where you'll see it

The Bulldog was the standard aircraft of the RAF University Air Squadrons and later Air Experience Flights from the 1970s until replaced by the Grob Tutor around 2001. Many remain flying in civilian hands across the UK.

Related aircraft

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