Bristol Bolingbroke

Last updated

Bolingbroke
Bristol Type 142M Bolingbroke ExCC.jpg
Bolingbroke
General information
Type Maritime patrol aircraft/trainer
National originUnited Kingdom /Canada
Manufacturer Bristol Aeroplane Company
Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. (Canada)
Primary user Royal Canadian Air Force
Number built626
History
Manufactured1939–1943
Introduction date15 November 1939
First flight14 September 1939
Developed from Bristol Blenheim

The Bristol Fairchild Bolingbroke is a maritime patrol aircraft and trainer used by the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. Produced by Fairchild-Canada, it was a license-built version of the Bristol Blenheim Mk IV bomber.

Contents

Design and development

In 1935, the British Air Ministry issued Specification G.24/35 to procure a coastal reconnaissance/light bomber to replace the Avro Anson. [1] Bristol proposed the Type 149, based on its Blenheim Mk I, with Bristol Aquila engines to give greater range. While the Air Ministry rejected this proposal, a Blenheim Mk I, retaining its Mercury VIII engines, was converted as a Type 149 (Blenheim Mk III) for the general reconnaissance role. [2] The nose was lengthened to provide more room for the bombardier, with the upper left surface of the nose being scooped out to maintain pilot visibility during takeoff and landing. [1]

The longer range also fulfilled a Canadian requirement for a maritime patrol aircraft. Consequently, Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. (Canada) of Quebec started production of the Blenheim Mk IV as the Bolingbroke (the originally intended name for the Blenheim IV). This type was nicknamed the "Bolly". After a small run of aircraft constructed to British specifications, as the Bolingbroke Mk I, Fairchild switched production to the Bolingbroke Mk IV with Canadian and American instruments and equipment. These versions also included anti-icing boots and a dinghy. One of the early Mk IV variants was the Bolingbroke Mk IVW which was powered by two 825 hp (615 kW) Pratt & Whitney SB4G Twin Wasp Junior engines. [3] Incapable of maintaining altitude on one engine, the normal bomb load was reduced to 500 pounds on these aircraft to compensate for the low engine power. [4] The most-produced variant was the Bolingbroke Mk IVT trainer, of which 457 were completed. [5] A total of 626 Bolingbrokes were produced. [5]

Operational history

Bristol Bolingbroke IV at the British Columbia Aviation Museum, North Saanich, British Columbia, adjacent to Victoria International Airport Bolingbroke IV.jpg
Bristol Bolingbroke IV at the British Columbia Aviation Museum, North Saanich, British Columbia, adjacent to Victoria International Airport

Most of the 151 Mk IVs built served in their intended role as patrol bombers on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Canada between 1940 and 1944. Two squadrons of these aircraft also served in Alaska during the Aleutians campaign. [6] The Mk IVT trainers saw extensive use in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP). [5]

Variants

Bolingbroke Mk I
Twin-engine maritime patrol bomber aircraft, powered by two Bristol Mercury VIII radial piston engines, with British equipment. 18 built. [7]
Bolingbroke Mk II
Conversion of fifth Mk I with US equipment - prototype of Mk IV. [8]
Bolingbroke Mk III
Floatplane conversion of sixteenth Bolingbroke Mk I, with two Edo floats. [8] [9]
Bolingbroke Mk IV
Twin-engine maritime patrol bomber aircraft, equipped with anti-icing boots and a dinghy, also fitted with American and Canadian instruments and equipment, powered by two Bristol Mercury XV radial piston engines, 134 built. [10]
Bolingbroke Mk IVW
Sub-version of Mk IV powered by two 825 hp (615 kW) Pratt & Whitney SB4G Twin Wasp Junior radial piston engines as contingency against possible shortages of Mercury engines. The Mk IVW's performance was below that of the Mk IV and the supply of the British engines was maintained so production returned to the Mk IV after only 15 aircraft were built. [10] [11]
Bolingbroke Mk IVC
Version of Mk IV with 900 hp (671 kW) Wright R-1820 Cyclone engines not requiring high octane fuel. One built. [12]
Bolingbroke Mk IVT
Multi-purpose trainer aircraft. A total of 350 built powered by Mercury XV engines, followed by a further 107 powered by the low-octane fuel Mercury XX* engine, giving a total of 457 built, with a further 51 cancelled. [13] Six Mk IVT were converted to dual controls. A further 89 were converted to Mk IVTT Target Tug with the addition of winching gear in the rear cabin and target drogue storage in the bomb bay. [14]

