The Bristol Type 171 Sycamore is an early

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...

developed and built by the helicopter division of the

Bristol Aeroplane Company The Bristol Aeroplane Company, originally the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, was both one of the first and one of the most important British aviation companies, designing and manufacturing both airframes and aircraft engines. Notable ...

. The name refers to the seeds of the sycamore tree, ''

Acer pseudoplatanus ''Acer pseudoplatanus'', known as the sycamore in the British Isles and as the sycamore maple in the United States, is a species of maple native to Central Europe and Western Asia. It is a large deciduous, broad-leaved tree, tolerant of wind an ...

'', which fall with a rotating motion. It has the distinction of being the first British helicopter to receive a

certificate of airworthiness A standard certificate of airworthiness is a permit for commercial passenger or cargo operation, issued for an aircraft by the civil aviation authority in the state/nation in which the aircraft is registered. For other aircraft such as crop-spray ...

, as well as being the first British-designed helicopter to be introduced by and to serve with the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

(RAF). Typically capable of seating up to three passengers, the type was often used as a transport for both passengers and cargo alike. In RAF service, the Sycamore was normally used in the

search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

and

casualty evacuation Casualty evacuation, also known as CASEVAC or by the callsign Dustoff or colloquially Dust Off, is a military term for the emergency patient evacuation of casualty (person), casualties from a combat zone. Casevac can be done by both ground and ...

roles. The type proved the value of rotorcraft to easily traverse inhospitable or otherwise inaccessible terrain; the Sycamore made valuable contributions to British military activities during the

Malayan Emergency The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War, was a guerrilla warfare, guerrilla war fought in Federation of Malaya, Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Arm ...

, the

Cyprus Emergency The Cyprus Emergency was a conflict fought in British Cyprus between April 1955 and March 1959. The National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters (EOKA), a Greek Cypriot right-wing nationalist guerrilla organisation, began an armed campaign in s ...

, and the

Aden Emergency The Aden Emergency, also known as the 14 October Revolution () or as the Radfan Uprising, was an armed rebellion by the National Liberation Front (South Yemen), National Liberation Front (NLF) and the Front for the Liberation of Occupied South ...

, in addition to other operations. In addition to its British military service, various models of the Sycamore were produced and operated by a number of users, including overseas military operations and civil customers. Civilian operations typically involved transportation, mountain rescue, and aerial survey work. In 1959, production of the Sycamore ended after 180 rotorcraft had been completed.

Development

During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, new methods of aircraft propulsion were devised and experimented with; in particular, breakthroughs in rotary aircraft, such as

gyrocopter An autogyro (from Greek and , "self-turning"), gyroscope, gyrocopter or gyroplane, is a class of rotorcraft that uses an unpowered rotor in free autorotation to develop lift. A gyroplane "means a rotorcraft whose rotors are not engine-driven ...

s and

s, were making such aircraft more practical."Bristol 171 Sycamore."
''BAE Systems'', Retrieved: 20 January 2017. In 1944, Bristol established a specialised helicopter division shortly after the Allied invasion of Europe, when engineers from the

Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment The Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment (AFEE) was a branch of the British Air Ministry, that researched and developed non-traditional airborne applications, such as gliders, rotary wing aircraft, and dropping of personnel and equipment ...

(AFEE) at Beaulieu became available. The AFEE had been conducting its own work on the development of rotorcraft designs under the noted helicopter pioneer Raoul Hafner; however, the successful use of

Airspeed Horsa The Airspeed AS.51 Horsa was a British troop-carrying glider used during the Second World War. It was developed and manufactured by Airspeed Limited, alongside various subcontractors; the type was named after Horsa, the legendary 5th-century ...

and General Aircraft Hamilcar gliders during

Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The ope ...

had led to helicopter development being recognised as a priority. Hafner, whose company had been acquired by Bristol was promptly appointed by the company as the head of Bristol's new helicopter division."Aircraft of the Month: Bristol Sycamore."
''Tangmere Military Aviation Museum'', Retrieved: 2 January 2017. In June 1944, work commenced on the development on a four-seat helicopter intended for both civil and military use; it was out of this programme that the Sycamore would emerge. During development, particular emphasis was assigned to the producing the necessary level of endurance of the rotorcraft's mechanical components. On 25 July 1947, the first prototype, VL958, which was powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior (there being no suitable engine in the Bristol range), performed the type's

maiden flight The maiden flight, also known as first flight, of an aircraft is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term is also used for the first launch of rockets. In the early days of aviation it could be dange ...

