Three Bristol Tourer replicas were built in Australia. A static display replica was built over 18 months during 1980-1981 as a project by the Civil Aviation Historical Society (WA Division) by Ansett WA carpenter Frank Matthews, under supervision of Ansett engineer Billy Tilly, with help of Frank Colquhoun, a former West Australian Airways mechanic/engineer. It was built for display at the Ansett terminal at Perth Airport (now Terminal 3) and was unveiled in the terminal on 5 December 1981, painted to represet G-AUDK. The Ansett terminal was expanded in the mid-1980s, so in 1986 this replica was donated to the RAAF Association Aviation Heritage Museum at Bull Creek, WA, where it is displayed with part of the fuselage and wing unskinned to reveal the structure.
In 1984-1985 an Australian company called A Thousand Skies Ltd had two airworthy Bristol Tourer replicas built in Brisbane, QLD by Air Charter Pty Ltd for a television mini-series “A Thousand Skies”, a story on the life of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith. They were registered as Air Charter Bristol F.2b Tourers, VH-UDC (c/n QA-32-1, painted as G-AUDK) and VH-UDR (c/n QA-32-2, painted as G-AUDJ). These aircraft were powered by 172 kw (230 hp) Continental IO-520 six-cylinder engines, the fuselages being of steel tube construction and the wings of wood, with fabric covering overall. These aircraft were later seen at a number of aviation events but suffered their share of problems.
On 1 June 1992 VH-UDC (painted as G-AUDK) was on a 70-year commemorative flight by owner/pilot Barry Hempel when it suffered engine trouble and was damaged in a forced landing on North West Coastal Highway, 100 km (62 miles) north of Geraldton, WA. The aircraft was restored by Mid West Aero Club and the Shire of Greenough donated it to the Western Australian Museum at Geraldton, where it is now displayed suspended from the ceiling. This is a fitting location, given that the first scheduled air service in Australia by Bristol Tourers of West Australian Airways began at Geraldton Airport on 5 December 1921.
Bristol Tourer replica VH-UDC / G-AUDK at Richmond, VIC in 1988
The second aircraft VH-UDR (painted as G-AUDJ) was registered in March 1985 and was withdrawn from service in March 1986. It was converted to a Bristol Fighter F.2b configuration, painted in military markings to represent C-4623, and was placed on display at the Army Aviation Museum at Oakey, QLD.
The 1983 “Flying Hangar Door” was home-designed and home-made by a very quiet and talented NASA engineer from Dryden Flight Research Center and weighed as much as a Vespa moped. The all-wing airframe was made of corrugated paper and the wheels were from child’s bicycles (plastic rims). It was powered by a lawnmower engine.
Despite its seemingly bulky shape, the “Flying Hangar Door” was an “excellent flyer”. It is possible that the aircraft never received a proper designation or even a registration.
Built in Russia, the Aya-7 is a single-seat, high wing monoplane. 30 hp pusher engine. Tricycle landing gear. Length 12’, wing span 17’, wing area 63.6 sq/ft. Empty weight 173 lbs and gross weight 360 lbs. Top speed 69 mph and stall speed 44 mph. Rate of climb 600 fpm. Wing and tail made from wood and fabric. Tail is metal.
The Lithuania Atgimimas single-seat, high wing monoplane. 22hp pusher engine. Tricycle landing gear. Length 16.6’, wing span 27’, wing area 116.6 sq/ft. Empty weight 215 lbs and gross weight of 415 lbs. Top speed 72 mph and stall speed 28 mph. Fuselage is tubing while wing is wood and composite. Tail is tubing and fabric.
Cirrus first began development of the Vision Jet in the early 2000s. The Cirrus founders, the Klapmeier brothers, started the program in their offsite Duluth, Minnesota, facility. It was officially revealed to the public in June 2006 at the Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association meeting.
The first prototype of the Cirrus Vision Jet conducted its maiden flight in July 2008. However, Cirrus ran into difficulties financing the continued testing and development program of the light business jet, especially in 2009 during the height of the Great Recession.
However, after the slow development process in the early 2010s, a new Cirrus investor provided enough financing to complete the development of the aircraft. It was officially certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in October 2016. Deliveries of the aircraft began later that same year.
The Vision Jet is a low-wing-configured aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear. The aircraft’s airframe is also made entirely out of composite materials. It utilizes a single turbofan engine that rests on the top of the fuselage near the rear of the aircraft. Because of the unique engine configuration, the aircraft utilizes a V-tail.
The small cabin can fit up to seven total occupants in three rows. However, the third row is small and typically can only accommodate two adults or three children. Passengers enter the cabin through a clamshell door on the left-hand side of the fuselage.
Additionally, the Vision Jet is powered by the Garmin G3000 avionics suite, including the Garmin Emergency Autoland System. The Vision Jet also features the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS).