Operators

Canadian Red Ensign (1921-1957).svg  Canada

Surviving aircraft

Bolingbroke IVT in the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum, Brandon, Manitoba Blenheim 2.jpg
Bolingbroke IVT in the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum, Brandon, Manitoba
Bolingbroke in a Manitoba junkyard, 2006 Bolingbroke.jpg
Bolingbroke in a Manitoba junkyard, 2006
Part of a Bristol Fairchild Bolingbroke at a car show in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, 2011 Bristol Bolingbroke (Cruisin' At The Boardwalk '11).jpg
Part of a Bristol Fairchild Bolingbroke at a car show in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, 2011
Belgium
Canada
United Kingdom
United States

Specifications (Bolingbroke Mk IV)

Data from War Planes of the Second World War: Volume Seven Bombers and Reconnaissance Aircraft [50]

General characteristics

Performance

Armament

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol Blenheim</span> British light bomber in World War II

The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until the end of the war. Development began with the Type 142, a civil airliner, after a challenge from the newspaper proprietor Lord Rothermere to produce the fastest commercial aircraft in Europe. The Type 142 first flew in April 1935, and the Air Ministry, ordered a modified design as the Type 142M for the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a bomber.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairey Battle</span> Light bomber family by Fairey

The Fairey Battle is a British single-engine light bomber that was designed and manufactured by the Fairey Aviation Company. It was developed during the mid-1930s for the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a monoplane successor to the Hawker Hart and Hind biplanes. The Battle was powered by the same high-performance Rolls-Royce Merlin piston engine that powered various contemporary British fighters such as the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire. As the Battle, with its three-man crew and bomb load, was much heavier than the fighters, it was therefore much slower. Though a great improvement over the aircraft that preceded it, its relatively slow speed, limited range and inadequate defensive armament of only two .303 (7.7 mm) machine guns left it highly vulnerable to enemy fighters and anti-aircraft fire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avro Anson</span> 1935 multi-role military aircraft family by Avro

The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft built by the aircraft manufacturer Avro. Large numbers of the type served in a variety of roles for the Royal Air Force (RAF), Fleet Air Arm (FAA), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), Royal Australian Air Force and numerous other air forces before, during, and after the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westland Lysander</span> Army cooperation and liaison aircraft

The Westland Lysander is a British army co-operation and liaison aircraft produced by Westland Aircraft that was used immediately before and during the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawker Hind</span> 1934 bomber airplane family by Hawker

The Hawker Hind was a British light bomber of the inter-war years produced by Hawker Aircraft for the Royal Air Force. It was developed from the Hawker Hart day bomber introduced in 1931.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supermarine Stranraer</span> British flying boat introduced in 1937

The Supermarine Stranraer is a flying boat designed and built by the British Supermarine Aviation Works company at Woolston, Southampton. It was developed during the 1930s on behalf of its principal operator, the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was the RAF's last and fastest biplane flying boat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lockheed Hudson</span> Family of transport and patrol bomber aircraft

The Lockheed Hudson is a light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built by the American Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. It was initially put into service by the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by it thereafter. The Hudson was a military conversion of the Model 14 Super Electra airliner, and was the first significant aircraft construction contract for Lockheed — the initial RAF order for 200 Hudsons far surpassed any previous order the company had received.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck</span> Interceptor aircraft in service 1952-1981

The Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck is a Canadian twinjet interceptor/fighter designed and produced by aircraft manufacturer Avro Canada. It has the distinction of being the only Canadian-designed fighter to enter mass production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackburn Shark</span>

The Blackburn Shark was a carrier-borne torpedo bomber designed and built by the British aviation manufacturer Blackburn Aircraft. It was originally known as the Blackburn T.S.R., standing for "torpedo-spotter-reconnaissance", in reference to its intended roles. The Shark was the last of Blackburn's biplane torpedo bombers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadair CP-107 Argus</span>

The Canadair CP-107 Argus is a maritime patrol aircraft designed and manufactured by Canadair for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). The Argus served throughout the Cold War in the RCAF's Maritime Air Command and later the Canadian Force's Maritime Air Group and Air Command.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairchild Aircraft Ltd.</span> 1920–1950 aircraft manufacturer in Canada

Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. was an aircraft manufacturer active at Longueuil, Quebec, Canada in the period 1920–50. It served as a subsidiary of the Fairchild Aircraft company of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron</span> Canadian military flying unit

427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron is a tactical helicopter unit that provides aviation support to Canadian Special Operations Forces Command. The squadron is based at CFB Petawawa, Ontario with a fleet of Bell CH-146 Griffon helicopters. It was founded during the Second World War as No. 427 Squadron RCAF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 8 Squadron RCAF</span> Military unit

No. 8 Squadron RCAF was a unit of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) that was in operation from 1936 to 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 119 Squadron RCAF</span> Military unit

No. 119 Squadron was an RCAF Canadian Home War Establishment (HWE) Squadron. Created 15 May 1935 in Hamilton, Ontario, it came to be tasked with coastal patrol and anti-submarine duty over the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Atlantic Ocean around Nova Scotia. It was disbanded 15 March 1944 in Sydney, Nova Scotia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">418 Search and Rescue Operational Training Squadron</span> Military unit

418 Search and Rescue Operational Training Squadron is a unit of the Royal Canadian Air Force, formed during World War II.

