Bristol Aeroplane Company - Production Lists

Type 167 Brabazon

The Bristol Type 167 was a long-range airliner developed in response to a report from the Brabazon Committee of 1942. Named the Brabazon after the committee chairman, Lord Brabzon of Tara, construction of the first prototype began in October 1945. The airliner would be able to carry up to 100 passengers in a luxurious cabin, for 5,500 miles at 330 mph. The design broke new ground in airliner design, not just in its emmence size, but in the advanced technology it employed. Following its first flight, the Brabazon Mark I undertook numerous successful test flights and demonstations. In March 1952 the government anounced that the project would be suspended, and eventually cancelled it in July 1953. The main reason for the cancellation would appear to be huge cost of the project, a large part of which was the large assembly hall and runway extension at Filton. The fact that the Americans could provide cheaply-converted military transports, such as the Skymaster and Stratocruiser, along with the Constellation compounded the cost issue.