. In mid-1948, the third prototype, which had been built to the improved Sycamore Mk.2 standard, was completed; this model had been fitted with a

Alvis Leonides The Alvis Leonides is a British air-cooled nine-cylinder radial aero engine first developed by Alvis Car and Engineering Company in 1936. Design and development Development of the nine-cylinder engine was led by Capt. George Thomas Smith-Clar ...

engine, the Leonides engine would become the standard powerplant for all subsequent Sycamore production. On 25 April 1949, a

was granted for the Sycamore, the first such to be granted to a British helicopter. During the flight test programme, Bristol's key development pilots for the Type 171 included Charles "Sox" Hosegood and Col. Robert "Bob" Smith. In 1951, a Bristol-owned Sycamore Mk.2 was used during a series of deck landing trials performed on board the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

aircraft carrier HMS ''Triumph''. An improved model of the helicopter, designated as the Sycamore Mk.3, was rapidly developed; it featured an increased capacity for five occupants, a wider fuselage and a shortened nose. A total of 23 Sycamore Mk.3s were produced, 15 of these were principally used for joint evaluation purposes by the

(RAF), Army Air Corps (AAC), and

British European Airways British European Airways (BEA), formally British European Airways Corporation, was a British airline which existed from 1946 until 1974. BEA operated to Europe, North Africa and the Middle East from airports around the United Kingdom. The ...

(BEA). Versions of the Sycamore up to and including the Mk.3A retained the standard two-seat cockpit layout, placing the pilot in the left-hand seat and the co-pilot in the right. However, on the main production model, designated Sycamore Mk.4, this seating arrangement was switched to the American practice of positioning the pilot's seat on the right. There were also a number of other developments that had featured upon the earlier versions, such as a four-door design, which had been standardised upon the Sycamore Mk.4. This version entered RAF service, receiving the military designation of HR.14. Civil versions were not marketed under the Sycamore name, they were instead known simply as the Bristol Type 171. By May 1958, over 150 Sycamores had been manufactured and four units per month were being built.''Flight'' 1958, p. 369.

Design

Helicopter Bristol 171 Sycamore main gear box and rotor head

The Bristol Sycamore was one of the first production helicopters to be developed. Each Sycamore was manufactured with all of the necessary fixed fittings to enable it to be quickly adapted for any of six major roles: search and rescue, air ambulance, passenger transport, freight transport, aerial crane and dual instruction; it was also used for other specialised roles. The Sycamore seated four-to-five occupants, depending on the model; it was usually fitted with three folding canvas seats as well as a single rotating seat besides the pilot. In addition to the passenger cabin, it had a separate luggage compartment. A specialised

air ambulance Air medical services are the use of aircraft, including both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters to provide various kinds of urgent medical care, especially prehospital, emergency and critical care to patients during aeromedical evacuation an ...

model of the Sycamore was developed during the early 1950s. In this configuration, up to two patients were carried inside the cabin on stretchers stacked one above the other; this was different to the usual arrangement of the era of using externally-mounted "pods" for carrying patients. To provide the extra width necessary in the cabin, detachable

Perspex Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is a synthetic polymer derived from methyl methacrylate. It is a transparent thermoplastic, used as an engineering plastic. PMMA is also known as acrylic, acrylic glass, as well as by the trade names and bran ...

blisters were fitted on each side of the cabin. The stretcher racks could be folded into the sides of the cabin, providing room for up to three sitting casualties instead; an electrical supply outlet was available for connecting

electric blanket An electric blanket is a blanket that contains integrated electrical heating wires. Types include underblankets, overblankets, throws, and duvets. An electric ''underblanket'' is placed above the mattress and below the bottom bed sheet. This is ...

s. Next to the pilot was a swivelling seat for a medical attendant."New Ambulance Helicopter."
''Flight'', 3 August 1951. p. 151. The blades of the three-bladed main rotor were attached to the rotor head with lightweight interleaving steel plates while tie-rods carried the centrifugal tension loads. The blade levers were connected using ball joints to the arms of a control spider, the cone of which was actuated up and down by the collective pitch lever which changed the pitch of all the blades; an irreversible mechanism was used to prevent blade loads being transferred back to the control stick. The blades were supported when stationary or turning slowly by droop stops, which maintained a minimum clearance between the blade tips and the tailboom even in high winds; these stops were withdrawn above 100

rpm Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...

