The Bristol Type 148 was a two-seat, single-engine low-wing

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...

built in 1937 to an

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force and civil aviation that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the ...

specification for an army cooperation aircraft. It lost in the competition to the

Westland Lysander The Westland Lysander is a British Army cooperation aircraft, army co-operation and liaison aircraft produced by Westland Aircraft that was used immediately before and during the Second World War. After becoming obsolete in the army co-operat ...

and did not progress past the two prototypes that were built.

Development

The Bristol 148 was built by

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

to an

order for two prototypes of an army cooperation aircraft meeting Air Ministry specification A.39/34. The successful aircraft was to replace the Hawker Audax and

Hector In Greek mythology, Hector (; , ) was a Trojan prince, a hero and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. He is a major character in Homer's ''Iliad'', where he leads the Trojans and their allies in the defense of Troy, killing c ...

in a wide range of tasks. By 1935 Bristol had gained experience in the design of

cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is unsupported at one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a cantilev ...

low-wing monoplanes powered by

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating engine, reciprocating type internal combustion engine, internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinder (engine), cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. ...

s with the Types 133 and 146, and the Type 148 followed this layout, but had seating for two. The stressed-skin wings were of constant chord with rounded tips, and the

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French language, French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds Aircrew, crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an Aircraft engine, engine as wel ...

was entirely of

monocoque Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell". First used for boats, ...

construction. The horizontal tail was set at the top of the fuselage and carried horn-balanced

elevator An elevator (American English) or lift (Commonwealth English) is a machine that vertically transports people or freight between levels. They are typically powered by electric motors that drive traction cables and counterweight systems suc ...

s; the

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, airship, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (usually air or water). On an airplane, the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw ...

was large and pointed. All flying surfaces were fabric-covered. The wing also carried split flaps and connected wingtip

slot Slot, the slot or Slots may refer to: People * Arne Slot (born 1978), Dutch football manager, former player * Gerrie Slot (born 1954), Dutch cyclist * Hanke Bruins Slot (born 1977), Dutch politician * Tonny Bruins Slot (born 1947), Dutch assoc ...

s to improve handling at the low speeds required by the specification. The wide-track main undercarriage retracted inwards into the centre-section but the tailwheel was fixed and spatted. The pilot and observer/gunner/bomb aimer sat in tandem cockpits under a continuous

canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an a ...

, the rear part of which was modified when the .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis Gun mounting was changed from

Scarff ring The Scarff ring was a type of machine gun mounting developed during the First World War by Warrant Officer (Gunner) F. W. Scarff of the Admiralty Air Department for use on two-seater aircraft. The mount incorporated bungee cord suspension in el ...

to a pillar type. The observer could also access a prone aiming position on the floor to drop bombs from the external racks. Two .303 in (7.7 mm) machine guns were mounted in the port wing. The intended engine for the Type 148 was the Bristol Perseus, but the aircraft made its first flight on 15 October 1937 with a Mercury IX. It was re-engined with a Perseus XII after a landing accident during comparative trials with the

. Both aircraft met the specification, including the demanding low-speed requirements but the visibility offered by the Lysander's high wing and the security of its fixed undercarriage made it the competition winner. The second prototype, labelled the Type 148B flew in May 1938, powered by a Bristol Taurus II engine and the two machines were used to compare and evaluate the two engine types.

Specifications (Type 148B)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* {{Bristol aircraft, Type 148 1930s British military utility aircraft Type 148 Single-engined tractor aircraft Low-wing aircraft