No. 3 Training Command RCAF was a training command of the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II established to administer the schools of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.

References

Notes
  1. 1 2 Mondey 1982, p. 52.
  2. Molson and Taylor 1982, p. 120.
  3. Vincent 2009, p. 40
  4. Vincent 2009, p. 42
  5. 1 2 3 Vincent 2009, p.23
  6. Vincent 2009, p. 24
  7. Green 1967, pp. 62–63.
  8. 1 2 Green 1967, p.64.
  9. Green 1962, pp. 4–5.
  10. 1 2 Green 1967, pp. 64–65.
  11. Molson and Taylor 1982, p. 122.
  12. Green 1967, pp. 65–66.
  13. Green 1967, pp. 66–67.
  14. Griffin 1969, pp.352-353, 364-372
  15. Kostenuk and Griffin, 1977, pp. 29-30
  16. Kostenuk and Griffin, 1977, pp. 47-48
  17. Kostenuk and Griffin, 1977, pp. 53-54
  18. Kostenuk and Griffin, 1977, p. 65
  19. Vincent, 2009, p. 23
  20. Kostenuk and Griffin, 1977, p. 36
  21. Kostenuk and Griffin, 1977, p. 56
  22. Kostenuk and Griffin, 1977, p. 57
  23. Kostenuk and Griffin, 1977, p. 69
  24. "Airframe Dossier - Bristol-Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. (Canada) Bolingbroke IVT, s/n 9895 RCAF, c/n 11-880-207". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  25. 1 2 Hillman, William G. "Mission 6". Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  26. "Bolingbroke/9059". Warbird Registry. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  27. "Bolingbroke/9869". Warbird Registry. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  28. McLeod, Bill (21 November 2013). "Bristol Bolingbroke Mark IV donated to 17 Wing". Royal Canadian Air Force. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  29. "BRISTOL BOLINGBROKE IVT". Canada Aviation and Space Museum. Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation. Archived from the original on 28 May 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  30. "Aviation". Reynolds Museum. Government of Alberta. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  31. Hillman, William G. "Mission 7". Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  32. "Airframe Dossier - Bristol-Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. (Canada) Bolingbroke IVT, s/n 9944 RCAF". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  33. "Bristol Blenheim Mk IV". Bomber Command Museum of Canada. Nanton Lancaster Society. Archived from the original on 8 June 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  34. "BOLINGBROKE 9997 MARK IVT". Greenwood Military Aviation Museum. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  35. "The War Birds (1939 - 1945)". British Columbia Aviation Museum. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  36. "Bristol Bolingbroke Mk. IVT". Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  37. "Bristol Bolingbroke Mk IV (1942)". Montreal Aviation Museum. MAM. Archived from the original on 29 March 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  38. "BRING THE FREIGHTER HOME". Aerospace Bristol. Bristol Aero Collection Trust. Archived from the original on 21 April 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  39. Skaarup, Harold A. (2009). Canadian Warplanes. iUniverse. pp. 69–74. ISBN   9781440167584 . Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  40. "Aircraft location". National Museums Scotland. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  41. "Bristol Blenheim IV". Royal Air Force Museum. Trustees of the Royal Air Force Museum. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  42. "INDIVIDUAL HISTORY [L8756]" (PDF). Royal Air Force Museum. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  43. "Airframe Dossier - Bristol-Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. (Canada) Bolingbroke IVT, s/n 10038 RCAF, c/n 10038, c/r G-MKIV". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca.
  44. "Bolingbroke/10038". Warbird Registry. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  45. Lion, Ed (22 June 1987). "Restored vintage British bomber crashes". UPO. United Press International, Inc. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  46. "BRISTOL BLENHEIM L6739". www.aircraftrestorationcompany.com. The Aircraft Restoration Company.
  47. "Airframe Dossier - Bristol-Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. (Canada) Bolingbroke IV, s/n 9983 RCAF, c/n 11-880-202, c/r N4311Z". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  48. "Bolingbroke/9983". Warbird Registry. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  49. "BOLINGBROKE". Pima Air & Space Museum. Pimaair.org. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  50. Green 1967, p. 67.
  51. Lednicer, David. "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". m-selig.ae.illinois.edu. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  52. Clark, R Wallace, 1993
Bibliography