so that full freedom of movement for effective flight was possible.''Flight'' 1958, pp. 369–370. The Sycamore was powered by a single

piston engine of .''Flight '' 1958, p. 370. The engine was mounted below and to the rear of the main rotor on a flexible mounting to reduce vibrations transmitted to the helicopter structure. It was isolated in a fireproof enclosure which was fitted with fire detection and extinguishing equipment to meet certification requirements. Air was drawn through a forward-facing grill to cool the

gearbox A transmission (also called a gearbox) is a mechanical device invented by Louis Renault (who founded Renault) which uses a gear set—two or more gears working together—to change the speed, direction of rotation, or torque multiplication/r ...

before passing through the engine cowling and leaving the fuselage. The engine power was controlled by the collective pitch lever. In order to maintain the rotor speed at its required setting fuel to the engine had to be automatically varied as the rotor pitch setting commanded by the pilot changed the load on the engine; fine adjustment of engine power was achieved by twisting the pitch lever. The Sycamore had a relatively high rotor speed for the era, which was claimed to give a smoother ride and be safer in the event of engine failure.

Operational history

From 1952 to 1955 the Sycamore was used for various trials by the Air-Sea Warfare Development Unit RAF which was stationed at RAF St. Mawgan. In April 1953, the ''Sycamore HR14'' entered service with No. 275 Squadron of the RAF and went on to serve with nine squadrons in total. Various marks of Sycamore served with the RAF; they would primarily be used as air ambulances ( Sycamore HC.10 ), for Army communications ( Sycamore HC.11 ) and for

operations (Sycamore HR.12 to Sycamore HR.14). In 1953, No. 275 Squadron, equipped with Sycamores, became the RAF's first helicopter search and rescue squadron in Great Britain. The type was used by the RAF

Central Flying School The Central Flying School (CFS) is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 at the Upavon Aerodrome, it is the longest existing flying training school in the world. The sch ...

for pilot training purposes. In June 1953, a Sycamore towing a large RAF Ensign led a

flypast ''FlyPast'' is an aircraft magazine, published monthly, edited by Tom Allett, Steve Beebee and Jamie Ewan. History and profile The magazine started as a bi-monthly edition in May/June 1981 and its first editor was the late Mike Twite. It is ow ...

by 640 British and Commonwealth aircraft at the Coronation Review of the RAF. The Sycamore was heavily used during the

(1948–1960), typically deploying Army foot patrols into the jungle. Numerous Sycamores were transferred to the Far East Air Force to participate in the conflict; however, the type was involved in a number of crashes in the region which had occurred as a result of tail or main rotor blade problems. In response, a series of blade trials were conducted prior to a modified blade design being adopted and Sycamore operations in the theatre being resumed. Following the end of most combat operations in August 1960, Sycamores remained in the region, including a detachment in

Brunei Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...

, to support British forces stationed there to deter further aggression by Malayan communist guerrillas. 100 years of the RAF MOD 45163720

The type also saw combat service with the RAF during the

and the

, in addition to other operations. In December 1971, the last of the RAF's Sycamores were officially retired; this had been due to critical parts having reached the end of their fatigue life. However 32 Squadron continued to operate two Sycamores until August 1972. Fifty Sycamores were delivered to the German Federal Government. Three helicopters were produced for the Belgian Government for use in the

Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (, ; ) was a Belgian colonial empire, Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960 and became the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville). The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Repu ...

; it had been picked due to the type's good capabilities in tropical environments, as proven during its combat use in Malaysia. The Sycamore was the second helicopter type to be used by the

Australian Defence Force The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the Armed forces, military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia and its national interests. It consists of three branches: the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army and the Royal Aus ...

; ten were delivered to the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the navy, naval branch of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (Australia), Chief of Navy (CN) Vice admiral (Australia), Vice Admiral Mark Hammond (admiral), Ma ...

