The Bristol Type 171 Sycamore was a British multi-role helicopter from the post-war period. The flight of the prototype took place in 1947, and the serial production of the machine was carried out in the years 1947-1959. About 180 helicopters of this type were built in its course. The drive was provided by a single engine Alvis Leonides 73 with a power of 557 hp. The hull length of this machine was 14.07 meters, and the main rotor diameter was 14.81 meters. The maximum take-off weight oscillated around 2,540 kilograms, and the maximum speed did not exceed 205 km / h.
The Type 171 Sycamore helicopter was the first helicopter in the history of the Bristol Airplane Company and the first British-made aircraft of this type to be certified for civil flights in Great Britain. Work on this machine started in 1944, and was led by Raoul Hafner. Initially, the machine was offered on the civilian market and was positively received, among others, by British Airways. However, the production of the military version, intended for the RAF, began quickly, where it performed the tasks of medical evacuation, transport and liaison. It is worth adding that the Bristol Sycamore helicopters were used in combat, for example in the fighting in Malaya in 1948-1960. Machines were also exported to West Germany, Australia and Belgium.
Bristol Type 171 Sycamore or shorter - Bristol Sycamore was a multipurpose metal helicopter of British production with a fixed, three-support landing gear in a classic arrangement with a main rotor and a tail rotor on the beam. The flight of the first prototype took place in 1947, and serial production continued in 1947-1959. A total of about 180 copies of this helicopter were created. The machine, in the Mk.4 version, was 18.62 meters long, and the main rotor diameter was approx. 14.8 meters. The drive was provided by a single Alvis Leonidas engine with 550 HP. The maximum speed was up to 212 km / h.
Research and development work on a fully-fledged helicopter began at the Bristol Airplane Company in 1944, and was initially supervised by Raoul Hafner - one of the most outstanding British helicopter engineers of the initial phase of the Cold War, born in Austria. The work progressed relatively quickly and the flight of the prototype of the Sycamore machines took place in 1947. The machine turned out to be relatively successful and useful. The main user of these machines was the British RAF, which used them as rescue, search and liaison machines. They served in this role during the conflict in Malaya in 1948-1960. The machine was also used on a much smaller scale by the Australian and Belgian air forces.