Bristol Freighter ???

[derekliston]

Just watching ‘Operation Buffalo’ on ABC, a Bristol Freighter flies in carrying a VIP’s Rolls-Royce,it is either exceedingly good CGI or it is real. Does anyone on here have any knowledge?

[Student Pilot]

None flying here now, last one ditched I recon. RAAF did use them fro Woomera? They used a couple for topdressing trials, didn't go well so they were used as freighters. Lionel Van Pragg had a bit to do with them, he mebe pranged one on freight. I had an uncle who was with the RAAF in Korea, he flew Bristol Frightners somewhere in his flying career, not sure if was with the airforce or later on freight.

[Old Koreelah]

None flying here now, last one ditched I recon. RAAF did use them fro Woomera? They used a couple for topdressing trials, didn't go well so they were used as freighters. Lionel Van Pragg had a bit to do with them, he mebe pranged one on freight. I had an uncle who was with the RAAF in Korea, he flew Bristol Frightners somewhere in his flying career, not sure if was with the airforce or later on freight.

 

That type cropped up in this past thread:

https://www.recreationalflying.com/threads/a-new-oz-engine-on-the-way.18574/page-7#post-206991

[Flightrite]

Ah the good 'ole days, late 70's YMEN?

[kasper]

Two left in OZ - Moorabin air museum and Point Cook.

 

I guess that the Moorabin one is the one that was at Wangaratta in teh Airworld collection prior to its close.

 

Very big and heavy looking beast from my recall of the one at Airworld - nothing compared to the Blackburn Beverley which was an small warehouse with wings but sitll very heavy looking.

[red750]

In the Showcase: Bristol 170 Freighter

[robinsm]

some bristols were converted in NZ to carry bread to the pacific islands. Last seen by on display near Hamiltom in NZ.

[onetrack]

This following article may be enlightening.

 

https://www.motorpunk.co.uk/features/eurotunnel-blues-lets-fly-our-cars-to-the-continent-again/

[IBob]

They were used in NZ for freight between the N and S Islands. One went down in Cooke straight after the main spar let go. Was full of race horses, doesn't bear thinking about......

[pmccarthy]

They were operated out of the UK to Europe by Silver City Airways. That company was formed by the Broken Hill mining companies to fly directors around. The company was sold and the new operator had the Bristol Freighters.

[yampy]

They were operated out of the UK to Europe by Silver City Airways. That company was formed by the Broken Hill mining companies to fly directors around. The company was sold and the new operator had the Bristol Freighters.

 

Indeed they were . I recall seeing them flying between Blackpool and the Isle of Man in the early 60’s . They were also operated by British United Airlines . I have a photo I took at Lydd Airport in Kent in 1965 , operating passenger flights across the English Channel to Le Touquet . The last UK passenger flight by a Bristol Freighter was in 1965 . I will attempt to fish out the photo I have .

 

dave

[turboplanner]

Here's some history:

 

https://www.goodall.com.au/australian-aviation/bristol170/bristol170.html

[skippydiesel]

As I child, I flew in Bristol Wayfarer's in West Africa - fairly sure that at least some of them carried freight , as well as passengers - I can dimly remember the cargo doors being opened and being very noise inside.

[Neil_S]

I remember Bristol Freighters flying out of Southend Airport in Essex when I was a kid growing up in the UK.

I also remember flying to Ostend (I think) for a day trip on one with my family.

 

Cheers,

Neil

[derekliston]

Love all of these comments, I too remember Silver City Airways operating them from Edinburgh to the Isle of Man, however,none of the comments cover my original question regarding the one in the television show ‘Operation Buffalo’ As I said, if it is CGI it is the best I’ve ever seen,if real where did it come from? According to the net, the registration appears to be a DC3???? Always wanted to fly in one but just my luck when I flew to the Isle of Man for the TT races around 1965 they had a DC3 operating the service, such is life!

[kgwilson]

As mentioned by iBob they flew between Woodbourne near Blenheim and Wellington in NZ for years carrying freight and cars. People who didn't want to spend 4 hours on the ferry & had plenty of money opted for the Bristols to take them and their car across. I don't know how many cars they could take at once. The big radials made plenty of noise.

[Yenn]

I remember them somewhere between Salisbury and London, they were used for carrying cars and freight to the continent. The runway ran across the highway and cars had to stop when they took off and landed.

Big, ugly but effective.

[IBob]

As mentioned by iBob they flew between Woodbourne near Blenheim and Wellington in NZ for years carrying freight and cars. People who didn't want to spend 4 hours on the ferry & had plenty of money opted for the Bristols to take them and their car across. I don't know how many cars they could take at once. The big radials made plenty of noise.

And at the risk of setting off the Professional Skeptics here, there were a series of UFO sightings on those flights that never have been explained. One of the pilots, a sober professional man, wrote a book about it. The government eventually said it must have been lights from Japanese fishing boats, to which he responded 'yep, okay, Japanese fishing boats.......upside down at 10,000ft'.............

[IBob]

Here ya go:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaikoura_lights

[GraemeK]

In the early 70's I lived in Strathmore, with the Essendon boundary fence the other side of the road. Our house was directly opposite the runup bays for 26, and I have memories of lying in bed listening to the Bristols doing their runups prior to making their dash across Bass Strait every evening.

 

Lots of noisy burping and farting before they were properly warmed up - but music to my ears! Not so much appreciated by GF though!

[kgwilson]

The discussion here & seeing them back in the 60s & 70s provided me with enough curiosity to check out Wiki. Things I didn't know was it was developed during WW2 as a short haul freighter but didn't enter service till it was over, simple construction with easily replaceable bits, light controls, simple fixed undercarriage. An engine could be replaced in under 90 minutes & a stretched version was fitted with 60 seats. It would typically carry 3 cars & 20 passengers & could carry a 3 ton truck. In 1954 each of Silver City's freighters averaged 2790 takeoffs & landings in excess of 8 sectors per day every day of the year. The unpressurised cabin & huge front clamshell doors made for a somewhat breezy flight for passengers. SAFE air in NZ pioneered palletised cargo pods that were loaded at the rail yards, trucked to the airport & rolled in which apparently was a world first.

[yampy]

I've managed to fish out the two photos of the B170's which I took at Lydd Airport in Kent sometime during 1965 . One of them is G-ANMF which had the distinction of operating the very last B170 passenger flight in the UK . As you can see they are different models , one had the extended nose , the other the rounded nose and clipped vertical stabiliser .

[JEM]

For an anecdote about a Bristol Freighter and Project Buffalo read or listen to "Too long in the bush" On another front, I believe that the Beaufighter at Narellan has the engines from the Lionel Van Praag Freighter crash many years ago at Albion Park Other wreckage went to somewhere near the Zoo at Nowra.

[JEM]

More info in the second book "Blast the Bush" also by Len Beadell

[Mike Borgelt]

I guess you could ask the folks who made the series where they got the aircraft from.