. The Sycamore was also used in a variety of civilian roles. A single example was used during the construction of the

M1 motorway The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) motorway, A1(M) near Aberford, to connect to Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle. It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK; the first motorway in the count ...

between

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

; the type provided support in various roles, including to perform aerial surveying, communication across various sites, the carriage of both personnel and equipment, and the mitigation of

flood A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...

ing on the project. Sycamores operated by

Australian National Airways Australian National Airways (ANA) was Australia's predominant aerial carrier from the mid-1930s to the early 1950s. The Holyman's Airways period On 19 March 1932 Flinders Island Airways began a regular aerial service using the Desoutter Mk.I ...

were routinely available for charter, performing tasks such as the aerial surveying of mining claims, supply missions, and the transporting of equipment across the remote

Outback The Outback is a remote, vast, sparsely populated area of Australia. The Outback is more remote than Australian bush, the bush. While often envisaged as being arid, the Outback regions extend from the northern to southern Australian coastli ...

areas of the nation.

Variants

Type 171

;Mk 1 : Prototype; two built. ;Mk 2 : Second prototype; one built. ;Mk 3 : Production model with five seats in a widened fuselage, with a shortened nose to improve visibility. 23 built, including Mk 3A.Chorlton, Martyn (ed.): ''Bristol. Company profile 1910-1959''. Kelsey Publishing Ltd., 2014. . p.108 ;Mk 3A : Civilian version with additional freight hold, two built for

. ;Mk 4 : This was the main production model and similar to the military version called Sycamore with a more powerful engine. 154 built.

Sycamore

;Sycamore HC.10 : (=Mk.3) one built for evaluation by the Army Air Corps as an air

ambulance An ambulance is a medically-equipped vehicle used to transport patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. Typically, out-of-hospital medical care is provided to the patient during the transport. Ambulances are used to respond to ...

. ;Sycamore HC.11 : (=Mk.3) four built for evaluation by the Army Air Corps, as communications aircraft. ;Sycamore HR.12 : (=Mk.3A) four built for the RAF for evaluation as search and rescue aircraft. ;Sycamore HR.13 : (=Mk.3A) two built with rescue winches for the RAF for evaluation as search and rescue aircraft. ;Sycamore HR.14 : (=Mk.4) 85 built for the RAF, as search and rescue aircraft. ;Sycamore Mk.14 : three built for the Belgian Air Force, for use in the

. ;Sycamore Mk.50 : three built for the

, for search and rescue, and plane guard duties. ;Sycamore HC.51 : seven built for the Royal Australian Navy, for search and rescue, and plane guard duties. ;Sycamore Mk.52 : 50 built for the German Air Force and Navy.

Operators

Civil operators

BEA Bristol 171 Sycamore at London Gatwick

; *

/ Ansett-ANA * Jayrow Helicopters ; *

Flying Bulls Flying may refer to: * Flight, the process of flying * Aviation, the creation and operation of aircraft Music Albums * '' Flying (Cody Fry album)'', 2017 * ''Flying'' (Grammatrain album), 1997 * ''Flying'' (Jonathan Fagerlund album), 2008 * ...

In 2013 the Flying Bulls by Red Bull reinstated one Sycamore

Military operators

; *

Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...

– Only two Sycamores were in service with the RAAF from 1951 to 1965. The two helicopters were used for general support duties at the

Woomera Rocket Range The RAAF Woomera Range Complex (WRC) is a major Australian military and civil aerospace facility and operation located in South Australia, approximately north-west of Adelaide. The WRC is operated by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), a S ...

in South Australia. ** Aircraft Research and Development Unit ** No. 1 Air Trials unit *

** 723 Squadron RAN ** 724 Squadron RAN ; * Belgian Air Force: Belgium used three Mk.14B's (registered as B1/OT-ZKA, B2/OT-ZKB & B3/OT-ZKC) to equip the metropolitan power in the Congo with a rescue flight based at

Kamina Air Base Kamina Air Base is a military airport located near Kamina in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was built as part of the Belgian near-national-redoubt concept after World War II.David Isby and Charles Kamps Jr., Armies of NATO's Central Fr ...

Katanga Province Katanga was one of the four large provinces created in the Belgian Congo in 1914. It was one of the eleven provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 1966 and 2015, when it was split into the Tanganyika Province, Tanganyika, Hau ...

. Used between 1954 and 1960. ; *

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

German Navy The German Navy (, ) is part of the unified (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Marine'' (German Navy) became the official ...

