Warpaint Series Magazine - Warpaint 125 - Bristol Britannia

In this issue

Bristol Britannia, Canadair CP-107 Argus & CC-106 Yukon By Charles Stafrace The Bristol Britannia, known as the Whispering Giant because of its silent engines, was the world's first long-range turboprop-powered aircraft. It was built for the Royal Air Force as well as for civil airlines, and in time became renowned for its reliability. However, its gestation period was not easy, and its saga was one of sadness and disappointment, so that it entered service a decade after the first specification had been issued. Its period of service with BOAC and the major airlines was not long, as by then these had opted for the more glamorous jet-powered airliners. As a result, only 85 Britannias were produced by Bristol at Filton and at a second production line at Short Bros & Harland in Belfast, of which 23 went to the RAF. But thereafter the Britannia served at length with other less well known British and overseas airlines and feeder companies. It continued to fly as the RAF's main trooper as late as 1976, until its long-range role became redundant with the closing down of British Far East and Middle East bases. Early in the Britannia's development, the Royal Canadian Air Force was in search of a maritime patrol aircraft to replace the ageing Lancaster, and Canadair obtained a licence from Bristol to build the CP-107 Argus, which was basically a Britannia with a completely new fuselage to cater for the different role.