FLY 72030 Bristol 170 Freighter Mk.31

The Bristol Freighter or Bristol Type 170 Freighter was a British high-wing transport aircraft from the post-war period. The prototype flight took place in December 1945. Mass production was carried out in the years 1945-1958. About 220 aircraft of this type were built in its course. In the Mark 31 version, the drive was provided by two Bristol Hercules 734 engines with 2,000 hp each. The length of the aircraft was 20.83 meters with a wingspan of approximately 32.9 meters.

The presented plane was developed by the Bristol Airplane Company. It is worth adding that these plants - in parallel with the development of the Freighter - also worked on a much more advanced plane called the Brabazon, which turned out to be a failure over time. When working on the Bristol Freighter, great emphasis was placed on simplifying the structure and the possibility of operating the aircraft from airports with limited infrastructure. Interestingly, the pre-war Bristol Bombay plane was largely based on. Ultimately, a successful machine was created with relatively low operating costs and good reliability. It is worth noting that the passenger version was also developed based on the Freighter model, the longer one, called the Wayfarer. Bristol Freighter machines were operated, among others, in countries such as: Argentina, Australia, Pakistan and, of course, the United Kingdom.