;

** Air-Sea Warfare Development Unit **

** 22 Squadron ** 32 Squadron ** 84 Squadron ** 103 Squadron ** 110 Squadron ** 118 Squadron ** 194 Squadron ** 225 Squadron ** 228 Squadron ** 275 Squadron ** 284 Squadron ** 651 Squadron ** 657 Squadron ** No. 1563 (Helicopter) Flight RAF * Army Air Corps

Surviving aircraft

Australia

;On display * Australian Fleet Air Arm Museum in

Nowra Nowra () is a city in the South Coast, New South Wales, South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is located south-southwest of the state capital of Sydney (about as the crow flies). As of the 2021 census, Nowra has an estimated po ...

Stored or under restoration * Sycamore A91-1, former

RAAF The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the governor-general of Aus ...

, at the Australian National Aviation Museum in Moorabbin, Victoria

Austria

;Airworthy *Sycamore HR.52 ''OE-XSY'' – Red Bull ; stored, on display for special events *Waste Watchers Kehr Force One of MA48 (Vienna department for waste collection) trainee centre ; stored and used for technical training *Bundesfachschule für Flugtechnik, Langenlebarn, ex ''D-HFUM''

Belgium

;On display *Sycamore HR.14 ''XG547'' of the Royal Air Force at

Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History The Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History (; ), also known as the Royal Military Museum (; ), is a military museum that occupies the two northernmost halls of the historic complex in the Parc du Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark in Br ...

in Brussels

Germany

;On display *Sycamore HR.52 ''78+20'' of the German Army at Hubschraubermuseum Bückeburg

United Kingdom

;On display *Sycamore 3 ''G-ALSX'' –

The Helicopter Museum The Helicopter Museum in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, England, is a museum featuring a collection of more than 80 helicopters and autogyros from around the world, both civilian and military. It is based at the southeastern corner of the fo ...

Weston-super-Mare Weston-super-Mare ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the North Somerset unitary district, in the county of Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. Its population ...

Ellis 2016, p. 206. *Sycamore 3 ''WA576'' – Dumfries and Galloway Aviation Museum, Dumfries.Ellis 2016, p. 309. *Sycamore 3 ''WA577'' – North East Aircraft Museum, Sunderland.Ellis 2016, p. 182. *Sycamore 3 ''WT933'' – Newark Air Museum, Newark.Ellis 2016, p. 185. *Sycamore HR.12 ''WV781'' – Caernarfon Airport Airworld Museum, CaernarfonEllis 2016, p. 320. *Sycamore HR.12 ''WV787'' – RAF Museum London.Ellis 2016, p. 155. *Sycamore HR.14 ''XG502'' – Museum of Army Flying, Middle Wallop, Hampshire.Ellis 2016, p. 77. *Sycamore HR.14 ''XG518'' – Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum, Flixton.Ellis 2016, p. 222. *Sycamore HR.14 ''XJ380'' – Boscombe Down Aviation Collection, Old Sarum.Ellis 2016, p. 284. *Sycamore HR.14 ''XJ918'' – Royal Air Force Museum Midlands, RAF Cosford. This aircraft saw active service during the Malayan Emergency and was one of the last four Sycamores to be officially retired from RAF service in 1971. XJ918 was relocated to the RAF Museum Cosford in 1983. Relocated to Ulster Aviation Society in late 2022. Ellis 2016, p. 193. *Sycamore HR.14 ''XL824'' – Aerospace Bristol, Filton. *Sycamore HR.14 ''XL829'' –

Ellis 2016, p. 207. *Sycamore HR.14 ''XE317'' –

South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum The South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum (SYAM) is a volunteer-led museum located at Lakeside in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It occupies the former site of the Royal Air Force Station, RAF Doncaster. The museum occupies the last remaining o ...

, Doncaster.Ellis 2016, p. 303 ;Stored or under restoration *Sycamore HR.14 ''XJ917'' – Aerospace Bristol, Filton.Ellis 2016, p. 66

Specifications (Mk.4 / HR14)

Bristol Sycamore Helicopter - B - Hadfield

Bristol Sycamore Helicopter - C - Hadfield

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * *
"Helicopters of the World."
''Flight'', 21 March 1958. pp. 369–370. * *

External links

RAF Museum page
on the Bristol Sycamore
helis.com pages
on the Bristol Sycamore

{{Authority control 1940s British military utility aircraft 1940s British helicopters

Sycamore Sycamore is a name which has been applied to several types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms. The name derives from the Ancient Greek () meaning . Species of otherwise unrelated trees known as sycamore: * ''Acer pseudoplatanus'', a ...

Helicopter history Search and rescue helicopters Aircraft first flown in 1947 Single-engined piston helicopters