Bristol Freighter – Foto e Video

Le Bristol Tipo 170 Freighter was a British twin-engine aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company as both a freighter and airliner. Its best known use was as an air ferry to carry cars and their passengers over relatively short distances. A passenger-only version was also produced, known as the Wayfarer. The Freighter was developed during the Second World War, having attracted official attention from the British Air Ministry, which sought the development of a rugged vehicle capable of carrying various cargoes, including a 3-ton truck. Various changes to the design were made to accommodate their requirements, but being completed too late to participate in the conflict, the majority of sales of the Freighter were to commercial operators. In response to customer demand, an enlarged version to maximise vehicle-carrying capacity, known as the Bristol Superfreighter, was developed.

fonte: Bristol Freighter su Wikipedia

Le Bristol Cargo was a British twin-engine cargo aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company in the late 1940s. It was one of the first new commercial aircraft to fly in Britain after the end of the Second World War, and it had a distinctive box-shaped fuselage with clamshell doors in the nose for easy loading and unloading. The Bristol Freighter could carry both passengers and freight, including cars, and it was used for air ferry services across the English Channel and other short distances. The Bristol Freighter was also exported to several military and civil operators around the world, and it had a long and versatile service life of nearly 60 years. The Bristol Freighter was developed from the Bristol Bombay, a pre-war bomber transport, and it had a high wing with two Bristol Hercules radial engines. The first prototype flew on 2 December 1945, and a passenger-only version called the Wayfarer followed in April 1946.
Il Bristol Freighter è stato prodotto in diverse varianti, con diversi modelli di motore, apertura alare, lunghezza della fusoliera e capacità di carico utile. Le versioni più comuni erano l'Mk 31 Freighter, che poteva trasportare 44 passeggeri o 16 passeggeri e 5.000 libbre di merci, e l'Mk 32 Superfreighter, che aveva un muso più lungo e poteva trasportare tre auto e 20 passeggeri. Il Bristol Freighter è stato utilizzato principalmente dalla Silver City Airways, una compagnia aerea britannica che operava servizi di traghetto aereo tra l'Inghilterra e la Francia, il Belgio, la Germania e le Isole del Canale. Silver City Airways ha trasportato oltre due milioni di passeggeri e mezzo milione di auto sui suoi Bristol Freighter tra il 1948 e il 1962. Il Bristol Freighter è stato utilizzato anche da altre compagnie aeree, come British United Air Ferries, SAFE Air, Trans Australia Airlines e Aer Lingus. Il Bristol Freighter è stato adottato anche da diverse forze aeree, come quelle di Argentina, Australia, Birmania, Canada, Nuova Zelanda e Pakistan. Il Bristol Freighter era un aereo robusto e affidabile che poteva operare da piste di atterraggio non preparate e trasportare una varietà di carichi. È stato anche uno dei primi aerei a offrire servizi di traghetto per auto, che è diventato popolare in Europa dopo la guerra. Il Bristol Freighter è stato ritirato dal servizio nel 2004, quando l'ultimo esemplare sopravvissuto è volato in un museo in Canada.