The R88 will feature an open-tail rotor design and two-bladed main rotor system. It also includes new LED aircraft exterior lights, including pulsed landing and taxi lights, tail rotor lighting, scene lighting, and entry lights, further enhancing utility and safety.
The internal payload was expected to accommodate over 2,800 pounds and deliver more than 3.5 hours of flight time and more than 350 nautical miles of range. It will carry up to two pilots and up to eight passengers for a passenger total of 1,800 pounds with a full fuel tank.
Large sliding doors on each side will provide easy access for passengers and cargo. The rear has a fold-down, truck-bed style door for simplified cargo loading or easily accommodating a HEMS stretcher. The aircraft is available with standard skids or optional high skids for increased ground clearance and compatibility with a firefighting water tank.
The Garmin avionics suite includes large Garmin G500H TXI displays and GTN navigators with touchscreen controls for easy operation, vivid displays, and extensive capabilities. The G500H TXI will include a crew-alerting system to provide the pilot with intelligent information about the aircraft’s systems. Offered is a standard 4-axis autopilot from Garmin. This system will provide a full range of important safety functions, including level mode, hover assist, limit cueing, low/high speed protection, and low altitude protection.
A standard data recording system with Datalink automatically will capture engine and system data for simplified operation and maintenance. A standard health usage monitoring system (HUMS) will monitor critical components and provide real-time track and balance data so operators can address issues before they affect operations.
The R88 incorporates dual hydraulics for pitch and roll for critical flight controls. Other standard safety features include an inlet barrier filter and impact-resistant windshields certified to Part 29 transport helicopter requirements.
The R88 introduces dual cyclic controls with removable controls on both sides, allowing the pilot in command to be in either the left or right seat with a passenger in the other seat. The aircraft will be type-certified for optional single-pilot IFR operations. The all-new interior design features comfortable, functional seating, easy-to-maintain materials, and a versatile layout.
New LED exterior lighting, including pulse landing and taxi lights, tail rotor lighting, scene lighting, and entry lights, further enhance safety.
The configurable cabin features a flat floor, allowing for multiple forward and club seating configurations, effective air medical and public safety mission configurations, and multiple future seating options. A fold-down, truck-bed style rear door simplifies cargo loading and accommodates a HEMS stretcher. The air conditioning system is made entirely by Robinson Helicopter.
Robinson partnered with Safran Helicopter Engines to add the Arriel 2W engine.
The R88 offers a wide range of optional OEM-provided mission equipment, including a 3000-lb. HEC-rated cargo hook, utility basket, optional wire strike protection kit, pop-out floats, and more.
The aircraft was shown with two banks of four seats in the main cabin.
With a launch price starting at $3.3 million, the R88 was presented in a configuration of two pilot seats followed by two banks of four passenger seats, illustrating the 275-cubic-foot (7.8-cubic-meter) cabin volume.
Powered by the 1,000-shaft-horsepower Safran Arriel 2W, the R88 has a payload capacity of up to 1,800 pounds (815 kilograms) with full fuel, and a range of 350 nautical miles (650 kilometers), with endurance above 3.5 hours.
The R88 was shown with a high-skid configuration and cargo basket.
The engine of the R88 is in a different position than it is in the R66 and R44. Those types have a low engine placement within the airframe, while the R88’s engine is moved higher — representing a more “conventional” placement in a helicopter.
It has the standard Robinson two-bladed main rotor and tail, but scaled up to accommodate the increase in power and size provided by the Arriel engine. The blades have a 50 percent bigger chord than those of the R66, and are “quite a bit” longer, said Smith.
The tail boom looks similar to Robinson’s other types, but is higher up on the airframe. When the aircraft is equipped with high skids — as it was during the type’s unveiling in Dallas — the boom is high enough for most people to comfortably walk underneath.
Inside, the cockpit is fully glass, with dual conventional cyclic controls (rather than Robinson’s famed “T” bar — or teetering cyclic — as used in the other types in its range).
Switching to a conventional cyclic was the result of another functional decision, driven by the aircraft’s large width. They couldn’t get the teetering cyclic to work — it’s too large of a movement.
The R88 has a Garmin avionics suite, including large G500H TXi displays and GTN navigators with touchscreen controls.
G500H TXi avionics.
The R88 will have a four-axis autopilot as standard, along with data recording with datalink and a health and usage monitoring system (HUMS). Other safety features include an inlet barrier filter and impact-resistant windshields certified to part 29 transport helicopter standards.
Optional equipment will include a 3,000-pound human external cargo (HEC)-rated cargo hook, utility basket, wire strike protection kit, and pop-out floats.
The cabin has three entry points. Sliding doors — a new feature for a Robinson helicopter — are on both sides, while a fold-down door at the back of the cabin provides access from the rear.
All Aero 