The Bristol Tourer was a British civil utility biplane produced in the years following the First World War, using as much as possible from the design of the Bristol Fighter aircraft. Bristol Tourers were delivered with a variety of Piston engine, subject to availability and customer desires; these included the Rolls-Royce Falcon, Siddeley Puma, Hispano-Suiza 8, and Wolseley Viper. Many Tourers were fitted with a Aircraft canopy to cover the one or two passenger seats in the rear cockpit, giving the type its original name of Coupé. The pilot's cockpit, however, remained open.
Bristol Tourers operated by Western Australian Airways made the first scheduled airline services in Australia, commencing on 4 December 1921 between Perth and Geraldton.
Variants
- Type 27
- First Tourers for the British Controller of Civil Aviation, fitted with Rolls-Royce Falcon engines and dual controls (3 built)
- Type 28
- Similar to Type 27 with canopy for rear seat
- Type 29
- Siddeley Puma-engined version for Bristol as company transport (2 built)
- Type 45 "Scandinavian Tourer"
- Similar to Type 29 with ski Landing gear.
- Type 47
- Three-seat version with open rear cockpit.
- Type 48
- Similar to Type 47 but built as floatplane.
- Type 81 "Puma Trainer"
- Similar to Type 29 modified as trainer (1 converted, 4 newly built)
- Type 81A
- Similar to Type 81 with revised undercarriage and empennage for Greek military (6 built)
- Type 86 "Greek Tourer"
- Similar to original Bristol Fighter and able to be armed for Greek Air Force (6 built)
- Type 86A
- Three-seat version of Type 86.
- Type 88 "Bulgarian Tourer"
- Powered by Wolseley Viper for Bulgarian Post Office, two aircraft were delivered in April 1924.
- Type 88A "Improved Bulgarian Tourer"
- With various modifications, three aircraft delivered in 1926.
Operators
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Western Australian Airways
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Bulgarian Air Force
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Bulgarian Post Office
Specifications (Type 28)
Citations
Bibliography
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Grant, James Ritchie. "Anti-Clockwise: Australia the Wrong Way". Air Enthusiast, No. 82, July–August 1999, pp. 60–63.
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Thomas, Andrew. "In the Footsteps of Daedulus: Early Greek Naval Aviation". Air Enthusiast, No. 94, July–August 2001, pp. 8–9.
Further reading
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Contemporary brief technical description of the Type 27 Tourer with photograph.
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Contemporary technical description of the Type 28 (Coupé) with photographs.
