Aircraft Archives - Page 14 of 51 - Destination's Journey

Bristol 37 Tramp

Designed for the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, the Bristol Tramp was a British steam-powered passenger and airmail transport triplane aircraft. The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company only had limited experience with internal combustion engines, but extensive operating knowledge of steam turbine powerplants. As a result, the Tramp was to be powered by a steam turbine, housed in an engine room in the fuselage, driving propellers on the wings via clutches and driveshafts.

Two prototypes were completed in 1921, but the clutches gave continual trouble and neither ever flew. They were utilised as ground test rigs for several years before being broken up.

Blackburn Cubaroo Torpedo Bomber

Blackburn Cubaroo Torpedo Bomber

The Blackburn Cubaroo was designed in response to a British Air Ministry request for a coastal defence torpedo bomber. The aircraft was to have a long range, (800 miles – 1,300km) and be capable of carrying a full-sized 21-inch torpedo. It was thought at the time that this size weapon would be capable of sinking even the most heavily armoured ship. Other torpedo bombers at the time only carried smaller less effective torpedoes.

The Cubaroo was designed to be powered by a single 1,000 hp (750 kW) Napier Cub X-16 engine. The resulting aircraft was the largest single engined biplane to have flown at this time.

First flying in 1924, it was written off after its undercarriage collapsed on 2 February 1925. A second prototype flew in 1925, but the Air Ministry had by then lost interest in single-engine heavy bombers, so the second prototype was used as an engine testbed, flying with the experimental 1,100 hp (820 kW) Beardmore Simoon diesel engine.

de Havilland Sea Hornet in Australian Service

de Havilland Sea Hornet F.20 TT213 RAAF A83-1

de Havilland Sea Hornet in Australian Service

In 1948 a de Havilland Sea Hornet F.20 TT213 was delivered to Australia for tropical trials. Received by No. 1 Aircraft Depot on 8 June 1948 it was given the Royal Australian Air Force registration A83-1, although this was never applied to the airframe.

On 10 September 1948 it was delivered to ARDU (the Aircraft Research and Development Unit). The Sea Hornet was flown by RAAF pilots for 49 hours on Ministry Of Supply tests before it was returned to No 1AD on October 20 1950. It was returned to de Havilland on 6 March 1951.