Advertisements

Aviation / Aerospace

Bristol M.1

Single-Seat Monoplane Fighter Aircraft [ 1917 ]

A persistent prejudice against monoplanes during World War 1 ensured that the Bristol M.1 series saw limited production figures.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 03/17/2021 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]

Advertisements

The Bristol M.1 military fighter aircraft appeared at a time in aviation history where there still stood a bias against monoplane-winged designs. Despite its excellent showing of straightline speed, the fighter was not widely accepted by the British Air Service during World War 1 (1914-1918) and, instead, relegated to service over the Middle East, the Balkans and at the Homefront (the latter utilized as trainers). One hundred thirty of the type were delivered by Bristol Aeroplane Company before the end.

Design work on the aircraft began in 1916 as a private venture headed by chief engineer Frank Barnwell of Bristol Aeroplane. Instead of following the traditional route of a biplane wing arrangement, a monoplane wing arrangement was coupled with a "puller" engine layout - the entire design wrapped around a well-contoured, rounded fuselage which tapered elegantly to the empennage. The unit consisted of a small-area vertical fin and low-set horizontal planes. The wing mainplanes were shoulder-mounted along the fuselage sides and strengthened by a pair of semi-circular steel hoops acting as the cabane (cage) structure, this seated over the cockpit. The cockpit was of the open-air variety consistent with the period and the wheeled undercarriage (tail dragger style) was fixed. The engine, fitted to the nose, drove a two-blade wooden propeller and a large aerodynamic spinner was added to it to complete the aircraft's look. Overall construction was primary of wood with fabric skinning. Power was had from a Clerget rotary engine of 110 horsepower output.

A prototype completed a first-flight on July 14th, 1916 and proved the design sound. The British War Office saw enough value in it to purchase the aircraft for extended evaluation and formal testing produced speeds reaching nearly 130 miles per hour. One of the design's noted deficiencies was its wing mainplane placement which reduced forward and downward vision for pilots - critical viewing angles in air-to-air combat and landing actions.©MilitaryFactory.com

Advertisements

Several physical changes greeted the subsequent M.1B models of which four were ordered. These had a cut-out section along the right wing mainplane to offer better ground vision for the pilot. Additionally, the semi-circular steel hoops over the cockpit were done away with and replaced by a pyramidal cabane. At the left wing mainplane was installed a .303 Vickers machine gun. Various engine fits were trialed during this time.

Even with the changes in place, the M.1 was a hard sell to the British Air Ministry who continually favored the biplane due to past issues with fielding viable monoplane types. Monoplanes were still largely viewed as unstable, dangerous creatures with lethal landing speeds when compared to contemporary biplanes and their added drag / control. This did not stop an order for 125 production-quality models to be had in August of 1917 - these under the M.1C designation. Chief changes included the .303 Vickers machine gun now set over the nose and a Le Rhone rotary engine for power.

The M.1C exhibited a length of 20.4 feet, a wingspan of 30.8 feet and a height of 7.8 feet. Empty weight was 900lb against a MTOW of 1,350lb. Maximum sped reached 130 miles per hour - one of the faster fighters of the war - with a service ceiling 20,000 feet and a mission endurance window of 1 hour, 45 minutes.

In service, the M.1 series was sent to the Middle East Theater before the end of 1917 and some fought over the Balkans Front while the rest of the stock was retained at home for training of British airmen. In practical combat, the fighters acquitted themselves quite well and were a match for even the best the enemy had to offer but - again - prejudices against monoplanes persisted and this limited the series to the grand total of 130 aircraft.

At least a dozen were shipped to Chile before the end of 1918 as payment for two warships under construction in British shipyards prior to the war and intended for the Chilean Navy. The vessels were confiscated by the Royal Navy to shore up its fleet shortages as it headed to war with Germany.

M.1 fighters served with RAF squadron Nos. 14, 47, 72, 111 and 150. A one-off design, the M.1D, was fitted with an in-house Bristol "Lucifer" radial piston engine and used as a high-speed testbed. Following the war, in its bright red color scheme, the aircraft raced into the early 1920s but as ultimately involved in a fatal crash during 1923.©MilitaryFactory.com

Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications

Service Year

1917

Origin

United Kingdom

Status

RETIRED
Not in Service.

Crew

1

Production

130
UNITS

Bristol Aeroplane Company - United Kingdom

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

Chile; United Kingdom

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Air-to-Air Combat, Fighter
General ability to actively engage other aircraft of similar form and function, typically through guns, missiles, and/or aerial rockets.

✓ Training (General)
Developed ability to be used as a dedicated trainer for student pilots (typically under the supervision of an instructor).

Length

20.5 ft
(6.25 m)

Width/Span

30.7 ft
(9.35 m)

Height

7.7 ft
(2.35 m)

Empty Wgt

904 lb
(410 kg)

MTOW

1,345 lb
(610 kg)

Wgt Diff

+441 lb
(+200 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the Bristol M.1C production variant)

Installed: 1 x Le Rhone 9J rotary engine developing 110 horsepower and driving two-bladed propeller at the nose.

Max Speed

130 mph
(210 kph | 113 kts)

Ceiling

20,013 ft
(6,100 m | 4 mi)

Range

230 mi
(370 km | 685 nm)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Bristol M.1C production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

1 x 0.303" Vickers machine gun over the nose synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller blades.

Supported Types

Graphical image of an aircraft medium machine gun

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

Hardpoint Mountings: 0

M.1 - Base Series Designation

M.1A - Protoype model with Clerget 9Z rotary engine of 110 horsepower; single example completed.

M.1B - Fitted with Clerget 9Z of 110 horsepower OR Clerget 9B of 130 horsepower OR Admiralty Rotary A.R.1 of 150 horsepower; four examples completed; portside machine gun mounting.

M.1C - Definitive production model; fitted with Le Rhone 9Ja engine of 110 horsepower; 125 examples completed.

M.1D - One-off high-speed testbed and racer from M.1C production stock; fitted with Bristol Lucifer powerplant of 140 horsepower.

Military lapel ribbon for Operation Allied Force

Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Britain

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Midway

Military lapel ribbon for the Berlin Airlift

Military lapel ribbon for the Cuban Missile Crisis

Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War

Military lapel ribbon for the French-Indochina War

Military lapel ribbon for the Golden Age of Flight

Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War

Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars

Military lapel ribbon for the Iran-Iraq War

Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War

Military lapel ribbon for the 1982 Lebanon War

Military lapel ribbon for the Malayan Emergency

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the attack on Pearl Harbor

Military lapel ribbon for the Six Day War

Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War

Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War

Military lapel ribbon for the Suez Crisis

Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War

Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War

Military lapel ribbon for Warsaw Pact of the Cold War-era

Military lapel ribbon for the WASP (WW2)

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War

Military lapel ribbon for experimental x-plane aircraft

Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.

Images Gallery

1 / 1

Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

Advertisements

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2023 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons.

View day-by-day actions of the American Civil War with CivilWarTimeline.net. View day-by-day actions of World War II with SecondWorldWarHistory.com.

©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)